Buzz

This is part 2 of the Common Upright Bass Tunings series. This time, we’ll cover 5 String Tunings, C extensions and some practice suggestions. Check out Part 1. Five String Tunings As long as there have been basses, there have been basses with 5 strings. Traditionally, the extra string has been used to extend the range of the instrument lower....

Esperanza Spalding: I Can’t Help It (Michael Jackson Cover)

Last year, during a live performance at Le New Morning in Paris, Esperanza Spalding performed her own arrangement of Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It”. She’s performing the tune on her Godin 5-string fretless bass.

Here are the most read, most popular stories and features on No Treble for the week of October 24 – 30, 2010. Video: Metallica: For Whom The Bell Tolls (Cliff Burton Isolated Bass) Top 10: The Best Bass Lessons (September 2010) Player News: Michael Anthony Opens Up on VH1?s That Metal Show Ask Damian Erskine: Working with Tricky Drummers Gear...

Todd Smallie and Yonrico Scott Teach Jazz To Kids

Here’s a clip of bassist Todd Smallie and drummer Yonrico Scott laying it down during cultural day at Oakgrove Elementary School. The two, who make up part of the rhythm section for the Derek Trucks band, blow through the jazz standards “Tenor Madness”, “All Blues” and “The Chicken”. Notice the Grammy on the desk…

Michael Formanek Releases First Album in 12 Years

Twelve years after his last album, jazz bassist Michael Formanek has released his fifth CD as a leader, entitled The Rub and the Spare Change. The project started Formanek recruited a few musicians just to play with, and ended up being a recording of his quartet featuring saxophonist Tim Berne, pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver. “Beforehand, I just...

The Fonk Record: Wayman Tisdale’s Final Release

Nearly a year and a half after the passing of basketball star and jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale comes the release of his final album, The Fonk Record. The 11-song album was 12 years in the making, with three funk legends lending support, including George Clinton, George Duke and the late Ali Woodson. Tisdale collaborated over those 12 years with Derek...

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: James Jamerson’s Isolated Bass

If it’s James Jamerson on bass, you don’t need anything else. This isolated track of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” proves it.

Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament Opens Skatepark

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament has opened a skate park in his hometown of Big Sandy, Montana. Ament funded the $40,000 project so he could “give the kids around here something to do,” besides school sports. The park is finished now, and Ament says he plans on buying some skateboards and gear to keep handy for kids who don’t have...

Gear Watch: EBS Classicline 110 and 112 “Mini Size” Bass Cabinets

EBS has extended their Classicline range of bass cabinets with the new 110 and 112 Vintage Style “Mini size” cabs. The cabs feature a vintage look as well as a vintage sound, with a warmer and rounder character than their Proline series. The smaller size cabs are made to match up with a compact head unit to make a more...

Another One for Woody: Allen Woody Tribute Concert Scheduled

After bassist Allen Woody‘s untimely passing in 2000, a tribute concert called “One for Woody” was held to honor him, featuring the Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends and more. Now, ten years after the original concert, a second show aptly titled “Another One for Woody” will take place to honor the fallen four-stringer and raise money for music...

Paul Jackson with the Strandberg Project: The Groove

Paul Jackson joined bassist Jan-Olof Strandberg for his album The Strandberg Project back in 2005, and this recently posted video shows the duo jamming it out again on the tune “The Groove.”

RIP Walter Payton

Famed New Orleans bassist Walter Payton Jr. passed away October 28 following a longtime illness. Payton, who is father to trumpeter Nicholas Payton, suffered a stroke early this year while on the road with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, with whom he had been working with since as early as 1965. Besides his spectacular playing, the bassist touched lives through...