Jeff Berlin Archives

Bill Bruford shared this video earlier this month of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe’s 1989 performance at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. Jeff Berlin joined the band for this performance of “Heart Of The Sunrise,” filling in for Tony Levin.

In 2014, the world lost a musical giant with the passing of Jack Bruce. Jeff Berlin began working on a tribute album shortly after his passing, and now that album is available as “Jack Songs,” with an unreal cast of musicians.

After Percy Jones announced his departure last week, Brand X has announced his replacement for their upcoming tour. Virtuoso bassist Jeff Berlin will be filling the spot.

The last time we featured a video by Jeff Berlin, he focused on the use of harmonics by Jaco Pastorius. This time around, he focuses on the 16th note dead note groove in the style of the ultimate groove master, Rocco Prestia.

In my younger years, Jaco Pastorius and Jeff Berlin were two of the titans of bass I looked up to. So it was super cool to spot this video by Jeff talking about Jaco’s use of harmonics. I remember watching Modern Electric Bass back in the ’80s. Jerry Jemmott asked Jaco how he came to use harmonics in his playing....

Nashville will be rumbling again as Roy Vogt’s Thunder Row Bass Invitational is back for its eighth year! The bass-centric event has been expanded to three days that coincide with the Summer NAMM Show on June 28th, 29th, and 30th. This year will bring a host of bass talents including luthiers to perform. The lineup includes Vogt, Pete Skjold (Skjold...

Jeff Berlin’s classic song “Joe Frazier” has always been an inspiration for bassists. Originally released on his album “Pump It”, the track features killer unison riffs and an amazing bass solo. Now Berlin is celebrating the track with a 30th-anniversary edition 12-inch vinyl that will feature the original recording plus a completely reimagined version. “My new version of ‘Joe Frazier’...

Jeff Berlin posted an update on Facebook yesterday announcing that he’s working on a new recording of his tune, “Joe Frazier.” That made me think back to the 80’s when Jeff’s album Pump It! was on my turntable quite often. That tune, in particular, got a lot of attention. And so I went on the hunt for some videos of...

Jeff Berlin recently shared this video on Facebook, and it knocked me out. “While filming some lesson videos, I decided to improvise a rendition of the American classic, ‘Shenandoah,'” he shared. “Recently, I’ve been improvising tunes on the bass that I know in my head but haven’t worked out. I am curious to see what the present ceiling of my...

Jeff Berlin shared this terrific clip on Facebook of a live performance in Buenos Aires. In this video, the trio of Berlin, guitarist Scott Henderson and drummer Billy Cobham perform Cobham’s “Stratus”. The original tune was on Cobham’s Spectrum, with Leland Sklar. Such an unbelievably great bass line on this one.

A little over a year ago, Musicians Institute discovered a video in their vault of Jaco Pastorius’s appearance during a master class, which took place in the mid-80’s. They recently posted the entire video, where Jaco fielded questions from students. “Despite the glitchy video, the bassist’s signature sound rings loud [and] clear as he unveils the secrets of his virtuosity...

Jeff Berlin’s signature Rithimic bass now comes in a five-string version. The Cort Rithimic V was displayed at the Winter NAMM show this year with the bassist on hand to talk about it. “I’m entirely a four-string guy,” Berlin noted, “but I wanted to help make an efficient an instrument as possible for five-string players. My contribution was to ask...