Buzz

Bassist Scott Ford (Twilight Singers, the Gutter Twins, Camp Freddy), has been suffering from an advanced bone loss disease making him susceptible to severe blood infections. To help with the rising medical bills guitarist and former The Cult member Billy Morrison decided to host a benefit show. The Scott Ford Benefit Show is today, at The Roxy in Los Angeles....

Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo recently shared his personal views on the environment and taking care of yourself, in a 12 minute interview with HardTimes.ca. The interview took place while Metallica was in Montreal, and also covers topics from Metallica’s band dynamics, veganism, surfing and pre-show rituals. Metallica donated $21,462 to Sun Youth in Montreal from the proceeds from their two...

President Barack Obama and First-Lady Michelle Obama will be serving as honorary chairs at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition and Gala Concert this October. The Gala co-chairs include Madeleine Albright, Herb and Lani Alpert, Quincy Jones, Debra Lee, Bill and Carolyn Powers, and Joseph E. Robert Jr. The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition features a different instrument and...

Eldar Djangirov’s CD, Virtue, has been spinning in my car for weeks now. I unfortunately had never heard of Eldar until reading a review about this new CD and when I checked it out I was instantly a fan. At first I was drawn by his amazing technique and angular lines but the deeper I got into the music I...

Here’s a cool video of Victor Wooten leading a bass clinic in Orlando, Florida along with bassists Anthony Wellington and David Pastorius. More proof that there’s never too many bass players (or Hartke amps, it seems!)

Bass virtuoso Michael Manring is holding an all-day workshop in Sligo, Ireland on October 2, 2009. The event is hosted by Sligo Jazz Project. “For a small town with a population of about 20,000 we have worked very hard and been very lucky to get some wonderful musicians visit here over the past few years, particularly with regards to the...

Bass Player Magazine is giving out two lifetime achievement awards at their Bass Player Live conference next month. Jazz bassist Charlie Haden and funk bassist Rocco Prestia are receiving the award. The ceremony takes place in Los Angeles on October 24th and 25th, at S.I.R. Studios and the Key Club. There will be a screening of “Rambling Boy,” a new...

In the previous lesson I talked about using melodic minor arpeggios to change the sound of an underlying chord structure. This lesson will take that concept a step further and focus on identifying functioning and static dominant seventh chords and how to apply the melodic minor scale in various ways to control multiple degrees of tension. This will also lend...

Ida Funkhouser: Poppy fx solo

Everyone loves funk, and bassist Ida Funkhouser aka Ida Kristine Nielsen brings it home with her slap bass style and cool vocals. Check out this killer solo by Funkhouser: Funkhouser currently plays in Zap Mama and is working on her own music which is “a mix of old school funk, hiphop and ear catching soul. With a lot of Bass...

A fractured wrist is a nightmare scenario for any bassist. But when it happens right as a tour kicks off with your musical heroes, it is even worse. Bassist Jordan Smith

Well known London legends Chas and Dave are going their separate ways. The decision was made by bassist Dave Peacock, due to the tragic death of his wife Sue after battling lung cancer. She passed away this July. The duo had topped the charts in the eighties with hits like “Rabbit,” “Ain’t No Pleasing You” and “Snooker Loopy” and have...

Q: How did you go about learning the different styles that you get called to play? (salsa, etc.) This fits in to the whole notion of “diversification” you were discussing. A: The short answer is by accepting every gig I could, getting the book (charts) and/or CD and shedding like mad so as not to embarrass myself! I also realized...