Buzz

Q: I’m trying to grow, but its like I’ve hit the wall. I’m trying to play like a bass player is slipping away from me. I try to play for everyone, but it’s hard to find my own “voice” in the song. I find myself trying to play stuff where it doesn’t fit. How do i dig deeper than I...

This video features Stanley Clarke playing one of my favorite tunes of his, “Wild Dog”. Armand Sabal-Lecco backs Stanley up in this video, which was filmed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2004.

Lawrence “Larry” David Warrilow, a prominent member of the South Florida music scene and long-time collaborator of Jaco Pastorius, died peacefully at home on Tuesday, May 18. He was 64 years old. After his family moved to Miami in 1959, Larry became friends with Peter Graves, and his music career started in the 60’s, while he attended Florida State University....

Reader Spotlight: Sean Scales

Meet Sean Scales, our bassist in the spotlight for May 25, 2010. Bio: Professional gigs include orchestra bassist for Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise lines, Bassist for the Osmond Brothers, professional summer stock theatre at Arrow Rock Lyceum theatre. Gig experience includes jazz combo, big band, blues, rock, latin american, country and original music. Play both upright and electric bass....

The Innkeeper’s Gun is a wonderful jazz trio record: both within the tradition and extending it at the same time. It features three musicians playing for the music, improvising freely on some excellent compositions. The trio have a wonderful sense of musical empathy and have previously released the hugely enjoyable Live at the Nachbar in 2008. It is music that...

Chris Tiger Ellis: Teen Town

Our Facebook friend and bassist Chris Tiger Ellis posted a video over the weekend of his take on the Jaco Pastorius/Weather Report tune “Teen Town”. “I just wanted to play Teen Town,” Ellis said. “I used my bridge pickup with my trebles all the way down. I put my little twist on it too but I hope you enjoy it.”...

To celebrate 30 years of their music, punk legends Bad Religion have recently released a new live album, 30 Years Live, and are giving it away for free on their website. The Southern California based group, which formed in 1980, took recordings compiled from their spring 2010 tour to build the track list. In an interview with Room Thirteen, bassist...

After pondering which festivals they would play, bassist Phil Lesh and guitarist Bob Weir of Furthur decided to just make their own. The Furthur Festival will take place at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angels Camp, California on May 29th and 30th, with an “Open Aire Soundcheck” scheduled for the 28th. In a throwback to Lesh’s and Weir’s former band,...

The Des Moines Register is reporting that Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was found dead this morning at an Urbandale, Iowa hotel. He was 38. Police said there was no evidence of foul play, though the investigation continues. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. Our thoughts go out to Gray’s family, friends and bandmates.

Practicing very, very slowly One of the main advantages to playing a passage vastly under performance tempo is that you give yourself ample time to think. It is easier to plan, calculate and control your playing at slower tempi. Exactly how slowly you should practice depends on the difficulty of the passage. In general, the more difficult the passage, the...

Victor Wooten and Stu Hamm Jam: Chameleon

Check out this jam session between Victor Wooten and Stu Hamm at the Hartke booth during Winter NAMM 2009. They’re performing an all bass version of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon”!

1. Player News: Black Sabbath Bassist Remembers Dio Black Sabbath bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler released a statement last week, remembering his friend and band mate Ronnie James Dio. 2. Video: Ran Levi (aka Bassran): Bass Solo Here’s Israeli bassist Ran Levi doing a cool bass solo on his 6-string Ken Smith bass. 3. Gear Watch: Warwick Just-a-Nut III Brass Warwick...