News - Page 379

Bassist/vocalist Casey Abrams has released his self-titled debut on Concord Records. Abrams caught national attention on the tenth season of American Idol after performing some rousing renditions of pop tunes while accompanying himself on bass. Through that experience, he hooked up with fellow bassist and Idol judge Randy Jackson, who produced the album. The album is laden with upright bass...

A new film documenting The Who’s iconic Rock Opera Quadrophenia will be showing at select movie theaters across the U.S. for one night on July 24th. The Who: Quadrophenia – Can You See the Real Me? takes its name from the 1973 album’s second track, “The Real Me,” which of course features some top-notch playing by bassist John Entwistle. Loaded...

Steve Uccello‘s latest release is Fire Times, an album on which he shares low end duties with UK solo bassist Steve Lawson. The group, dubbed Clarified Birds, is rounded out by drummer Mike Shannon and multi-instrumentalist and singer Dayan Kai. Fire Times came about after Uccello started thinking of arranging for a single tune he wrote. “I had this piece...

Hal Leonard set their sights on the music of that little ol’ band from Texas with the release of Best Of ZZ Top For Bass. Part of the “Bass Recorded Versions” series, the 64-page book focuses on Dusty Hill’s bass lines on 15 ZZ Top tunes from over the years. The music is presented in both standard notation and tab....

Following two vastly different solo recordings, guitarist Pat Metheny has once again turned his attention to the quartet format with the release of Unity Band. The guitarist set his sights on a new bassist this time around, enlisting Ben Williams for the record, and rounding out the group with drummer Antonio Sanchez and saxophonist Chris Potter. Williams, who won the...

Hal Leonard has added a new edition to their Bass Play-Along series, with the release of Red Hot Chili Peppers: Bass Play-Along (Vol. 42). The 80 page book offers up tab for nine Flea bass lines, with the standard enhanced audio CD that is included with each book in this series. The audio provides the opportunity to hear the bass...

Lick Library is now shipping a new instructional DVD by Phil Williams entitled Learn to Play Rock Basslines. Aimed at beginner to intermediate players, the video guides you through 20 rock songs ranging from Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” to Muse’s “Hysteria.” “It’s 20 of the classic rock basslines that I consider to be landmarks in bass playing,” Williams explains. “A...

Medeski, Martin and Wood have announced a Fall tour covering the Northeast U.S. Kicking off at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, Massachusetts, the trek takes the jazz-infused jam band through Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The trio will be performing acoustic sets throughout, with Chris Wood laying it down on the...

In 1986, Paul Simon released Graceland, his groundbreaking album which took the world by storm, leading to 14 million copies sold and a five-year tour. For many of us, this record also introduced another great discovery: bassist Bakithi Kumalo. His fretless bass work – particularly his iconic bass on the album’s “You Can Call Me Al” was as remarkable then...

Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas, Jr. has released Down-to-Earth-Art, the bassist’s new album featuring his unique blend of soul and avant garde. The six-track collection includes two that feature what he calls “microtonal-southern soul,” and while some of his music seems out of this world, Down-to-Earth Art is named so for its concept. “The reason this album is called Down-to-Earth Art is...

Bassist Darryl Jones teamed up with keyboardist John Beasley and drummer Ndugu Chancler to form 3 Brave Souls, a trio informed by funk, roots, and jazz. In fact, each of the members are alumni of Miles Davis’s band and as such bring together incredible groove with intellectual playing. The group has released their self-titled debut album. Jones, whose career credits...

The long-awaited debut album from Spectrum Road is now available from Palmetto Records. Born out of the Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute band, the foursome consists of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Vernon Reid, keyboardist John Medeski, and drummer Cindy Blackman. Even the band name is taken from a Tony Williams song, but Bruce says Spectrum Road has its own identity. Speaking...