News - Page 258

Etienne Mbappe handles both bass and lead vocals on his fourth solo effort, How Near How Far, released under the name, Etienne Mbappe & the Prophets. Mbappe (John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension, Joe Zawinul, Robben Ford, Slif Keita, Ray Charles, Steps Ahead, Bill Evans) has focused more on instrumentation than vocals on this record. “The concept of the Prophets,” Mbappé said,...

After announcing it earlier this year, Cliff Williams has officially retired from AC/DC after a nearly 40 year run. The bassist joined the band in 1977, just two years after their debut album, and played on every subsequent release. “I’m just ready to get off the road,” Williams stated in a video interview. “[I need] family time now and just...

Three Berklee College of Music bass professors have written a new book about playing jazz bass, simply called Berklee Jazz Bass: Acoustic & Electric. The writers – bass chair emeritus Rich Appleman and bass professors Whit Browne and Bruce Gertz – are longtime faculty members at the Boston college, and between them have mentored artists like Esperanza Spalding, Bryan Beller,...

Peter Hook and the Light are returning to North America this Fall to perform the works of Joy Division and New Order. The trek will have the bassist revisit his former bands by performing Joy Division and New Order’s compilation albums Substance live, sequentially and in their entireties. “Released in August 1987, New Order’s Substance was originally conceived as a...

Led Zeppelin has re-released its 1997 BBC sessions collection as the The Complete BBC Sessions, featuring eight previously unreleased sessions from BBC radio. All the recordings of the band, featuring bassist John Paul Jones, were captured during BBC radio performances between 1969 and 1971. The previously unreleased recordings include three performances from a 1969 session once believed to be lost....

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Jens Ritter Instruments, and the bass maker is celebrating with a commemorative book of his work. “I started my career as an instrument maker in 1996. Now in September 2016 I am celebrating my 20th anniversary with a coffee table book with pictures of my favorite instruments from the last 20 years,” Ritter...

A live performance from the late, great jazz vocalist and pianist Shirley Horn has been remastered and released as Live at the 4 Queens. The May 2, 1988 show at the 4 Queens Hotel & Casino featured Horn in her longstanding trio of bassist Charles Ables (d. 2001, and who switched from guitar to bass to join her group) and...

The Devin Townsend Project has released its seventh studio album, Transcendence. The record, from the progressive metal group led by Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Steve Vai) features the huge, epic sound for which Townsend is known, as well as his take on the Ween song, “Transdermal Celebration.” The band has double bass cred this time out, too, featuring not only...

The story of baseball’s longest game, and the book written about it – Dan Barry’s Bottom of the 33rd, inspired jazz outfit Saltman Knowles’ latest effort, Almost. The book reflects the players’ commitment and dedication to the game, even if they weren’t destined to make it in the major league (the game was a minor league contest). They continued to...

The Ron Carter Quartet, led by the inimitable and prolific jazz bassist/cellist/composer, Ron Carter, has collaborated with vocalist Vitoria Meldonado to create the record, Brasil L.I.K.E. (short for Love, Inspiration, Knowledge and Energy). The Grammy-winning Carter is working with American and Brazilian standards in bossa nova on the album, and creating excerpts of jazz within each song. The record also...

Alabama’s St. Paul & The Broken Bones is back with a sophomore slab of retro-soul on Sea of Noise. The eight-piece band says the album is more reflective of its tastes than its debut, Half the City, and depends less on belting from lead singer Paul Janeway and more on incorporating his voice into the arrangements, according to a Wall...

Soften The Glare, featuring former Mudvayne bassist Ryan Martinie, are ramping up for a new album and a new tour. The instrumental/prog/jazz/rock band revealed they are currently working on their debut album. “[We] have started sessions for their debut album with Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me) at The Basement Recording NC studio,” they wrote. They’ll be hitting the...