Buzz
Avishai Cohen Trio Releases “From Darkness”
Jazz bassist and composer Avishai Cohen and his trio, including pianist Nitai Hershkovits and drummer Daniel Dor, have released From Darkness. Cohen’s goal with the record, as it often is for him, is to reach toward purity of sound. He’s absolutely making his way there. Take a listen to the album’s “Lost Tribe” in the video below. From Darkness is...
Perri’s Leathers Limited Announces The Beatles Licensed Gear
Perri’s Leathers Limited has launched a new line of straps, gig bags and picks honoring The Beatles. The series includes eighteen strap designs with themes from the band’s whole career including Yellow Submarine, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, and Revolver. The lineup includes a polyester webbing strap design and a leather effect vinyl design. The polyester straps...
Making Theory Work
Q: I’ve tried to learn music theory many times. I’ve studied it in a classroom setting, private lessons and on my own, but it just doesn’t click with me for some reason. I’m classically trained, so I can read bass music just fine, but when I play anything that relies heavily on memory or improvisation, I generally just play by...
Marcus Miller: “Afrodeezia” Interview & Performance Session
Dunlop hosted Marcus Miller for a discussion and live performance of his new album, Afrodeezia. The session includes interviews with performances of “Hylife,” “B’s River” and “Son Of Macbeth” in between.
John Patitucci a Band Member on Jose James’ Homage to Billie Holiday
Jazz bassist John Patitucci, known for his work with Chick Corea, Sting, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, and Wayne Shorter, lent his talents to vocalist José James’ latest, Yesterday I Had The Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday. Released on Blue Note and produced by Blue Note President Don Was (also a bassist), the album also features pianist Jason Moran and...
Reader Spotlight: Steven Harrison
Steven Harrison brings us one of the more unique stories of this series. A long-time bassist, Steven doesn’t actually own a bass today (thanks to a series of life events). But he’s getting back into it. And that makes for one exciting story to us. Steven is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of April 6th, 2015....
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (March 2015)
We know you dig the bass videos we share each day… and we know you can handle a lot of bass. So here’s some good news: the list of the top 10 most watched bass videos for the month is here. Enjoy. 1. Josh Cohen: Solo Bass Arrangement of “Chameleon” Here is a video that will freak you out musically...
John Ferrara: Two-Handed Tapping Lesson and Playalong
We recently got to interview Consider the Source’s John Ferrara, who gave us the scoop on the band’s latest album, World War Trio, Pt. 1. It’s made up of a six-part epic song called “Put Another Rock in That Bag” that the bassist kicks off with some blazing two-handed tapping. Ferrara shares some insight on this new playalong and lesson...
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Releases “Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress”
Godspeed You! Black Emperor (GYBE) has released Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress, the Canadian post-rock group’s first record since 2012’s Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! The group, with its two-bassist lineup of Thierry Amar (double bass, bass) and Mauro Pezzente (bass), has a sound marked by major unison riffage, noise/drones, and guitar/strings counterpoint. Just this one description from the record’s promotional...
Bass of the Week: Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe
This week we check out the Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe, a specialized version of the company’s flagship bass model. Hand-made in Finland, the bass is set apart by a 2-piece Spanish cedar body with a thermo treated arctic birch top. Its rock maple neck is also topped with a thermo treated Indian rosewood fingerboard. “From the guitar maker’s point of view,...
Beginning Jazz Soloing: A Melody First Approach
Some methods of learning jazz improvisation start out from the beginning by asking us to memorize chords, scales, and to play patterns in every key. For those unaccustomed to improvising, or inexperienced in theory, starting out this way can be a daunting task. It can make the learning curve for improvisation seem insurmountable. Some people take naturally to it, of...
Christian Rauhoeft: Revaluation
When Christian Rauhoeft shared this video with us, his note really meant something to me. I’ll share what he wrote, to do it justice: Ever since I read Damian’s [column on] “staying motivated and avoiding unhealthy comparisons,” my self confidence as a bass player was able to make a considerable step into the right direction (up). It’s not just Damian’s...