Buzz
Doug Wimbish Announces 2018 WimBash Music Festival
Bass wizard Doug Wimbish has announced the 2018 WimBash New Haven Music Festival for August 18th. The event is jam-packed with incredible music and serves as a benefit for New Haven Public Schools. “It only takes a moment to give that spark to a kid,” Wimbish says. Former West Haven mayor Ed O’Brien adds, “The value of the arts in...
TC Electronic Announces Ditto Jam X2 Looper Pedal
TC Electronic has expanded their line of looping pedals with the Ditto Jam X2 Looper. Central to the new design is their BeatSense algorithm, which uses built-in microphones to track and sync to your band’s rhythmic elements and keep your loop track from drifting. “This makes live looping more interesting than ever and infinitely more intuitive, giving guitarists the ability...
Michele della Malva: Handpan Duet & Bass
The folks at R-11 Alternative Music sent us this video featuring Michele della Malva, who pays tribute to Vladiswar Nadishana and David Kuckhermann. Michele combines the use of a hang (drum) and a handpan, with his bass. We really dig the rhythmic nature of this tune.
Billy Sheehan Shreds on Mr. Big’s “Live From Milan”
After releasing Defying Gravity last year, Mr. Big hit the road to support the album. Now a new live album has been released from that tour called Live From Milan, which is available in several formats. The tour featured all four original band members including Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, and Pat Torpey, although the drummer had been battling...
Korora Audio Launches with the Spira Filter Modulation Pedal
Korora Audio has launched their first pedal with the Spira, a filter modulation pedal inspired by the Shepard Tone Glissando. The unit has 24 parallel resonant bandpass filters for some serious flexibility. “With the rate set low, Spira achieves the classic and recognizable Shepard Tone and can also be compared to comb filter and formant filter effects,” the company writes....
How Do I Start Practicing Jazz?
Q: I’ve heard some jazz (usually newer stuff) that I like and I’m thinking that I should work on it. You and others also mention that it’s a good thing to practice in general, too. But it’s so confusing and most things I find online (and your columns) are usually too advanced for me. How should I start? A: The...
Karl Clews and Troy Jackson: Something Beautiful
We’re used to seeing (and sharing) excellent bass covers by Karl Clews. But this time, he’s doing his own thing with help from vocalist Troy Jackson. “Here’s something that Troy Jackson and I collaborated on a few weeks ago: I set myself the task of writing and recording an original song using just basses (in this case, a Palatino EUB...
Chris Robinson Brotherhood Announces Fall Tour Dates
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood is in the middle of a summer tour, but they’re not ready to get off the road for the year just yet. The band has announced an extensive fall tour that will cover all of October and half of November. The tour kicks off October 3rd in South Burlington, Vermont at the Higher Ground Ballroom. It...
Creative Bass Lines: Using the Melodic Minor Scale To Navigate on a Minor ii-V-i Chord Progression
Welcome back to another column, and today we’re diving further into jazz-related harmony with a look at starting to get inside two of the most useful modes from the melodic minor scale. The full line is demonstrated right after the opening title credits, with a little backing groove, and then during the video, I dissect and explain it for you....
Jesús Rico Pérez: Bràighe Loch Iall
It has been a while since we’ve seen a video from Jesús Rico Pérez, but he’s back. “This is my version of ‘Bràighe Loch Iall,’ a traditional Scottish tune, originally for bagpipes; I´ve arranged my way for fretless bass,” he shared. As always, Jesús plays masterfully, and dig that tone!
Jeff Denson Releases “Outside My Window”
Outside My Window may be jazz bassist Jeff Denson’s 12th release as a leader or co-leader, but it’s also one of his most diverse. This time around his vocals are given as much weight as his impressive bass playing as he performs original songs as well as covers by Jeff Buckley, Abbey Lincoln, Peter Gabriel, and Soundgarden. “I was a...
Bass of the Week: Colibrí Guitars and Basses Morgan
Last week, Corey had it with all the political posts on Facebook and asked to see some basses instead. The No Treble community responded with hundreds of basses including this cool instrument called the Morgan from Colibrí Guitars and Basses. “My name is Rodrigo Castellanos and I have been building basses for the last 13 years,” the luthier shared. “11...