News - Page 418

The Bad Plus is hitting the road, in support of their latest release, Never Stop. The tour kicks off on December 2, 2010 and runs through January 9th, 2011, taking the band coast to coast in the US. The trio, including bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer Dave King, completed a tour of Australia and Europe this fall,...

A new biography on former Beatles bassist Paul McCartney, penned by Howard Sounes, has just been released by Da Capo Press. Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney offers an extremely detailed look at the bassist’s life, from childhood to fame with the Fab Four, post-Beatles career and up through modern day. The 656-page book includes more than 200 interviews...

Jazz bassist Boris Kozlov has released a new solo bass CD, Double Standard, featuring a mix of originals and jazz standards. The entire album is made of single-take, solo bass tracks with the exception of “RGB/Self Portrait in 3 Colors,” which has the bassist layering arco tracks on the Charles Mingus ballad. That track is especially poignant since the entire...

Bunny Brunel has released his latest instructional DVD, this time focusing on slap bass. Slap Bass, a 50-minute, region-free DVD, includes basic slapping technique, popping and hammer-ons, and other tricks to enhance a player’s slap technique. A variety of exercises are demonstrated as well. Here’s a preview: Slap Bass is available on Brunel’s store as well as Amazon.

The members of Slipknot are reaching out to the community for the return of items that were stolen from bassist Paul Gray’s grave. Taken from the gravesite were statues of a gargoyle and a Buddah that had been placed there by friends and family. In a statement on their website, Slipknot simply states they want the items returned. “We ask...

Alfred has released a new instructional though maybe unconventional book, entitled The Couch Potato Bass Workout. Intended for all levels and styles, the book is based on the idea that sometimes we end up practicing while “vegging out on the couch” sometimes, so why not make it productive? The workout includes exercises to develop speed, strength, and accuracy by teaching...

The first batch of dates for the 2011 summer camps at Wooten Woods have been announced, which will mark the Bass/Nature camp’s 12th season. Victor Wooten, who happens to be an avid naturalist in addition to world famous bassist, runs the camps with a who’s who list of bass legends. This year includes three distinct camps: the Bass/Nature camp, Music/Nature...

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Mike Mills revealed new details about R.E.M.’s upcoming album, Collapse Into Now. The bassist explains the new project sounds reminiscent of the group’s 1992 release, Automatic for the People. ”The songs go from one type into another really easily and it all seems to fit as a piece,” he says. “It makes sense...

Tango bass master Pablo Aslan has just released a new collaborative album with Paquito D’Rivera. Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center features Aslan as both bassist and musical director during the March 2010 concerts in New York City from which the album is compiled. D’Rivera, who is one of the most esteemed Latin Jazz alto sax/clarinetists in the...

Producer/guitarist Daniel Lanois’ band Black Dub has released its debut self-titled album. The 11-track outing features the slick grooves of bassist Daryl Johnson, who seamlessly follows the band as they subtly mix rock, funk, soul, and reggae styles into their own unique sound. The group’s quartet setting allows Johnson to really stretch out with some tasty fills without losing their...

A new album featuring a bassist, producer, composer Marcus Miller is scheduled for release in early 2011. A Night In Monte-Carlo, recorded in 2008, is a unique-sounding record featuring songs composed and/or arranged by Miller, for a concert commissioned in Monaco. On the recording, Miller leads his quartet and is backed by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. Special guests include trumpeter...

A 1960 Fender Precision bass belonging to the late Bill Black is being sold at the Heritage Auctions Beverly Hills Signature Music & Entertainment Auction, to be held November 13th and 14th. Black, who passed away in 1965, is best known as Elvis Presley’s original bassist, playing with the icon through the 1950s. Black was also a pioneer of Rockabilly,...