Buzz

She’s got Pat Metheny, Bill Cosby and Dave Letterman singing her praises. Esperanza Spalding is a string bassist and the youngest teacher at the Berklee School of Music with a very interesting story. Know someone getting started on bass? This book and video just might do the trick. Grammy-winning bassist Chris Kent has been battling Multiple Myeloma for 10 years....

The much-anticipated 16th album from Sonic Youth is on its way. Among the new details are a release date, June 9, 2009, and cover art. Recorded last year at SY’s Echo Canyon West studio, the record features former Pavement/Dustdevils bassist Mark Ibold as the band’s newest studio member, replacing Jim O’Rouke. Ibold has been touring with the band for the...

Wayne Shorter’s performance at the 1996 Montreux Jazz Festival is now available on DVD. Bassist and formerly Shorter’s Weather Report band mate Alphonso Johnson, Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter all make appearances on the DVD, which includes bonus footage from both the 1991 and 1992 Montreux performances. The complete line-up for the 1996 show: Wayne Shorter (saxophones) James Beard (keyboards)...

Since Velvet Revolver split with Scott Weiland last April, finding a replacement has proved more difficult than expected. Bassist Duff McKagan has kept the media up-to-speed on the audition process over the last eight months, and here’s his latest report to “Pulse Of Radio”: “In the last, I would say, about eight weeks, we got three guys in that were...

Wolfgang “Wolfie” Van Halen, son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, has big career plans, but they’re going to have to wait until he graduates high school. The teenage prodigy took a break from 11th grade to join dad’s band (when he was only 15) on their 2007 tour. He proved to be such a great fit, Eddie wanted to rush...

CFJ Project (Colin James with Felix and Julius Pastorius): Black Market

Check out CFJ Project, a Florida-based band consisting of Colin James (keyboards), and Jaco Pastorius’s sons Julius Pastorius (drums) and Felix Pastorius (bass). Here’s the band performing Weather Report’s “Black Market” during a recent show at Alligator Alley in Oakland Park, Florida: Via Jacop.net.

Playing a little catch up here on bass buzz from around the web… The Grammy Awards revealed more than just this year’s winners. The event proved to be a family affair as we learned that legendary bassist Charlie Haden is Jack Black’s father-in-law. The Jack Black references don’t stop there: after bassist Paul McCartney‘s performance at the Grammys, Black told...

David Sanborn’s newest DVD, Live at Montreux 1984 showcases his headlining performance (with bassist Tom Barney) at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The DVD consists of nine main tracks, but wouldn’t be complete without highlights from the 1981 show Sanborn played with bass-great Marcus Miller. Miller shows up on the three bonus tracks Love Is Not Enough, Lotus Blossom, and Hideaway....

“It’s like getting back with an old girlfriend, but because you want to, not because you have to.” This is how bassist and group founder Billy Sheehan describes the upcoming Mr. Big reunion tour. Last fall the original members got together and rocked out the House of Blues in LA. According to Sheehan, the chemistry they shared at that one...

Tony Levin is currently performing a four night stand in NYC with L’Image, then heading south of the border with Peter Gabriel. L’Image (Mike Mainieri/vibes, Warren Bernheart/piano, David Spinozza/guitar, Steve Gadd/drums) recently completed recording on an album first conceived by the group about thirty years ago. They hope to release the CD any day now. They will record a live...

The 1st annual celebration of the life and works of Charles Mingus will be held February 20-22 at the Manhattan School of Music. The weekend is centered around the 1st Annual Charles Mingus High School Competition. Other festivities will include keynote speakers, a panel discussion, and performances by Manhattan School jazz ensembles as well as the Mingus Dynasty. Boris Kozlav...

Korn’s bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu has written a memoir, according to a news release by the band. Got the Life: My Journey of Addiction, Faith, Recovery, and Korn is a look at Fieldy’s years as bassist of Korn, with the “extreme highes and drug-and-booze-fueledlows of the biggest heavy metal band of our era”. The book will be available on March...