In Memoriam: Graham Collier
British jazz bassist and composer Graham Collier has passed away at the age of 74. After three years as a musician in the British Army, he won a Down Beat magazine scholarship to Berklee School of Music, where he became it’s first British graduate in 1963. Collier’s lifelong career included 19 albums of his original works, his last being 2009’s...
Skjold Design to Revive JP Basses This Fall
Skjold Design Guitars will be reintroducing JP Basses, beginning this fall. Luthier Pete Skjold worked closely with JP proprietor Jean-Philippe Ferreira to keep the basses in the same spirit of their predecessors. As the new moniker suggests, JP Basses USA instruments will be handmade in the USA. Familiar features on the basses will include custom preamps by John East, custom...
Squier Releases Vintage Modified Jazz Bass V
A five-string version of Squier’s Vintage Modified Jazz Bass is now available. Similar to the four-string model, the Vintage Modified Jazz Bass V is styled after Fender’s mid-70’s Jazz basses and features a natural finish, soft maple body with a maple neck. The neck has black binding, block inlays, and 20 medium jumbo frets. Pickups on the bass are Duncan...
The Big 4 to Perform at Yankee’s Stadium
The Big 4 tour will be making its second U.S. stop at Yankee’s Stadium in Bronx, New York on September 14th. The show, which has been hyped for the last four years, brings together four of the biggest metal bands – Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. The groups, of course, are in turn held down by four of the strongest...
Bass of the Week: Kenneth Lawrence “Joust” 11-string ChamberBrase I
The world of extended-range basses has taken off over the last few years, and if you’ve ever searched for the term “bass” on YouTube, you’ve likely seen this week’s bass of the week: the Kenneth Lawrence “Joust” 11-string ChamberBrase I, built for Nuclear Rabbit and solo bassist Jean Baudin. A customization of Lawrence’s models, the bass features a chambered North...
Fuzzrocious Pedals Releases the Terrordactyl
Fuzzrocious Pedals has released the Terrordactyl, a fuzz that feeds into an envelope filter all in one stompbox. The pedal’s three controls include volume, envelope level, and envelope range. For further control, they included an expression pedal output to adjust the envelope’s range on the fly. The Terrordactyl features true bypass and is powered by a “Boss”-style 9 volt adapter....
The Brothers Johnson: Ain’t We Funkin’ Now, Live on Soul Train
Well, maybe “live” is used loosely here since it’s lip-syncing on Soul Train, but there’s no doubt the Brothers Johnson are funkin’ on this episode, originally aired on August 26, 1978. Slap-bass pioneer Louis Johnson can be seen with an early Music Man StingRay, and gets some time to shine at the 2:46 mark.
Donald Harrison Releases This is Jazz, Featuring Ron Carter and Billy Cobham
Donald Harrison has released This is Jazz, his second effort on the Half Note label with master bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Cobham. The six-track album is cultivated from a set by the seasoned trio at New York’s Blue Note club. Carter, who is lauded as one of the most recorded bassists in with over 2,500 albums under his...
Roger Glover Releases “If Life Was Easy”
Deep Purple’s Roger Glover has released his fifth solo album called If Life Was Easy. The bassist wrote or cowrote all of the 16 tracks, which was reportedly recorded in 2007 and features his daughter Gillian among others. Glover, who is about to tour Europe with Deep Purple, says the eclectic mix of songs are reflections on his recent life....
Gretsch Revamps Electromatic Junior Jet Basses
Gretsch will launch revamped versions of their Electromatic range of instruments this month, including the Jet Junior and Jet Junior II basses. Updates to the series include improved pickups, inlays, and more. Both the Junior Jet and Junior Jet II basses feature bolt-on construction with a short 30.3″ scale, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and 20 medium jumbo frets. Hardware on...
A Taste of Honey: Boogie Oogie Oogie (1978)
Like it or not, disco produced some great bass lines. Jeff Kerestes shared this music video of A Taste of Honey, featuring bassist/vocalist Janice-Marie Johnson, on our Facebook page. The song, “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” is a classic example of groovy bass from the ’70s. “I just came across this video,” Jeff said. “Classic bass line! Great female bass player.” Agreed!
In Memoriam: Laurie McAllister
Laurie McAllister, who played bass in the final lineup of the iconic all-girl rock band the Runaways, has passed away at the age of 54. McAllister joined the Runaways in November 1978, replacing Victory Blue and becoming the 6th bassist in the band’s four year history. On her Facebook page, she listed her time in the band as the “Best...