Buzz

Former Sorta bassist Danny Balis has released his new solo album, Too Much Living. Balis has taken a different approach from his time with Sorta, this album is an old school country record. The album written and recorded following the tragic death of his best friend Carter Albrecht in 2007. Balis has taken a darker path with this work. He...

This is my inaugural installment here at No Treble and I look forward to our impending dialogue. Here at the Lowdown, I will be focusing on the Upright Bass, in all its glory. Whether you are an Electric bassist looking to add the Upright to your gig bag, or a classically trained musician wanting to expand your sonic palette, this...

This video shows bassist Eddie Gomez playing with Bill Evans and Alex Riel. Gomez played with the Bill Evans trio from 1966 to 1977. After the Bill Evans trio Gomez continued to work in a countless number of settings including filling in for Charles Mingus, playing with the fusion band Steps Ahead and working with Benny Wallace, Joanne Brackeen, Jack...

After stopping production in 2006, Gadow Guitars has announced they are re-introducing their line of bass guitars. The basses are being built in their workshop in Durham, NC and are offered in two configurations: the Custom and Classic. Each model has a great set of features: The Custom comes standard with swamp ash body, figured maple top, and active Bartolini...

NYC-based jazz bassist Linda Oh has announced that her debut CD, Entry, will be released on October 6, 2009. In addition to Oh, the CD features Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet and Obed Calvaire on drums. “So many musicians want to do everything with their first album,” Oh says. “Especially bass players who play upright and electric—Here’s me doing a funk...

Q: What is really required of one who wants to become a professional musician (IE: no day job!)? A: Wowee… This could easily be a book (actually, I think it probably is…). To start with, there are many kinds of professional musicians. Here are some basic sub-catagories off the top of my head: One who starts playing, joins a band...

Arcellus Sykes, a bassist from Portland, Oregon, just knocked me out with his playalong of John Coltrane’s solo on “Trane’s Slo Blues”. Acellus claims “it isn’t as clean as I’d like it, but hey – it’s Coltrane.” Hey, we’ll take it. If you like this transcription, you can find many more posted on Arcellus’s blog. Arcellus also offers custom transcription...

Bassists in Fredericksburg, Virginia have a new resource to help them expand their playing; the Bass Forum. This monthly event is designed to help bassists build community and to improve their craft. The Forum is a combination of clinics, performances, and open mic events. The Forum started in May 2009, and it has met three times over the summer. The...

Jazz bass legend John Clayton has created a new work for the 30th annual Detroit International Jazz Festival, to debut on Labor Day. The piece, titled “T.H.E. Family, Detroit,” is scored for the Clayton Brothers Quintet and the 18-piece Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra of Detroit and honors jazz legends Thad, Hank and Elvin Jones. When asked by Free Music Press...

Reader Spotlight: Marcello Lavorgna

Meet bassist Marcello Lavorgna, our player in the spotlight for September 1, 2009. Bio: I was born on January 23, 1985, in Magenta (Milan). My first experience in music was at the age of 15, when I bought my first bass and I began to play. At the beginning I listened especially to metal and rock music, but over the...

This is a great bass solo by John Entwistle, recorded during a concert with The Who at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000. Entwistle released nine solo albums in his career, in addition to his legendary work with The Who, including Left for Live, which featured guitarist Godfrey Townsend and keyboardist Gordon Cotton and Music From Van-Pires, a soundtrack for...

Photographer Steven Parke released a behind-the-scenes book, SMV : making THUNDER last year, and we missed it (doh!) The book includes 40 never-before-seen photos of Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten in studio, recording their Thunder album. The book is available in both soft and hard cover formats, via Blurb. Preview the book here.