Buzz

Black Sabbath, featuring bassist Geezer Butler, front-man Ozzy Osbourne, drummer Bill Ward and guitarist Tony Iommi, will release their best of album on June 15th. This band is unquestionably one of the most influential Hard Rock bands to date. VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock ranked them second to only Led Zeppelin. They have also sold millions of albums...

A festival with likely the longest name in festival history, The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (XRIJF), kicks off today and runs through June 20th, in Rochester, NY. SMV, the bass trio consisting of Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten is among the festival’s headlining acts. More than 800 musicians will perform in more than 225 concerts. Maybe they...

Joshua Young, a 19-year-old bassist, was admitted to Berklee’s College of Music in 2007, but this meant that his parents would have to make some sacrifices to meet the payment of a yearly $40,000 for tuition and housing. They were soon to learn, however, that they would not have to make such sacrifices. An astonishing performance during a heart-thumping audition...

Missy Raines & the New Hip Bassist Missy Raines is on the road, touring with her new band, Missy Raines & the New Hip, and showcasing her new musical directions. The tour follows the band’s February release, Inside Out. As Missy puts it, she “is now stepping out to make a longtime dream come true; creating a fusing of bluegrass...

Andres Rotmistrovsky is an Argentinian bassist who completed a degree in Jazz Performance from the Berklee College of Music. In recognition of outstanding musicianship, he was awarded in 2007 with the “Charles Mingus Award” and also with the prestigious “Outstanding Performer Award”. I could have chosen one of his nine solo bass pieces, but I went with this tune currently...

Super 400 is working on their latest soon to be released album, Sweet Fist, and No Treble got a sneak preview of the rock monster’s work. The record was recorded on tape at legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis, TN, and adds another gem to their discography. In their words the album “stands for power and heart, honesty and desire!” Super...

Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper has passed away at the age of 64. Hugh was diagnosed with leukemia in 2008 and had been receiving treatment. Hopper was an innovative bassist with a distinctive fuzz-bass sound. He’s credited as one of the leaders in the prog-rock/jazz fusion movement that included Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd and others. Fans can sign the...

Johnny Brown’s Fretted/Fretless Bass

Fretted or Fretless? How about both? Check out Johnny Brown doing some fretted/fretless solo bass during the 2008 NAMM show in Anaheim, California. Tip of the hat to Danny Mac.

Abraham Laboriel is the man, and doesn’t seem to get the credit he deserves these days. Check out Abe in this live performance in Japan. Bonus points to anyone who knows the line-up/concert details. Just post in the comments.

This weekend’s Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl will include two days of great music and great bass players. Highlights include Dave Holland with his big band, Esperanza Spalding and John Patitucci with the Wayne Shorter Quartet. Here’s a more complete lineup: Saturday performances include Jimmy Cobb’s So What Band featuring Wallace Roney, Norman Brown’s Summer Storm 2009, The...

How often do you find yourself jumping from site to site for you favorite bands, trying to find out when they are on tour? SongKick makes it easy! It is a social-concert site dedicated to concert recommendations. You can import your Last.FM top 50 to track, post pictures from concerts you’ve attended, track specific bands, or track other people and...

Our new Twitter friend Alun Vaughan sent us this video featuring bassist Todd Johnson performing with Alun at a Bass Masterclass in Cardiff, Wales last year. For more, check out