Buzz

1. Gear Watch: Epiphone Zenith Bass Epiphone has released the new Zenith bass, an instrument that pays homage to the jazz guitar tradition. Available as fretted or “lined” fretless, the key to this bass is its unique NanoFlex and NanoMag pickup combination. 2. Video: Gary Willis: The Chicken Here’s another great video of Gary Willis performing during a 2006 clinic...

Hal Leonard and The Rock House Method are releasing a new 2-DVD instructional video featuring David Ellefson. David Ellefson of Megadeth: Metal Bass covers the fundamentals of metal bass playing. The first DVD covers the basics: how to hold the bass, hand positions and reading tablature. David also covers playing with a pick and fingers, how to mute, basic scales,...

One year ago today, we officially launched No Treble. Over these last twelve months, we’ve made a lot of friends, thanks to the site, Facebook and Twitter. Those friendships have been the most rewarding part of this project, by far. We started No Treble, struggling to post two new stories a day. Now we’re posting at least 26 new features...

Jason Matthews: “Fritter Boy” Bass Solo

Here’s bassist Jason Matthews, performing Adam Nitti‘s “Fritter Boy”. Matthews studied with Nitti for a short time, and had this to say about the performance: “Obviously I don’t have a six string bass, so adjustments had to be made in certain parts, notably the sweeps. Beyond that, I don’t play Adam’s exact walking line at the end. Rather than transcribe...

The line up and theme have been announced for the Detroit International Jazz Festival, which is billed as the largest free jazz festival in North America. The festival’s theme is “Flame Keepers- Carrying the Torch for Modern Jazz,” and will include tributes to six “trailblazers of modern jazz,” including Art Blakey, Ray Brown, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Betty Carter, and...

Rush recently announced a tour, as well as a new documentary, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. The film, produced by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC on April 24, and will make its television debut on June 26th on VH1 and VH1 Classic. In a recent interview with Philadelphia radio station 94 WYSP,...

Here’s a crazy clip shared by Will Marks. This video features Johnny Winter performing a cover of the Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”. But that’s not why we’re posting it. Wait for the guitar solo, where bassist Jon Paris and Winter trade instruments, while each is still strapped in. Even more impressive, Paris plays the guitar solo behind his back!

Weezer has announced that they will be releasing a deluxe reissue of their 1996 album, Pinkerton as well as an “Odds and Ends” collection of rare tracks and b-sides sometime later this year. “It’s a ton of B-sides from a big period of time,” bassist Scott Shriner explains. “Rivers (Cuomo) has been mostly in charge of picking which songs are...

Alfred Music Publishing has partnered with Mag Rack, a video-on-demand lifestyle network, to make free music lessons available through a variety of cable and dish network providers. The program starts today, with access to blues and vocal lessons. On May 13th, bass (and drum) lessons will begin airing. “The music lessons that Alfred Music Publishing has created are perfect for...

As bass players, we brethren of the low end are aware of something that normal listeners, and even other musicians, take for granted. We know that a song starts and stops with us. We know that a great drummer can make or break a band in general, but once that slot is filled with a solid player he can’t really...

In today’s video, Marcus Miller shares his experience working with Miles Davis and Miles’ impact on music, and ends with a solo tribute.

Guns N’ Roses bassist Tommy Stinson has posted a blog update after returning from a South American tour with GnR. “All things considered, I’d say South America was a success,” he reports. “I have a few new scars, one less bass, one less favorite coat (damn thieving baggage handlers!), a few less brain cells, and a new appreciation for Cipro....