News - Page 392

Jazz bassist Christian McBride has hit another milestone in his career with the release of The Good Feeling, his first full big band recording as a leader. The 11-track album features large ensemble arrangements of his own songs as well as jazz standards like “Broadway,” “The More I See You” and “A Taste of Honey.” McBride first got a taste...

Chickenfoot has released their second album, ironically entitled III. The group consists of bassist Michael Anthony, singer Sammy Hagar, guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Kenny Aronoff, who replaces Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers while they go on tour. Anthony, who is a former member of Van Halen, says the new album has a lot more meat. “It’s...

To our regular readers, the name Zander Zon is a familiar one. The unique bassist has had many of his piccolo bass and altered tuning performances featured here, as well as his album, Sonorous. Bassline Publishing has just released a transcription book featuring tunes from Zander’s album, Zander Zon – Sonorous Bass Transcriptions. The book contains full transcriptions for every...

Hal Leonard has published an updated edition of Steve Gordon’s The Future of the Music Business guide. This third edition is designed to teach musicians on how to succeed in the music business, using new digital technologies, from selling music online to marketing on the social web, raising money for recording projects, creating hit songs in the digital age and...

Bassline Publishing has announced the worldwide release of The Jamiroquai Bass Book, featuring transcriptions of 16 tracks from the group’s first two albums, Emergency on Planet Earth and Return of the Space Cowboy. Previously unavailable in the U.S., the 134-page book provides musical notation, TAB and chord symbols for all the lines played by founding bassist Stuart Zender. Each track...

Queen drummer Roger Taylor has announced a North American talent search to put together an official Queen tribute band for a tour next year, called the Queen Extravaganza. Auditions are open to bassists, vocalists, guitarists, drummers and keyboardists. “The Queen Extravaganza will not be a traditional tribute show,” Taylor explains. “It’s a brand-new show specially designed to enable fans to...

Michael Manring is kicking off another busy fall and winter season, with several performances and clinics planned in the U.S., Finland and France through January 2012. “Manring Bass Workout” will be held in New Hampshire over the weekend of October 21st and 22nd, with hands-on instruction, performances and demonstrations. A solo masterclass is planned for France in November. Michael Manring...

Victor Wooten has released The Music Lesson Soundtrack. The album, which is the first all-original release for his new VIX Records label, is culled from the audio version of his book of the same title and is only available digitally. Wooten describes the album as the “largest musical project [he has] ever completed to date.” The bassist recruited his brothers...

Thirty-one years and fifteen albums after forming in Athens, Georgia, the rock icons of R.E.M. are calling it quits. The trio, whose latest album Collapse Into Now came out earlier this year, broke the news in a statement on their website explaining that they “walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all [they]...

Miles Davis toured Europe many times during the 1960s with some of the most legendary bands of his career. Sony/Legacy is introducing some previously unreleased footage from that era, with a new series of “bootleg” recordings. Live in Europe 1967 – The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 features Davis’ “second quintet”, including the all-star cast of Ron Carter on bass, Wayne...

On September 1st, Pearl Jam and Columbia Records launched the “20 Days of Pearl Jam Countdown”, leading up to the theatrical release of Pearl Jam Twenty, debuting today. Directed by Cameron Crowe, the film features Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder, and chronicles the band’s remarkable 20 year run. Over 1,200 hours of rare and...

Tony Levin is at it once again, teaming up with other powerhouse musicians on a new album that is as unique as they come. The first-time collaboration of Levin on bass and Stick, along with guitarist David Torn and drummer Alan White of Yes, has released Levin Torn White, an album the band describes as “a collaborative beatdown of original...