News - Page 309

Bassist Greg Christian, following his second departure from thrash metal band Testament, has formed the core of a new band. Christian, who was an original member of Testament and left the band in 1996 and returned in 2004 only to step away 10 years later, has joined forces with guitarist Artak Ozan of Kinnefret, and according to Blabbermouth, is looking...

A fan’s handheld video, combined with audio and newly created animations, brings to life two previously unreleased June 1978 Boston Music Hall performances by Bob Marley & The Wailers. The CD/DVD package called Easy Skanking in Boston ’78 is being released in celebration of the late Marley’s 70th birthday year and the 1978 band, of course, features Aston “Family Man”...

A whole slew of Rush albums are being reissued vinyl in commemoration of the band’s more than four decades of music making, and now the Canadian trio featuring bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee will continue the celebrations with the R40 Live Tour. The tour, which begins May 8, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will visit 34 North American cities. The tour came together despite...

Johan Hansén-Larson can be considered a regular here at No Treble, with several of his videos being featured here over the years. Now, the Swedish bassist can be heard at length on the Kristian Persson Elements jazz album, Let It Go. Cormac Larkin of the Irish Times says “Funk and soul are the main references in Persson’s hot, big-hearted sound,...

Ray Brown’s work as a double bassist was incomparable, and a new book of transcriptions from Hal Leonard pays tribute to him. An 80-page paperback, features 18 transcriptions, photos, performance notes and a forward by contemporary jazz virtuoso Christian McBride. While Brown is best known for his work with Oscar Peterson, he also played with Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah...

The new duo PUUL, comprised of British bassist Tim Harries (Brian Eno, Bill Bruford) and Norwegian soundscape artist Terje Evensen (John Paul Jones) has release its debut album, Puul. The band name came from Harries, who says he always wanted to be in band with a double “u” in its name. The two musicians share a unique sensibility, according to...

Jason “Jay” James has exited Welsh metal outfit Bullet Form My Valentine, the band announced in a statement. James, who also handled backup vocal duties, had been in the band since 2003. “It is with regret that Bullet for My Valentine has to announce that Jay James is no longer a member of the band,” the group wrote. “Jay has...

The Vijay Iyer Trio’s new album, Break Stuff, contemplates musical breakdowns and breaks. The trio includes not only bandleader Iyer on piano, but also double bassist Stephan Crump (Jen Chapin Trio, Ches Smith Trio, Secret Keeper, and Rosetta Trio) and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Iyer called upon both of them to be completely themselves as the recorded Break Stuff, Crump said....

Adrenaline Mob’s latest EP, Dearly Departed, combines covers and originals in a nine-song set. It includes outtakes from the group’s last full studio album, Men of Honor (which featured past bassist John Moyer) as well as covers and acoustic versions of the group’s past work. The group’s current bassist, Erik Leonhardt (ex-Tantric) appears on the new recordings. One of the...

Producer Mark Ronson knows his bass. Just listen to the name check on these lines from “Heavy and Rolling” a track of his chart-scaling fourth studio album, Uptown Special: “Smooth as glass/Smooth as Marcus Miller.” While Miller doesn’t appear on the album, bassists are everywhere on the album. Jamareo Artis keeps the groove going on the hit “Uptown Funk,” featuring...

The Church has released its 25th studio album, Further/Deeper. Led by bassist/singer/songwriter Steve Kilbey, the Australian rock outfit may be most well known for its 1980s alternative hit, “Under the Milky Way.” Further/Deeper came together easily, Kilby said. “The magic started on day one. Someone strummed a chord or struck a drum or plucked a note and we were off....

English jazz/rock fusion pioneers Soft Machine played the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1974, and now the audio and video recordings of that performance are available in a CD/DVD set called Switzerland 1974. The group at the time featured Roy Babbington on bass, as well as Allan Holdsworth on guitar. Holdsworth only remained with the group for 15 months,...