Buzz

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray will be filling in on bass with metal supergroup HAIL! on their upcoming European and Asian tour dates. The slot opened up after David Ellefson returned to Megadeth. Ellefson approves of his replacement. “I’ve known Paul for a long time and he’s just a great guy. Slipknot is huge and they have had an enormous impact...

Jack Bruce: “Cream is over”

In an interview with BBC 6Music, Jack Bruce announced that another Cream reunion is out of the question. “There’s a new story now – Cream is over,” he stated. Cream, who originally broke up in 1968, last reunited in 2005 for seven shows, split between London’s Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Madison Square Garden. Tensions rose again between Bruce...

Approaches to Soloing

Q: I have a question. How do you go about soloing for various styles? Quite often I get the nod to do a solo for 4/8/16 bars. I’ve tried approaching by working out what key I’m in and then by trying different modes… but it just seems that my phrasing is limited and that it never seems to have a...

Here’s a live performance of Dave Holland with his Quintet at the Newport Jazz Festival, performing “Free for All”.

Legendary Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters has just launched his new web site and announced a 2010 tour schedule for live performances of The Wall. Beginning in September and ending in December, the 35-stop trek will stretch all across the U.S. and Canada, finishing up in Anaheim, California. Roger’s new site includes an explanation as to why he is doing...

Reader Spotlight: Regina Zernay Roberts

Meet Regina Zernay Roberts, our bass player in the spotlight for April 13, 2010. Bio: I’ve been playing bass for about 23 years. For the last three, I’ve been the bass player for a band out of New Orleans called Cowboy Mouth. We play more than 200 shows a year, and have traveled the U.S. a half dozen times since...

Jeff Beck has released his first studio album in seven years, Emotion & Commotion. Recorded late last year, Emotion & Commotion features Beck’s recent touring line up, including Tal Wilkenfeld on bass, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Jason Rebello on keyboards, as well as a 64-piece orchestra and trio of singers. Beck is currently on tour with a new rhythm...

In this video Alvaro Martín spotlights a Columbian genre of music called Pasillo, which is typical of the country’s Andean region. The song is called “Espíritu Colombiano” (“Colombian Spirit”) and it was composed by Luis Eduardo a.k.a. “Lucho” Bermúdez.

Ashdown Engineering has released a new line of tube amplifiers. The new valve bass amps include the BTA 200, 300, and 400, the 550 Spyder head and touring combo, the 427 small block head, and the “Little Bastard” head. All of the new products are hand-made in the UK. BTA Line The BTA (Big Tube Head) combines one of Ashdown’s...

When word reached me that Harry Shapiro’s just released biography on Jack Bruce was available I raced to the bookstore. What a satisfying read; not the typical star worshipping pabulum one might expect in a biography focused on the life of a man who changed the face of rock and electric bass playing 40 odd years ago. Interesting early highlights...

Rhythm Series: Keeping Time

Keeping a steady pulse is a fundamental skill for any musician, and it is especially important to any one who is part of the rhythm section. Even in styles of music that encourage flexible rhythmic expression (i.e. rubato, etc.), the ability to maintain an accurate pulse is essential for a musician. No matter what style of music we play, or...

Okay Stick fans… here’s one for you: Don Schiff jamming on the 8-string Stick Bass.