Buzz
Milk’n Blues: Miss You, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, and Another Brick in The Wall
Milk’n Blues is a band I discovered on Youtube, thanks to this video. In this clip, the band combines three tunes – Pink Floyd’s “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” and “Another Brick in The Wall”, with The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You.” Eduardo Machado handles both the bass and the backing vocals.
Kamasi Washington Releases “Heaven and Earth” with Miles Mosley, Thundercat, and More
Saxophone giant Kamasi Washington has returned with another massive album. Following The Epic and his Harmony of Difference EP, Heaven and Earth pushes the boundaries of jazz with huge soundscapes filled out by an orchestra and choir. Washington made it a double album based on perception. “The Earth side represents the world as I see it outwardly, the world that...
Practicing Scales vs. Arpeggios
Q: Should I spend my time in the shed practicing scales or arpeggios? Why one over the other? A: Ultimately, you want to be familiar with everything relating to the music you want to play and your instrument, but it’s good to prioritize. When trying to prioritize in the shed, it’s important to understand why you are working on this...
HAGO: Ezekiel 1.4
Berklee was rocking with this performance by HAGO. The band’s description says it all: “HAGO is a group from Israel, that plays a unique combination of Jazz Fusion and Progressive Metal, along with Middle Eastern influences, or as they call it – FalafelDjent. In their live set they play original compositions as well as arrangements to ancient Hebrew songs, along...
Guild Introduces the B-240E and B-240EF Basses
Guild is bringing back some of their vintage acoustic bass guitar designs with two new models introduced to the Westerly Collection. The B-240E and B-240EF recall the B-50 of the mid-1970’s, which was a “boomy jumbo with an arched mahogany back and 30 3/4? scale length.” Each of the new models carries those features as well as a solid Sitka...
Scary Pockets: Something to Talk About
Scary Pockets keeps bringing it with their excellent re-imagined covers of classic songs. Here’s their take on Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About,” with vocalist Raquel Rodriguez. The arrangement and mastering on this one is something special. As always, Sam Wilkes lays down the low end.
Oytun Ersan Releases “Fusiolicious”
Oytun Ersan has released his second album, Fusiolicious, featuring a killer lineup of jazz musicians. The bassist recruited Dave Weckl, Eric Marienthal, Gary Husband, Gerry Etkins, Dean Brown, Mike Miller, Brett Garsed, Karen Briggs and Okan Ersan for the jazz fusion affair. “Fusiolicious presents a ‘delicious’ combination of Funk Jazz and Progressive Jazz and is a must have album for...
Boss Introduces TU-03 Clip-On Tuner and Metronome
Boss has added to their line of tuners with the new TU-03. Designed for use with stringed instruments including the bass, the clip-on device packs a chromatic tuner and metronome into one compact unit. The TU-03 has a standard chromatic tuning mode as well as modes dedicated to guitar, bass, ukulele, and violin. Its reference pitch is adjustable between 430Hz...
Bass of the Week: Mayones Master Builder Collection Jabba Semi-Hollow
Mayones produces plenty of beautiful instruments, but their team makes extra time to create the Master Builder Collection. “If you’re a true gear-hunter only the most unique instruments can stir up your enthusiasm, the Mayones Master Builder Collection is the answer for your demands,” they write. “The Mayones Master Builder Collection is a unique line of unexampled guitars and basses...
Parquet Courts: Wide Awake
I’ve been really digging the new Parquet Courts album, Wide Awake!, thanks in part to the fun and bouncy bass lines of Sean Yeaton. His playing drives each song with cool grooves and melodic hooks. That’s especially true on the title track. Here’s the band performing “Wide Awake” on The Ellen Show in April. Stay tuned for an interview with...
Norah Jones Releases Live DVD with Brian Blade and Chris Thomas
Norah Jones has released a new concert DVD appropriately entitled Live at Ronnie Scott’s. Recorded at the legendary London jazz club, the sold-out show features Jones performing in a jazz trio with drummer Brian Blade and bassist Chris Thomas. The rhythm section locks in easily, as Thomas has been performing with Blade’s Fellowship Band since 1997. Together the band performs...
ZVEX Effects Unveils Super Duper Concert Bass Mod Pedal
ZVEX Effects has announced a limited edition modded version of their Super Duper pedal that mimics the vintage Sunn Concert Bass amp. They describe the iconic head as “a solid state monster with distinct distortion and low end popular with enthusiasts of downtuned, primal, and punishing guitarists and bassists.” As with the original Super Duper, the Super Duper Concert Bass...