Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine Alain Caron “Conversations” www.alaincaron.com This CD really caught me off guard. I thought I knew what to expect from Alain… Top notch...
In last month’s column (Sep/Oct ’07), I laid out my goal for the Top Shelf: to review top-notch gear for the discerning player, pointing out the...
Hi everyone, welcome back to this months issue! I thank you for your questions, but all the questions have been the same: “How do I get...
Meet WIllis Question I’m relatively new to jazz bass lines, and my teacher and I were wondering how to walk a chord progression that has slash...
Chris Brandt has been my bass tech for well over a decade. His knowledge and skills as a tech are second to none, but he also...
Ric Fierabracci “Hemispheres” www.ricfierabracci.com I was anticipating this release from Fierabracci, having heard his name quite a bit and knowing his impressive resume spanning everything from...
Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine Matthew Garrison “Improvisio” www.garrisonjazz.com This new release (of equal billing) featuring Matthew Garrison (bs), Jeff Sipe (dr) & Alex Machacek (gtr) is...
Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine Jaco Pastorius “The Essential” www.jacopastorius.com I know… I can hear you all the way from here. It goes something like, “ok. Did...
Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine Doug Johns “Doug Johns” www.dougjohns.com I’ll admit, I hadn’t heard of Doug Johns before. Again, I’m amazed at the wealth of “undiscovered”...
Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine Alex Bershadsky “Junk” www.myspace.com/alexanderbershadsky Israeli Fret-less Bass phenom, Alex Bershadsky, is sure to secure himself a slot in the minds of bass...
It’s possible that many of the people reading this have found themselves in a position where they’ve had to play a song that they’ve never heard...
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity” -Charles Mingus Charlie Haden’s tone and minimalism have made him one of...
Today music fans are not only listening in the comfort of their homes but they are also watching. Thirty years ago, there may have been one...
The first topic I’d like to cover in this slap series is what I call double thumbing. I guess I’m “old school” when it comes to...
In my pursuit of understanding tonality, I discovered that I play way too many notes. I’m reminded of a comment about my 11 string bass, when...