Bass Player is the world's most comprehensive, trusted and insightful bass publication for passionate bassists and active musicians of all ages. Each issue delivers the latest tips and techniques that are guaranteed to make you a better player.
e bass players pride ourselves on acknowledging the pioneers of our instrument, and giving credit where it’s due. Just take a look at any ‘Greatest Bassist’ poll of the last few years: a large portion of the results will be devoted to bassists from the Sixties and Seventies, and quite rightly so. So why has there been so much confusion when it comes to the legacies of James Jamerson and Carol Kaye, surely the archetypes of our instrument? In this issue, we examine a long-standing debate over which of these great bassists played on which Sixties hit songs at the Motown stable. Our conclusions respect each bass player’s unparalleled contribution to our world, and some welcome clarity is gained in doing so. That’s our job, after all. Elsewhere, we enjoy…
The late jazz bassist, composer, and bon viveur Charles Mingus, whose influence on our world is incalculable, recorded the Mingus At Carnegie Hall album live in New York in 1974. Two extended tracks from the two-hour concert—‘Perdido’ and ‘C Jam Blues’—appeared on this single LP, but the rest of the audio has remained under wraps until now, when a deluxe double CD and triple LP version of the album has been announced for release shortly after you read this. A full 72 minutes of the show has never been officially released before. “The deluxe 3-LP set features never-before-seen photos taken by original photographer Gosta Peterson, new liner notes by jazz historian and producer, Michael Cuscuna, and additional notes by composer and arranger, Sy Johnson,” runs the publicity. A classic bass…
Veteran cab-makers AccuGroove have announced the first major remodel in almost two decades of their bestselling Tri 112L range, introducing the AccuGroove Tri 112+. As they tell us, “These upgrades bring unparalleled performance with more power and clarity to the Full Range Flat Response workhorses. Changes include new 12” woofers, a new 6” midrange, and a new crossover.” The new cabs are available as Passive, Powered or Power-Plus variants, and as soon as we get a chance to plug into them, we’ll report back on their performance.…
Weather Report, ‘Teen Town’ (1977) On his first full Weather Report album, Heavy Weather, Jaco Pastorius still had plenty to prove, and contributed this iconic track, which showcases several of his best moves, including those plucked sixteenths in the intro, spiralling up into the midrange, counterpointing the famous horn motif, and playing in unison with Joe Zawinul’s ascending keyboard sequence. Few bassists can play this line accurately; even fewer can play it like Jaco did.…
Chloe Peacock challenges received bass wisdom… What a crazy month this has been. To inspire this new column, I asked the social media community for examples of negative assumptions, and in doing so opened a conversation within my own circles. One response that stood out came from my good friend Rachel Rhodes, an excellent solo bassist, songwriter and singer, who mentioned that one very common assumption which she encounters comes from being an extended-range bass player. As she told us, a lot of people have very strong biases. “They assume I can’t groove, and that I don’t know how to be a bass player in a group setting. They think I must have a bad attitude toward other bassists, that I’m a frustrated guitarist, or that I can’t play a…
We make no secret here at BPabout how much we’re impressed by Tech21 gear, not least because we’ve tried—and failed—many times over the years to trick their various SansAmps into thinking we’re not Steve Harris, Dug Pinnick or Geddy Lee. No, this is not a paid-for ad page—the things just work, which is why we’re keen to play through their new Bass Fly Rig, a transportable version of the venerable SansAmp. According to its makers, the Fly Rig v2—updated from the original 2014 model—is “an easily transportable solution to getting rich, expressive combinations you can use for any gig—on-stage or in the studio, whether it’s around the corner or across the pond, whether the backline is top-drawer or bottom shelf.” We have nothing but respect for the many other excellent…
