News - Page 175

Thundercat will be hitting the road in 2020 for his longest headlining tour to date. In a bizarre announcement video directed by Zack Fox, the Thundercat said special guests are TBA.

Bassist Tim Lefebvre has released a new album, “End of Daze,” with his latest group, Ego Mondo. The band is a trio project with drummer Gary Novak and keyboardist Scott Kinsey that channels rock, hip hop, and jazz vibes.

Jimi Hendrix debuted The Band of Gypsys with four shows over New Year’s Eve 1969 and New Year’s Day 1970. All of the performances were recorded, and all of them are now available in a new box set, “Songs For Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts.”

The Grateful Dead began working on a new studio album in 1992 that never came to fruition. They broke up after the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, ending any new studio albums from the group. Now a live album, “Ready or Not,” imagines what could have been.

Looping has become a staple for many bass players. From practice to performance, bassists have been gotten more and more creative with the craft. Now Janek Gwizdala is sharing his deep knowledge of looping with a new book, “Bass Player’s Guide to Looping.”

Two years after setting restrictions on the international trade of rosewood, the Conference on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (aka CITES) has set exemptions for finished musical instruments, parts, and accessories.

The Doobie Brothers are setting out for a tour in 2020 to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Spanning 53 cities in North America, the tour will welcome five-time Grammy winner Michael McDonald back into the fold.

Folk-rock legend David Crosby may be 74, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down. He’s just announced a five-week-long tour for spring 2020 that will take him from coast to coast. Bassist Mai Leisz will once again join him on the tour.

Ryan Madora’s “Bass Players To Know” column on No Treble has been such a hit. So much so, Ryan decided to publish a book. “Bass Players To Know: Learning From The Greats” features 35 bassists that have helped the instrument’s evolution.

Geddy Lee has added a trio of new book signings to his “Official (Yet Kind of Random) Big Beautiful Book of Bass Book Tour.” The “East Coast Hat Trick Leg” will see the Rush bassist heading to Pittsburgh, New York City, and Halifax through December.

Felix Pastorius will be joining Jeff Coffin for a short tour of the Southeast. Coffin announced the shows, saying “Excited to do a short run with my friends Nir Felder, Felix Pastorius, and Keith Carlock in December. This group is absolute fire!”

The works of Bottesini, Dragonetti, and Koussevitsky have dominated the solo repertoire for double bass for over a hundred years. Leon Bosch is pushing the instrument’s rep forward with a new album called “21st Century Bass.”