Jeff Berlin Archives - Page 2

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...

Jeff Berlin had a moment that he describes as “the dark night of the soul” at the age of sixty. Now, he’s 63 and he’s reflecting. He’s reflecting on his career as one of the most influential electric bass players who has ever lived, and he’s being critical of just how critical he has been about the state of the...

It may be impossible to measure a musician’s influence on music as a whole, but when Jack Bruce passed away last year, the world felt it. Best known for his work in Cream and subsequent solo work, the legendary bassist was remembered by his fans and colleagues with outpourings of love and respect on every form of media. Bass players...

Top session bassist Mike Visceglia committed the experience of being a pro bassist to print with his book A View From the Side, which is now available in a new paperback edition. Visceglia, well-known for his work with John Cale and Suzanne Vega, has also played/performed with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Phoebe Snow and Bette Midler. The...

Okay, bass lovin’ people, how about a bass that strives to be… plain? Well not completely plain, but just a basic, good bass. Kind of refreshing since most new basses to hit the market usually make strides to separate themselves from the herd, and then ask us to believe it, then buy it at a premium. Not saying that Cort...

Jeff Berlin has teamed up with Cort for a new signature bass for 2014. Dubbed the RITHIMIC, the model features an alder body with a striking padouk and spalted maple top with a matching spalted headstock. Its hard rock maple neck is topped with a rosewood fingerboard. The bass is set up to Berlin’s liking with low action and a...

Dean Guitars has released a new bass to their Signature Series with the USA Jeff Berlin Basic. Made in the USA, the new model scales things back from the Patchwork bass while keeping the design’s strengths in place. The Jeff Berlin Basic features bolt-on construction with an alder body, a maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. It’s fitted with a...

Jeff Berlin has followed up his last release, High Standards, with another standards-focused album. Low Standards offers up lesser-known charts, with acoustic bassist/pianist Richard Drexler and drummer Mike Clark. This is a record which finds Berlin stretching out. “I wanted to play on a four stringed electric bass as a guitarist or pianist might play in the same situation,” Berlin...