Buzz
Linda Oh: Blue Over Gold
Linda Oh’s new album, Sun Pictures is coming out August 27th, and the bassist is giving the world a sneak peek with a video of one of her new tunes entitled “Blue Over Gold.” Joined by saxophonist Ben Wendel, guitarist James Muller, and drummer Ted Poor, Oh sets a beautifully wandering groove with her thick, rich bass lines.
Alfred Music Releases Four More Led Zeppelin Platinum Bass Titles
Following up on their first two books, Alfred Music has released four more Led Zeppelin titles in their “Platinum Bass” series. All the books offer both standard notation and tab for the bass lines, plus the lyrics and vocal melodies. Led Zeppelin: III Platinum Bass Guitar includes transcriptions for “Immigrant Song”, “Celebration Day”, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, “Out on...
Traveler Guitar Adds Duncan Designed Pickups to TB-4P Bass
Traveler Guitar has expanded on their original TB-4P bass with the introduction of a new finish and Duncan Designed MM-01 Pickup. The new model sports red finish with a pearloid pickguard. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces, the 32-inch scale travel-sized bass is designed to fit in airline overhead compartments and features a built-in headphone amplifier as well as...
Pablo Elorza: Recording Fretless Bass and Getting that Jaco Tone
The last time we featured Pablo Elorza, he gave us an in-depth look at the popular Jaco Pastorius tune “Continuum”. Our friend Sylvain Gros-Desormeaux shares this one of Pablo demonstrating how to record a fretless bass and achieve that Jaco sound. For more on Pablo’s Deep Into Electric Bass Classics, visit his website.
John Scofield Releases “Überjam Deux”, Featuring Andy Hess
John Scofield’s Grammy-nominated Überjam came out more than a decade ago. And while the guitarist has since released seven albums of his own, and five albums as a co-leader, the followup to Überjam has been in the works. Überjam Deux is the result of that decade-plus of work. “Certain songs have been evolving over the ten years since Überjam; [guitarist]...
Bastard Basses Announces Little Bastard Bass
Bastard Basses has launched with an innovative prototype called the Little Bastard. Born out of a final exam project for designer Szabolcs Sinka’s Master’s in Product Design, the prototype bass is based around a 32-inch to 30-inch multi-scale neck. The bass’s concept also incorporates some forward thinking in the design process for ergonomics and visual flair. “Little Bastard uses a...
Höfner Introduces H64/VB-R Tweed-Style Violin Bass Case
Höfner has debuted the H64/VB-R hardshell case for their Violin Basses. The new tweed-style case takes the place of the previous black vintage case and will be included with each German built violin bass. It will also be available separately. The H64/VB-R is inspired by the Selmer Tweed Style cases that were supplied in the ’60s. Features include classic case...
Breaking Down Music: Start with the Songs You Love
When it comes to music, we all have our favorite bands, our favorite songs, favorite singers, bass players and maybe even some guitar solos. Some of us develop a preference for certain genres; they shape our music library, our concert expenditures and our playing repertoire. It’s easy to know that we like something, mainly because we find ourselves singing along...
Marcus Miller: Live at Java Jazz Festival 2013 (Complete Performance)
What a treat this one is. The folks who run the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival have shared Marcus Miller’s entire performance from the 2013 Jazz Festival. The festival took place in March in Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia. The band – which also includes Louis Cato on drums, Kris Bowers on keyboards, Alex Han on saxophone, Lee Hogans on trumpet and...
Steve Swallow Quintet Releases “Into the Woodwork”
Steve Swallow has released Into the Woodwork, a new, multi-textured collection of twelve of the bassist’s original tunes. The album features a revised lineup of Swallow’s quintet with longtime collaborator Carla Bley on organ, Chris Cheek on saxophone, Steve Cardenas on guitar, and Jorge Rossy on drums. “This album is very much about what this cast of characters provoked in...
Bass of the Week: AC Guitars Recurve Classic 6
Scottish luthier Alan Cringean makes some fine instruments, and this AC Guitars Recurve Classic 6 is a beautiful example. Topped with a stunning Tasmanian Myrtle Burl, the 6-string bass as much a piece of art as it is a workhorse instrument. Equally stunning to the bass’s top is its back, which shows off the natural wood grain of its swamp...
Jesús Rico Pérez: “Come With Me, My Love” Michael Manring Cover
Michael Manring’s “Come With Me, My Love”, which appeared on Soliloquy, is one of the great solo bass compositions and performances. So it was a thrill to hear bassist Jesús Rico Pérez perform his take – so much so, that I asked Michael to share his thoughts on the performance. Here’s what he said: “Many thanks to Jesús for his...