Buzz
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...
Brian Bromberg Releases “Compared To That”
Backed by a ten-piece horn section and full orchestra string section, bassist Brian Bromberg has released his 20th solo effort, Compared To That. The new album is rooted in straight-ahead acoustic jazz, but in classic Bromberg style, there are many twists and turns along the way. “One thing I feel that makes Compared To That a unique project is that...
BOSS Introduces eBand JS-10 Audio Player with Effects
BOSS has announced their new eBand JS-10 Audio Player with Effects, a jam-along machine for bassists, guitarists and singers. The JS-10 features an integrated 2.1 sound system including a built-in subwoofer, while dual inputs allow for two players at once, which BOSS suggests is perfect for teacher/student lessons. Though it comes with a library of over 350 pre-loaded audio loops...
Strategies for Better Intonation
If you are an upright bassist, then intonation is on your mind. I’ve talked in the past about using drones to help solidify intonation, but this is just one of seemingly innumerable strategies to improve pitch. Today we’ll touch on a few other approaches. You can do all of these exercises with music you are working on or, of course,...
Marthe/Viccaro/Privat Project: “Pa Pè”
Linley Marthe is a monster. Want proof? Check out this video of his project with drummer Nicolas Viccaro and pianist Grégory Privat playing the tune “Pa Pè” at La Note Bleue Jazz Club in Monaco. The tune takes a turn at the 5:54 mark when the trio kicks into a half-time groove and Marthe begins a funky envelope-laden solo.