Buzz
TC Electronic Unveils the Hall of Fame 2 Reverb
TC Electronic has expanded their line of effects with the Hall of Fame 2 Reverb. The new edition of the company’s stompbox adds a Shimmer reverb to its tonal palette. Even more interesting is a new type of footswitch they call the MASH. The MASH footswitch reacts to pressure, so the more you lean on it the more intense the...
Marcus King Band: Jealous Man – Live In Sun King Studio 92
One of my favorite tracks on the Marcus King Band’s is “Jealous Man.” Here’s a stripped-down version of the tune, with King on guitar and vocals, Stephen Campbell on bass and Jack Ryan on percussion.
Peter Dominguez Releases “Groove Dreams”
Peter Dominguez has released Groove Dreams, an intimate and jaw-droppingly beautiful new solo double bass album. While the 10-song collection varies in content from jazz standards to new compositions to pop ballads, there is one common thread throughout: the late, great jazz legend Milt Hinton. Dominguez, who is a professor of jazz studies and double bass at Oberlin Conservatory, first...
Electro-Harmonix Unveils the Battalion Bass Preamp
Electro-Harmonix is sending reinforcements for bassists with the new Battalion bass preamp and DI. The comprehensive unit features a four-band EQ, fully-featured MOSFET distortion section, a compressor, a noise gate, and flexible connectivity. Its distortion section has its own footswitch with Level, Blend, Drive, and Tone knobs for dialing in your grit. It also has a mini-switch to route it...
Tom Walker Trio: Miss You
Sandwiched between the many political posts on Facebook are a few gems, like this one. Here’s the Tom Walker Trio’s “Suitcase Sessions” cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You.” Deano Bass handles the low end on this excellent cover.
Simon Sammut Returns With “Crossing”
Bassist Simon Sammut has released his sophomore solo album called Crossing. Following up on 2011’s Bassic Attitude, the effort is an evolution of his sound, which he describes as “fluid in texture and inspiration.” “The musical score and complimentary paintings are based on a common theme of ‘crossing,'” he writes. “Essentially it is about crossing barriers or boundaries whether they...
Mu-FX Introduces the Phasor 2X Pedal
Mu-FX has expanded their line of effects with the Phasor 2X. The pedal is an enhanced reissue of the Musitronics Mu-Tron Phasor II from the 1970’s and was designed by Musitronics co-founder Mike Beigel. “The Phasor 2X features the same analog electro-optical phase-shift circuitry as the original Mu-Tron Phasor II, with many enhancements,” a press release states. “These include: dual...
Creative Bass Lines: Lydian Triad Pairs
Today, we dive into something new – superimposing Major triad pairs derived from Lydian Mode Harmony over a Major 7th chord. The examples on the video are over an F Major 7th chord, and I am using a neat little looper for this. It’s a great practice tool. In the video (and transcription) I take you through the basic major...
Hiromi Uehara Trio Project: Flashback
Hiromi’s “Trio Project” is one I’ve always loved, thanks to some monster musicians. The trio took the stage on July 25, 2015, in Japan, with Anthony Jackson on bass and Simon Phillips on drums. Here’s their performance of “Flashback” from that show.
Phil Lesh Weighs In On New Grateful Dead Documentary
Grateful Dead fans are ecstatic about Long Strange Trip, the new four-hour documentary that tells the legendary band’s tale. It is showing in select theaters and now streaming on Amazon Prime. As in-depth as the film is, bassist Phil Lesh says it doesn’t cover the whole story. “It’s only telling part of the story,” he told Rolling Stone. “The Grateful...
Points of View: An Interview With Tom Kennedy
With decades of playing with some of the world’s top musicians under his belt, Tom Kennedy has seen a lot. Starting with jazz greats when he was just a teenager, the master bassist has seen the world from the stage and the studio. That’s only part of why his new album, Points of View, is so aptly titled. The release,...
FORQ: 635 South
Michael League is one busy bassist. FORQ – the band consisting of the Snarky Puppy bassist/founder, along with Snarky Puppy guitarist Chris McQueen, Rudder keyboardist Henry Hey, and drummer Jason “JT” Thomas – has just released another video featuring a tune from their album, . “635 South” was written by Thomas.