Buzz
Cobham Duke Band: “Juicy” Live with Alphonso Johnson
Juan Alderete shared this on his Facebook page a while back, saying only “this leaves me speechless.” I feel about the same way. Filmed in Montreux in 1976, this clip captures the kind of energy you just don’t see in every band. Alphonso Johnson holds down the low end with tight yet lyrical playing before taking a tasty solo at...
N-Audio Introduces Powerbox Mk2 Stompbox Power Supply
N-Audio has unveiled the Powerbox Mk2, an isolated and filtered stompbox power supply. The new tool is based on a quality transformer with a reduced flux density and 5 independent isolated output groups that reduce noise and group loop issues. The Mk2 has ten outputs: four with 9 or 12 volts and up to 500mA, two with 9, 12, or...
Building Bass Lines: Navigating More Changes
Q: I have recently begun playing with a pop artist who writes what I would call “chord heavy” songs. These are not your typical I-IV-V tunes, and they definitely aren’t “riffy”; they are tunes with intricate verse and chorus progressions and extended bridges. I have been going off the lead sheets for now, but my question is how can I...
MonoNeon Releases “Southern Visionary”
Forward-thinking bassist MonoNeon is kicking off 2013 with a new album called Southern Visionary, available on BandCamp. The effort blends the composer’s unique interests of southern soul and microtonal music to create a completely unique sound. “On this album I’m presenting my minimalistic idea of ‘microtonal-southern soul’ with compositions, ‘Micro-Johnnay Taylor’ and ‘Micro-Staple Sangus’,” MonoNeon writes. “The title track, ‘Southern...
Reader Spotlight: Mason Nagy
Meet Mason Nagy, a bassist who is carrying on the family tradition of playing bass, from his grandfather to his dad to him. As with many bassists in the spotlight here, Mason is part of a very cool family. Mason is our player in the spotlight for the week of January 8, 2013. Bio: With such achievements as having plenty...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (December 2012)
Here are the 10 most watched and most epic bass videos from December, 2012 on No Treble. Enjoy! 1. Robert Trujillo, Steve Bailey and P-Nut Bass Jam Here’s a sweet jam from Warwick’s Fuss on the Buss 2012 DVD. Robert Trujillo and Steve Bailey set an interesting groove between Trujillo’s gnarly distorted bass and Bailey’s bell-like tone and lyricism on...
Nothing But Bass: 90 Kontrabass Orchestra
Szoke Richard shared this video, saying “no treble at all”. Indeed. And we love it. 90 bass orchestra!
Joseph Patrick Moore Releases “Read Music” eBook
Bassist Joseph Patrick Moore has released a new eBook for the iPad entitled Read Music: Making Sense of Music Notation. The 250-page book tackles the issue of reading for all instruments, from beginning musicians as well as seasoned pros. Moore includes audio examples, exercises, etudes and interactive self-tests to let readers get the most out of the learning experience. Chapters...
Port City Amplification Introduces Orleans All Tube Bass Preamp
Port City Amplification has entered the world of bass preamps with the Orleans model, an all tube preamp housed in a rack-mountable unit. The sleek unit offers Treble, Middle, and Bass tone controls as well as a Thick switch that provides extra tone shaping in the low frequencies. Handmade in North Carolina, the Orleans features JJ Preamp tubes and is...
DrumGenius: A Look at the Drum Loop App for iOS
I was recently turned on to DrumGenius by NoTreble’s own Kevin Johnson, and I’m glad that I was. In essence, DrumGenius is a simple library of drum loops in various styles – 201 loops in all. But it is really much more than that. The app is more like an encyclopedic collection of classic jazz grooves and some quite modern...
Legends, with Marcus Miller: “Put It Where You Want It” (1997)
Sweetness. Drummerworld shared this video featuring a great combo with Marcus Miller and Steve Gadd holding it down on “Put It Where You Want It” back in 1997. The group also includes Eric Clapton, Joe Sample and David Sanborn. The performance took place as part of Legends Live at Montreux, recorded in Switzerland in 1997.
Mr. P.C.: The Life and Music of Paul Chambers Book Now Available
Author Rob Palmer gets into the world of one of jazz’s greatest bassists in his new book entitled Mr. P.C.: The Life and Music of Paul Chambers, which is out now from Equinox Publishing Limited. The 416-page hardback biography uses literary sources as well as family and friend interviews to capture Chambers’ story from his birth in Pittsburgh to his...