News - Page 253

If you love the artwork on Rush albums almost as much as you love the music made by the Canadian trio, you’re in luck: you can pre-order The Art of Rush, a coffee table book detailing how artist Hugh Syme designed the group’s album art. In the early days, Syme carefully hand-crafted elements for album art. Today, he can use...

Believe it or not, Van Halen never released a live album with founding singer David Lee Roth. That is, until now. Van Halen’s Tokyo Dome in Concert features not only Diamond Dave, but also Wolfgang Van Halen (son of guitarist Eddie and nephew of drummer Alex) on bass. Wolfgang has been part of the band since 2006, when he replaced...

Jazz bass player Andy Galore has released his debut album as a bandleader, Out and About, which features both meaningful covers and original work from the electric bassist. Galore, known for his work with guitarist Mike Stern, has assembled an impressive group for the record, which is inspired by and reflects his affection for New York City. Guitarist Oz Noy...

Double bassist Eberhard Weber has released his latest album, Encore. For it, the jazz player (known for his work on electric double bass) pulls from his live work with Jan Garbarek Group, turning solos into new pieces. “I became what you might call a composer of New Music,” Weber said, “with the proviso that I make use of old things.”...

Eclectic, multi-genre bassist and producer Bill Laswell has turned his ever-prolific talents to the island of Hawaii with Kauai – The Arch Of Heaven. The album not only combines natural, environmental ambient sounds and traditional, tribal music of Kauai, but also incorporates Jamaican dancehall, dub and reggae. The five-song Kauai – The Arch of Heaven is available on and ....

The 1997 album, The Buena Vista Social Club, alerted many music fans to a world of Cuban music they may not have fully appreciated or even known about previously. The majority of the Buena Vista players were older at the time of the original, self-titled album’s release, with music careers prominent in the 1940s and 1950s. Sadly, many of those...

The MusiCares Tribute to Paul McCartney occurred back in February 2012, but now many of the performances from the concert are available on DVD and Blu-ray. The tribute concert film not only features artists like Alicia Keys, Duane Eddy, Coldplay and James Taylor covering legendary singer/songwriter/bassist/multi-instrumentalist’s work from his tenures in The Beatles and Wings, as well as from his...

Modest Mouse’s first album in eight years, Strangers to Ourselves, is also the group’s first with bassist Russell Higbee (former Man Man.) Higbee came into the fold after founding member Eric Judy left the indie-rock group best known for 2004’s “Float On” to spend more time with his family. Higbee’s bass is undeniable on tracks like “The Ground Walks, with...

Toto XIV marks the return of bassist David Hungate, but it is also being released on the heels of a tragedy: Mike Porcaro, who remained the group’s official bassist as he struggled with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), succumbed to his illness earlier this month at the age of 59. Hungate came back to the band in...

Although Chic bassist Bernard Edwards died in 1996, new music featuring his bass prowess is available again on the Chic song, “I’ll Be There.” The 12-inch vinyl single from Chic, featuring Nile Rodgers (Edwards’ Chic bandmate) and The Martinez Brothers is based on an old “lost” analog practice take of for a Chic song called “Love Somebody Today,” according to...

If you’re a fan of Stuart Clayton’s work on No Treble, his book, Advanced Studies for Bass Guitar from Clayton’s Bassline Publishing, should pique your interest. The book, featuring 10 study pieces, teaches players how to master techniques like slapping, fingerstyle and plectrum playing and the use of harmonics. It’s the fourth title in Bassline’s Bass Techniques series, and each...

Jazz/hip-hop band BadBadNotGood, featuring Chester Hansen on bass, has teamed up with rapper Ghostface Killah (Wu-Tang Clan) to produce the album Sour Soul. The combination of the Canadian jazz trio with a legendary rapper is one that has prompted positive reviews since the CD’s February release. Now, the album, pairs live instrumentation and highly cinematic sound with Ghostface Killah’s raw,...