Buzz

Always eclectic, Bill Laswell ventures into a very interesting musical place with the Bill Laswell Axiom Sound System Musical Freezone 06. In this performance, Laswell plays with Zakir Hussein (tablas), Ustad Sultan Khan (vocal, sarangui), DJ Disk, Karsh Kale (drums) and Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet). This is part 4 of a 15-minute-jam.

Stanley Clarke‘s tour in support of his latest album, The Stanley Clarke Band, just wrapped up in North America and continues with stops in Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Holland, Czech Republic, England, Italy, France and Spain. The tour returns to the US in August. Don’t miss the Heads Up/No Treble contest: 10 lucky winners will receive a copy of The Stanley...

A new, longer edit of a 1984 interview with Metallica bassist Cliff Burton has been released. The interview, conducted by Ken Kitt of Metal Fanzine, took place a little over two years before Burton’s untimely death. The clip had been previously released, but was trimmed to just over six minutes long. The full interview, with Metallica songs played between dialogue,...

All in the Fingers?

I started playing bass when I was 14. My dad bought me a used ‘no-name’ bass from the local thrift shop; a Fender Precision copy made from plywood with a big, shiny, and very noisy, single-coil pickup. Once I was experienced enough to know good tone from bad, it became apparent that this bass sounded pretty awful. Yet I successfully...

Check out some great upright bass walking and soloing by Red Mitchell, playing “It Don’t Mean a Thing” along with trumpeter Clark Terry, live in 1988.

Victor Wooten has just started a new tour with his band for the summer. The lineup includes Victor’s brothers, Regi Wooten on guitar and Joseph Wooten on keyboards, as well as Derico Watson on drums. The tour will include dates throughout the southern USA and Australia from now through September 26th: July 8, 2010 – Charlotte, NC July 9, 2010...

Gear Watch: AweSome B-35 Bass Guitar

AweSome Musical Instruments has unveiled their line of B-35 bass guitars. Available as a 4 or 5-string, the bass features three J-style pickups with six switches as part of their TW-35 Patented Pickup Switching System. After a little math, it adds up to 35 different pickup tones. The passive pickups are switched between on and off, in-phase and reverse-phase, and...

Passive vs. Active Circuitry?

Q: I’m just getting back into the bass and there’s something I’ve always been curious about: the differences (as well as the different kinds) of passive vs. active circuitry. What are the main differences between them, why are there only active and passive circuits, and what does it mean to have either in a bass? A: Although I am not...

Cassandra Wilson with Lonnie Plaxico: Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)

This video features a live performance of Cassandra Wilson with Lonnie Plaxico on bass, Brandon Ross on guitar and Jeffrey Haynes on percussion. They’re playing Astrud Gilberto’s song “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)”. Watch for Lonnie’s solo around the 2:20-minute-mark.

Esperanza Spalding Wins DownBeat Critics Poll

Bassist, vocalist and composer Esperanza Spalding has won the DownBeat Critics Poll, in the “Acoustic Bass, Rising Star” category. Here are the bassists also in the running, with scores: Esperanza Spalding (100) Larry Grenadier (52) Ben Allison (45) Avishai Cohen (31) Scott Colley (28) John Hébert (27) Nicki Parrott (19) Linda Oh (18) Reuben Rogers (18) Drew Gress (17) Ben...

Reader Spotlight: George Radai

Meet bassist George Radai, our player in the spotlight for July 6, 2010. Bio: Born on the planet. In 1960. I’m about 5 foot 9, and I’m average, physically. Among the things I used to do or have done, and things I know a lot about or have a special interest in, are the following: Animals in general, zoos, dogs,...

Duff McKagan’s Loaded has announced that they will begin recording a new album in August. The group has been writing material for the upcoming project during the last few months, during which time McKagan has also been working with Jane’s Addiction. “We have been writing for the last few months and next week we start pre-production on the new LOADED...