Buzz

Here are the top 10 most popular features on No Treble last week, as determined by you! 1. Video: Leo Fender and the History of the Electric Bass Check out Davey4557’s short but amazing video on the history of the electric bass and Leo Fender. 2. Gear Review: Gear Review: Boss RC-20XL Loop Station Our resident loop expert, Russ Sargeant,...

Check out this live all-star performance, from Jazzfestival Bern, Switzerland in 1985. Bassist Ray Brown performs with Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, James Moody on tenor sax, Gene Harris on piano and Grady Tate on drums.

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. Designed by Shadow Germany, the NanoFlex is fit underneath the saddle to sense the vibrations of the strings as well as the body. It...

Italian bassist Stefano Forcella, also known as “Ste”, lists his biggest influences to be founding member of Jamiroquai, Stuart Zender, and Jonas Reingold of the Swedish band The Flower Kings. This is Ste’s playalong of The Flower Kings’ song “I am the Sun”, nailing it as always:

After recruiting Andrew Altman on bass earlier this year, Railroad Earth has announced their extensive tour dates for the spring and summer. The group will be based mostly on the east coast, with several festival dates, including Summer Camp, All Good, and FloydFest. Railroad Earth Tour Dates 2010: April 23 Asheville, NC— The Orange Peel April 24 Atlanta, GA—Variety Playhouse...

Tired of hauling your rig over several trips from your car? Gruv Gear has introduced their new V-Cart Solo, a versatile cart designed for transporting heavy gear and equipment while staying ergonomic and maneuverable. Featuring a multi-position handle and sliding support arm, the V-Cart solo morphs into 3 configurations to fit your transportation needs. The modes include a 4-wheeled tilted...

Bassist John Goldsby has announced his latest album, The Innkeeper’s Gun, will be releasing June 1, 2010. The album was recorded in the middle of Goldsby’s 2009 European tour with drummer Jason Tiemann and alto saxophonist Jacob Duncan and features jazz originals by Goldsby and Duncan, plus a cover of the hit pop tune “Paparazzi” from Lady Gaga. “We were...

Tom Desmond first caught my attention with a series of wonderfully weird videos (including this one) which both made me giggle and demonstrated his playing abilities. Here’s his tune Yardbush accompanied by NYC scenes: Check out his Myspace page.

Former Fab-Four member Paul McCartney has broken his ties with EMI, the record company with which he has been associated for 50 years. Though the Beatles catalog is still in EMI’s control, McCartney has made a licensing deal with Concord Music Group to reissue his solo works, including his albums with Wings and various other projects. McCartney’s no stranger to...

Kala Brand Music has increased it’s uBass line by adding the uBass 2 and Solid Acacia models. The uBass is an instrument that fuses the strings and sound of a bass with the shape and size of a ukulele. Both new models feature proprietary Polyurethane strings, a passive pickup system, a mahogany neck, and a Rosewood fingerboard with a matching...

I’d like to give a big thanks to everyone for their encouraging words on my first column; John Goldsby shared that he and John Patitucci have recorded “Bohemia After Dark”, and I’d encourage folks to take a listen to their respective versions of the tune. Now, back to the show. In our second installment on Oscar Pettiford, we are going...

Here’s Brazilian bass player Junior Ribeiro (also known as Braguinha) laying down a mean groove and soloing over it. The only bad thing about this video is that it’s way too short!