Perpetual Motion

Spend a couple of days at a NAMM Show and you might come to the conclusion that life is simply a whirlwind of constant activity; consider the frenzy of musicians, scheduled & impromptu performances, merchants, support staff and general public and what else could you think? Hopefully our NAMM coverage in the February issue has managed to convey how amazing the whole event was, and has inspired you to pick up your bass and join the fray.

Let’s narrow this energized NAMM concept down to the essential bass musician… Bass players are kind of like sharks, (and I mean this in a very good way) in order to survive, they must stay in motion; Writing music, authoring books, teaching clinics, producing CD’s, promoting projects, developing gear, seeking endorsers, connecting for that next gig and networking are just some of the routine tasks that come with the turf of being a professional musician. Continual diversification is essential to making ends meet and the most successful players are great jugglers of time and effort. As tiring as this seems, I can tell that the excitement of each adventure and development of new projects is what keeps us going.

If you want an example of how it is done, all you have to do is look at Portland’s own Esperanza Spalding; this amazing musician is a flurry of activity! Not one to rest on the laurels of her Grammy win, Esperanza stepped into the spotlight again this week at the Oscars with a vocal rendition of “What a Wonderful World” and found time to play bass with the orchestra while she was there. Esperanza has also just announced that she will tour North America, and her new CD “Radio Music Society” is scheduled to ship around March 20th.  Yes, Ms. Spalding is in the groove but still works incredibly hard… we wish her much continued success!

And speaking of success… I wanted to take this opportunity to officially welcome Rick Suchow to Bass Musician Magazine in the capacity of Associate Editor.

Besides being a bass journalist and prominent staff member at Bass Musician magazine since April 2010, Rick brings a lifetime of bass experience to his new title…  Rick has been an in-demand bassist on the live New York music scene for three decades, logging well over 3000 live performances in a career that has taken him from Lincoln Center to the White House.  His list of credits includes Ringo Starr, Angela Bofill, Deodato, Roberta Flack, TKA, Motown’s Martha Reeves, Larry Graham, Jay Black, Gary U.S. Bonds, and many others, and he has shared the stage with many world class drummers including David Garibaldi (Tower Of Power), Jai Johnny Johnson (Allman Brothers), Roy Burns (NBC Orchestra), and the late Jim Chapin. He is a Grammy-voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, as well as a member of the American Society of Composers Authors & Publishers, the American Federation Of Musicians and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.

We are honored to have Rick step into the Associate Editor role at Bass Musician Magazine, and we are privileged to count on the support of so many fine Bass Musicians that make this, your magazine, possible!

Best…

Raul Amador
Executive Editor, Bass Musician magazine