Buzz
Carlos Santana/Wayne Shorter Group: Deeper Dig Deeper (Live, 1988)
Here’s a great old clip of the Carlos Santana/Wayne Shorter Group performing the Santana tune “Deeper, Dig Deeper” at Pori Jazz in 1988. Laying down the groove is the one and only Alphonso Johnson. Such great footage.
Piano Trio Album from Cyrus Chestnut Features Jazz Bass Great
Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut’s latest album, Natural Essence, features the work of noted jazz bassist Buster Williams (solo artist, Herbie Hancock Sextet, Art Blakey, Ron Carter and many more) and drummer Lenny White. The album features classic piano trio material, distinguished by Chestnut’s pleasure in playing, particularly when supported by such accomplished fellow musicians. The record isn’t Williams’ first time...
Weekly Top 10: Meaningful Practice, Remembering Jane Little, O Bass Review, Vulfpeck Transcription and More
Time to celebrate a whole lotta bass with another edition of the weekly top 10. Here are the No Treble reader favorite stories, lessons, videos and more for the week of May 14-20, 2016. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Making Practice Meaningful This week, a reader asks Damian Erskine for advice on making a practice routine more...
Bass Lick Series: Cool Bluesy Bass Line with Fills in G
Here’s a new lick lesson for you, using a good fingering exercise with a Major Pentatonic scale. This is also great for practicing slides and hammer-ons. The fills are mostly Pentatonic, with added flat 3rd (B?) and flat 7th (F). The backing track is a one chord (G7) vamp, but you can transpose it and use it in many blues...
Rush: Working Man (Live, 1974)
In April 1974, Rush took the stage at the Laura Secord Secondary School in St. Catharines. Here’s a clip of the band performing “Working Man”, which includes John Rutsey on drums (who was replaced by Neil Peart just a few months later) and Geddy Lee rocking a P-bass. The tape of this concert was found during the making of Rush:...
New Order Turns “Music Complete” Into “Complete Music”
If you don’t feel like your version of New Order’s Music Complete was actually complete, an extended version of the album has arrived for you as Complete Music. The band says that due to overwhelming demand, it decided to release the extended versions of the tracks, previously only available on a limited edition vinyl box set. Music Complete was New...
Rodenberg Amplification Introduces Commander Distortion Pedal
Germany’s Rodenberg Custom Amplification has expanded their lineup of effects with the Commander distortion pedal. Apt for bass and guitar, the pedal is described as the logical development following the company’s GAS Overdrive series. “While the GAS-808 is designed for overdrive sounds, the Commander’s home is distortion,” Rodenberg writes on their website. “But you can also dial down to overdrive...
Motörhead: Overkill, Live 2015
We may have lost Lemmy, but his music will live on. The remaining members of Motörhead are gearing up to release a live album called Clean Your Clock, featuring one of the band’s final performances together at the Zenith in Munich, Germany. This concert, which took place just over a month before Lemmy’s passing, is a testament to the bassist’s...
Learn More About Playing Like Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr in New Book
Hal Leonard’s book, Royal Blood for Guitar and Bass with Tab, provides an insight into how Mike Kerr, bassist/vocalist for the bass/drum duo Royal Blood, creates his sound. His bass setup allows him to use his bass to emulate two guitars, as well as carry its own sound. “Through careful arranging of the riffs and deft switching, he’s able to...
Radial Engineering Announces Headlight Pro Direct Box
Radial Engineering has introduced the Headlight Pro, a direct box designed for use with multiple instruments on stage. The device has a standard 1/4” input for bass, guitar, mandolin, or fiddle and multiple, switch-able outputs for PA sends. A mute switch allows you to disconnect your bass, connect to your next instrument, and select a new output. “When you are...
Gear Review: Orange Amplification O Bass
The O Bass by Orange Amplification is their first offering in the bass guitar market, aimed at appealing to the retro vibe market. It’s not hard to see the paring of an O Bass and a tube powered bass amp sonically. It’s definitely a rock bassist’s guitar, although you can get a pretty fat full warm tone for R&B styled...
King Crimson: Thela Hun Ginjeet (Live, 1984)
I’ve been on a King Crimson – and Tony Levin – kick lately, which brought me to binge-watching a ton of videos of the band. Here’s a 1984 performance of “Thela Hun Ginjeet”, with Levin’s tremendous bass line for you to enjoy.