Buzz
Weather Report: Young and Fine, Live (1978)
Here’s my favorite Weather Report line-up, performing at a concert in Offenbach, Germany on September 29, 1978. Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, and Peter Erskine doing what the band always seemed to be able to do with perfection. Or as Zawinul described it, “everybody solos and nobody solos”. Jaco does it all here – the slides, the funk, the...
Jan-Olof Strandberg Releases “Made in Finland” with Michael Manring
Finnish bassist Jan-Olof Strandberg has released his seventh album as a leader entitled Made In Finland. The new effort also includes contributions from fellow bass heavyweight Michael Manring, along with keyboardist Kimmo Tapanainen, saxophonist Risto Salmi, drummer Kimmo Pörsti and guitarists Matias Kupiainen and Petteri Hirvanen. Included in the package is an hour long DVD with live studio performances by...
Bass of the Week: GMR Bassforce NT
While checking out different luthiers’ websites, I came across the GMR Bassforce NT: a neck-through version of their flagship model. Based out of the UK, GMR’s Bassforce is proof of their constant work. “The shape is seen on Bassforce is a case of evolution of early models which started coming out from the workshop nearly 30 years ago,” explains GMR’s...
Owen Biddle’s Mister Barrington: Rawzz
Since leaving The Roots in August, bassist Owen Biddle has been focusing on his project, Mister Barrington. Here’s a video from their latest album, II, for the song “Rawzz.” The trio’s experimental sound mixes electronica with hip hop and lots of crazy keyboard sounds.
The Book of Jaco – the Ultimate Compendium of the Genius of Jaco Pastorius
Bassist Mike Cornelison spent years of intense study on the work of Jaco Pastorius while studying at Musicians Institute. After graduating MI with honors, Cornelison began compiling his studies and ultimately put together a book including 26 of the late bassist’s lines from various albums and acts over his career. The Book of Jaco – the Ultimate Compendium of the...
Fender Introduces Factory Special Run Antigua Jazz and Precision Basses
Fender continues to bring old school to the forefront with the announcement of a “Factory Special Run” of instruments with their retro Antigua finish. Introduced in the late 1960’s, the distinct color scheme was revisited in 1977 with more of a greenish shade. The new limited edition line includes both Jazz and Precision bass models. Both basses feature an alder...
Expanding Your Voice on Bass: Inflections and Articulations
Q: I notice bassists adding what I would call a “slur”, but I think the correct term would be trill at the end of lines and phrases. I really dig the effect, but my hands and mind are not naturally inclined to do this. What would you recommend to help me work on this? A: As with any technique, the...
Aaron Gibson: A Thousand Hellos
Always a treat to get a video from bassist Aaron Gibson, which always features great bass, vocals and videography. Aaron sent us this video of him performing his tune, “A Thousand Hellos”. Aaron is offering the tune as a download via Bandcamp:
Chris Squire and Steve Hackett Release “Life Within A Day”
Life Within A Day, the long-awaited album by the duo of Chris Squire and Steve Hackett – otherwise known as “Squackett” – is out this week. As we reported in January, Squire and Hackett had been planning an album for years, and it took over four years to make. Squire, the legendary Yes bassist since 1969 and Hackett, who gained...
Reader Spotlight: John Shaughnessy
Meet John Shaughnessy, a bassist living in Charlotte, NC who covers just about every form of bass he can. John makes his living in music, teaching and gigging. John has penned his own method book, on slap bass concepts, and he’s even had a Spinal Tap-like gig, opening for a puppet show. Cool! John is our player in the spotlight...
Juan Alderete Launches New Pedals and Effects Resource
Mars Volta/Big Sir bassist Juan Alderete has launched PedalsAndEffects.com, a new website with which the bassist hopes to spread his knowledge of using effects. Alderete, whose genre-bending career spans over two decades, is known for making some of the most incredible sounds with his extensive pedal collection. “Because of my 25+ year obsession for pedals/stompboxes/effects, I wanted to share my...
Rebecca Johnson: QW Brewery Live Bass Solo
It has been about a year since we first featured bassist Rebecca Johnson and her awesome live bass video. Rebecca just sent over a new one, saying “You guys have really helped my band get a lot of fans from all over the world :)” I think Rebecca had more to do with that than us. Check this out, and...