Buzz
Hadrien Feraud Releases Sophomore Effort as Solo Artist
French jazz bass virtuoso Hadrien Feraud (Chick Corea, John McLaughlin) has released his second album, Born in the 80s. The album mixes jazz fusion, R&B, hip-hop, and soul and the 1984-born Feraud acknowledges the record’s not all about the bass — “It’s more about music,” says Feraud, who was inspired to commit himself to bass after hearing a Jaco Pastorius...
Book Teaches How to Use the Nashville Number System
Want to learn how to use the Nashville Number System and easily play some of country’s greatest songs? The Nashville Number System Fake Book promises to teach you how to use the notation system, which reveals a song’s harmony, key, meter, rhythm, phrase structure, instrumentation, arrangement, and form on one piece of paper. The book is written for use by...
PandaMidi Revives A Classic Synth Pedal with the Future Impact I
The AKAI Deep Impact is one of the most sought after synth bass pedals around. Discontinued years ago, the pedal is often seen selling for $800 or more. Now the Deep Impact’s designer has announced the next generation of the synth pedal with the Future Impact I by PandaMidi. While the Future Impact I is able to reproduce all nine...
Rush: YYZ (R40 Live)
Regardless of what happens with Rush in the future, we’re lucky to have so many albums – and videos – to enjoy. From their R40 Tour this year, here’s Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart performing “YYZ” – a song I think we can all agree is one of the all-time greats. This video comes from the they released...
Sly & Robbie Continue to Exude the Reggae Power on Latest Album
Reggae legends Sly & Robbie’s latest album pairs the duo with Japanese reggae group Spicy Chocolate. The album, The Reggae Power 2, also features late reggae great Bob Marley’s grandson, Skip. “Once we heard Skip’s record ‘Cry to Me’ we knew that we wanted to try and involve him in the album,” said bassist Robbie Shakespeare, who is one half...
Jeremy Davis Leaves Paramore
Jeremy Davis has parted ways with Paramore, according to a post on the band’s Facebook page. The bassist was a founding member in 2004. “These last few years have held some of the most fulfilling moments we’ve had yet… as people, as friends, and as a band,” the statement reads. “The Self-Titled era was one that we knew would be...
Old School: 1959 Gibson EB-2 Bass
When our Instagram friend Eric Fortaleza posted a picture of his beautiful 1959 Gibson EB-2 Bass, we had to ask him to share his story with us. In this edition of Old School, we get the scoop. Here’s the story… How long have you owned it? Since Christmas 2013. I decided to buy myself a Christmas present. How did you...
Charles Berthoud and Jim Stinnett: I Wanna Be…
Bassist Charles Berthoud shared this video he recorded with New Hampshire Bass Fest founder and Berklee instructor Jim Stinnett. The song is Charles’ original composition “I Wanna Be…,” which features some sweet fretless lines by Stinnett on top of Berthoud’s tap bass foundation.
Three John Abercrombie Quartet Records Re-Released in One Package
Some of prolific Czech-born jazz double bassist George Mraz’s work from the late 1970s into 1980 with the John Abercrombie Quartet has been released by ECM records as part of a three-CD set in its Old & New Masters series called The First Quartet, which combines the albums Arcade, Abercrombie Quartet and M. Mraz performed on the albums in the...
Kliq Introduces the TinyTune Pedal Tuner
Looking to save some room on your pedalboard? KLIQ Music Gear has unveiled the compact TinyTune pedal tuner, which measures up at 3.66″ by 1.5″ by 1.22″. Weighing 4.3 ounces, the TinyTune has a tuning range of A0 to C8 with tuning precision of ±0.5 cents. Other features include flat tuning up to four semitones, A4 calibration between 430 and...
Making Transcribing Easier
Q: I have no real problem (anymore) performing publicly with groups/bands, with taking a solo, or with people overhearing me practice (though of course I try to be considerate). But I have an anxiety around transcribing that feels almost like stage fright, and I can’t quite get myself to incorporate it into my daily practice routine. In my mind –...
Steve Lawson: The Way Home
Steve Lawson’s creative output stems from his in-the-moment style of playing. Instead of reshaping the music in the studio, he captures that energy for all of his albums by performing them live. That includes his latest, “The Way Home”, which features some soulful playing over a live loop. “A few people seem baffled by the idea that my latest two...