Buzz

Here’s the young and talented Eldar Djangirov playing “Point of View”, a tune from his self-entitled 2005 release. The original tune features John Patitucci on bass and Todd Strait on drums. In this live video from 2006, Marco Panascia is playing the double bass. Check out our previous coverage of Eldar.

Hot off the heels of Mike Gordon’s solo project tour, Phish have announced a 2010 summer tour which will be their biggest yet since reuniting last spring. The 29-show outing begins in Chicago during June and finishes up in Wantagh, NY in mid-August. Also look out for Phish 3D, which is a feature-length theatrical concert film that takes the best...

Lesson: Scale Patterns from Tetrachord Combinations

We normally think of scales in terms of eight-note patterns and treat them as a unit. There are the standard modal forms for both major and minor, the bop variations, blues variations, but all of these still cling to the paradigm of an octave based scale unit (even if the total number of notes in the scale changes). As bassists...

Here’s Mexican bass player Neftali Lopez doing a neat bass adaptation of Aram Khachaturian’s piece, originally written for piano, “Ivan Sings”. For more of Neftali Lopez check out his Myspace page.

Orange has upgraded their Crush PiX line of bass amps, and the company will be displaying the new range of models and changes at Frankfurt Musikmesse next week. The Crush PiX is now available in an optional black finish in addition to Orange’s trademark bright orange colored amps and picture-frame cabinets. The line has also been extended to include the...

Rush will be among the artists inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame this on March 28th. The 6th Annual CSHF Gala will be presented at the George Weston Recital Hall at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. The music of Rush will be celebrated with performances by Les Claypool, Alexisonfire and Jacob Moon. Claypool will be playing the...

Q: I would love to know what you do when you can’t hear yourself on stage or at rehearsals and when you can’t change it. A: That’s just a tough situation, really. It does happen fairly frequently, though. Honestly, that’s when knowing your fretboard and having a strong relationship with your instrument comes in handy, as well as knowing the...

In part 2 of an ongoing video series, Ansir Music’s Jody Michael explains the build process for their basses, and specifically, the prize bass for the No Treble contest. This week’s installment discusses the updates to the body, neck and electronics. Speaking of electronics, Ansir has decided to upgrade the pickup system for the prize bass, incorporating their new Variable...

FEA Labs has announced the FEA Growler pedal to their product line. The Growler is designed as an enhancement pedal that adds second harmonic warmth to add “growl and punch” to their tone. The pedal generates an analog harmonic octave tone to blend with your bass’s natural tone. The pedal features a dual-channel setup that allows you to switch between...

Reader Spotlight: Lou Castro

Meet Lou Castro, our bassist in the spotlight for March 16th, 2010. Bio: I’ve worked or played with Arthur Adams, Mandrill, Vivian Campbell, Keiko Matsui, Wayne Newton, Chuck Berry, Johnny Tillotson, Don Was, Mitchell Froom, Dave Smallen, etc. Location: North Hollywood, CA, USA Day gig: This is my day job! Years experience: I’ve been playing since 1969! Bands & Gigs:...

Inventive, deeply melodic and resonant, Reclamation is a great record featuring strong writing and arrangements, a unique string trio line-up and three unique voices. Stephan Crump is a fabulous jazz bassist and is joined by Jamie Fox and Liberty Ellman on guitars in a trio which has been together for some time. This is their second album. The interplay, sensitivity...

This is the swinging Vienna Art Orchestra playing “L’art goes funk” featuring the two amazing Austrian bass players Georg Breinschmid on double bass and Robert Riegler on electric 6-string bass. Notice how the two bass players take turn playing the groove as the song changes. Very cool. For more information about the Vienna Art Orchestra visit their web site.