News - Page 230

The trio of Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette – referred to as the “Standards trio” – has been prolific in their recordings. Now a new album taken from a 1998 performance promises to be at the top of the heap. After The Fall was recorded in Newark, New Jersey following Jarrett’s two-year hiatus from the stage. “I was...

Are you a complete beginner or have someone interested in starting on bass? Hal Leonard has just published First 15 Lessons: Bass Guitar by Jon Liebman to aid fledgling players. The step-by-step lesson plan starts with holding the bass and graduates to playing open strings and beyond. While it covers the basics, the book gets you ready to jam with...

Although Leo Fender is often given credit, it was actually Paul Tutmarc who invented the first electric bass guitar. The Audiovox Model 736 was designed and manufactured by the Seattle-based builder all the way back in 1936. There are only three of these basses known to be left in the world, and now one of them is up for sale....

The Breeders, fronted by former Pixies bassist Kim Deal, have returned with their first new album in a decade. All Nerve is also the return of the band’s classic Last Splash lineup with Deal on guitar and vocals, Jim Macpherson on drums, Kelley Deal on lead guitar and vocals, and Josephine Wiggs laying down the bass. Rallying the old members...

Last year, bassist Shane Cooper launched a new project called Mabuta. The South African band is billed as a jazz quintet, but their mix of jazz, world music, and electronica blend into something that is hard to pin down as one genre. That’s evident by their debut recording, Welcome To This World, which is available now. The Johannesburg-based band consists...

Singer/bassist/songwriter Danielle Nicole’s new album Cry No More is a step in a new direction. The 14-song collection is her most personal yet while adding new elements to her style. Of course, the former Trampled Under Foot bassist is still steeped in the blues. “I’m definitely taking more chances now,” she says. “I grew up playing the blues, and the...

Although guitarist Ed O’Brien suggested they would limit performances this year, Radiohead will be touring North America in 2018 after all. They’ll start July 7th in Chicago before a three-night stay at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Other performances focus on the Northeast and Midwest including Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Philadelphia. The band hinted that...

Gerald Veasley’s Bass BootCamp is back for 2018! Set for March 16th through the 18th in Philadelphia, the weekend-long bass camp features hands-on workshops, masterclasses, and performances. Every year the camp has an incredible lineup of instructors, and this year is no different. Veasley will be teaching alongside David Dyson, Chico Huff, Michael Manring, Patrick Pfeiffer, Divinity Roxx, Rob Smith,...

After honing his craft with some of the top jazz musicians in the world, bassist Corcoran Holt has released his debut solo album called The Mecca. Holt, who is a regular with sax legend Kenny Garrett’s band, dishes out a mix of original songs and standards with unshakeable bass lines. Besides a solid foundation, Holt offers thoughtful solos throughout the...

As a former member of both Oscar Peterson’s and Ray Brown’s bands, jazz drummer Jeff Hamilton knows how to make the piano trio format work. That’s evident in his latest release, Live From San Pedro. The album features pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist Christoph Luty, who Hamilton writes “is known for his big, natural sound, melodic bass lines and solos,...

Ever since we first featured the band back in October, we’ve been psyched about Sons of Apollo. The supergroup is made up of Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Jeff Scott Soto, and the amazing bass work of Billy Sheehan. They released their debut, Psychotic Symphony, last year and now they’ve announced an international tour. The outing will start...

Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand has returned with their fifth studio album, Always Ascending. The album, anchored by bassist Bob Hardy, is the first to feature their newest member Julian Corrie, who took the place of Nick McCarthy. Always Ascending offers a fresh feel thanks in part to the lineup change as well as the band taking their time...