Gail Ann Dorsey With David Bowie: Under Pressure
Sometimes it’s the simplest bass lines that stick with you the most. Here, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey proves it as she plays the iconic riff to “Under Pressure” with David Bowie at Madison Square Garden in 1997.
Hal Leonard Releases Jazz Bass On Top by Andy McKee
Hal Leonard has released Jazz Bass on Top: A Guide to Left-Hand Technique by Andy McKee, an instructional book for double bass aimed at improving fingerboard facility through 50 jazz songs. Presented in order of difficulty, the tunes range from “The Girl From Ipanema” to “Teen Town,” and teach walking bass lines as well as soloing techniques. McKee, who teaches...
2011 Montreux Jazz Festival Lineup Announced
The lineup for the 2011 Montreux Jazz Festival has been announced, and it will be a solid year for bass lovers. A few of the bassists set to perform include Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding, Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, Christian McBride, Richard Bona and Marcus Miller, who will be performing as part of a tribute to Miles Davis. The fest is...
Les Claypool with Gov’t Mule: Greasy Granny’s Gopher Gravy
After the passing of Allen Woody, Gov’t Mule played with a host of bassists, resulting in two albums and culminating an a 6+ hour concert that was released as The Deepest End. This performance is from that concert, and has Primus’s Les Claypool jamming with the group on “Greasy Granny’s Gopher Gravy” parts 1 and 2. Check out some of...
Carvin Releases Brian Bromberg Signature Bass
After showing the prototype at NAMM, Carvin has released the Brian Bromberg Signature Bass series, available in 4 and 5-string versions. The new Bromberg B24 and B25 models feature neck through construction with alder bodies and maple necks. AAAA flamed maple tops come standard, though you can get a solid color finish. The fingerboard is ebony and has Bromberg’s logo...
Charles Mingus’s 89th Birthday Celebrated With Streaming Performance
Today marks the 89th year since Charles Mingus was born. The outspoken bassist/composer left a wealth of music in his wake, which is preserved through the work of the Charles Mingus Institute. Among the groups dedicated to keeping his music alive is the Mingus Orchestra, a 10-piece group held down by bassist Boris Kozlov. In addition to his role as...
Bakithi Kumalo to Tour with Paul Simon
Bassist Bakithi Kumalo will be joining Paul Simon once again for a global tour in support of the new album So Beautiful or So What. The trek will take them from coast to coast in the U.S. before heading to Europe in June. Kumalo and Simon first worked together when the singer recruited a band for his classic album, Graceland....
Phil Jones Pure Sound Releases D-600 Dual Channel Digital Bass Amp
Phil Jones Pure Sound has a new bass amp on the market, the D-600 Digital Amplifier. Taking after their D-200, the new model is rated at 600 watts while weighing in at merely 7 pounds. The dual channel setup give each path it’s own 5-band EQ and mute switch. Other features include an optical limiter and front-facing aux-in with separate...
Legoland Empire Releases EP Featuring Trip Wamsley
Bassist Trip Wamsley shared on his Facebook page that Legoland Empire has released Guard the Point, a new 4-track EP on Bandcamp. Wamsley, whose playing on the album ranges from funky grooves to gnarly distorted riffs, describes the album as masterminded by former Wild Cherry bassist Allen Wentz. The group also includes Neil Alexander on keys and guitarist Rob Michael....
Warwick Announces WA Bass Amps and WCA Cabinets
Warwick has unveiled the WA bass amp series, a line based on their Hellborg series but at a lower price point. Available as rack mountable or in sleeves, the WA300 and WA600 amp heads pump out 300 and 600 watts respectively and feature 10-band EQs with additional Bass and Treble controls. A one-knob adjustable compressor is built-in for dynamic control....
Ben Allison Releases Action-Refraction
Bassist/composer Ben Allison has released his tenth album as a bandleader, entitled Action-Refraction. The disc features Allison’s takes on songs by his favorite artists, including PJ Harvey, Donny Hathaway, Thelonious Monk, Neil Young, Samuel Barber and Roger Nichols. This is a new approach for the composer as only one of the tracks, Broken, is an original. The idea for the...
Kala Announces Solid Body U-Bass
Kala Brand Music Co. has released a solid body version of their U-Bass. Though the original model was a bass-version of a ukulele, the Solid Body U-Bass takes a step to more closely resemble a bass guitar. Featuring a 21” scale, the bass is available in 4 and 5-string versions and fretted or fretless. It utilizes Kala’s proprietary polyurethane strings,...