This is from a year ago, but it’s a great interview with Mark King, talking about playing bass and singing. Quick take aways: Tap your foot – learn to keep time from day one. Sing – even if you aren’t a singer, you have a voice. Auto pilot – get your bass lines into muscle […]

Many thanks to @tucsonbass for bring this one to my attention in his post “Have You Played Victor Wooten’s Bass?” – he saw it on Saudra Williams Facebook page – aren’t the Interwebs a wonderful thing 🙂 The video shows what  Victor Wooten’s shows are all about – such energy and fun! Check out about 50 […]

I received word today that solo bassist Trentin Lee Manning was killed in a tragic car accident yesterday. Earlier this year Bass Musician Magazine had singled him out as “quickly becoming one of the leading young American bassists“. It is a sad loss of one so talented and so young. His unique and touching music lives on, […]

I tend not to think about basses and plectrums, but I’ve been forced to in the last twenty four hours. The Bass Starter Kit arrived with 3 plectrums, then last night I headed out with a group of friends to see The Hampsters. Not my normal musical fair I have to say, but they do have their […]

Last night I got an invite to see Leonard Cohen at the O2 arena in London. He might be in his mid 70’s, but he still gave a performance with more standing ovations than I could count. He had a great band behind him, but obviously I was watching the bassist carefully.

Very difficult to be a bassist and not have an opinion on the late Jaco Pastorius. I recently stumbled across a classic interview from 1978 on the website dedicated to Jaco: “a portrait“. A few choice quotes: Jaco: “I did all my learning in the clubs. Playing eight sets a night. It was real killer […]