Gear News
U-BASS Summit At Berklee College Features Abraham Laboriel, Bakithi Kumalo and Hutch Hutchinson
U-BASS Summit At Berklee College Features Abraham Laboriel, Bakithi Kumalo and Hutch Hutchinson… Abraham Laboriel, Bakithi Kumalo, and Hutch Hutchinson dazzled students and faculty during a U-BASS summit at Berklee College of Music on December 7. At the invitation of Berklee Bass Chair, Steve Bailey, Kala Brand Music Co. hosted the event which featured the trio of renowned bassists in a workshop/performance session that included the sharing of their encyclopedic professional experience as well as inspiring solo and ensemble performances. Afterwards, students and faculty were invited to demo an assortment of Kala U-Basses.
Each artist spoke to the assembly and provided solo demonstrations of the U-BASS and joined together in an impromptu jam session. Drummer Casey Scheuerell was on hand to round out the quintet at the memorable event which was filmed and available for viewing at
Abraham Laboriel has played on over 4,000 recordings and was described by Guitar Player Magazine as “the most widely used session bassist of our time. Bakithi Kumalo has been Paul Simon’s bassist since the highly acclaimed Graceland album which is being celebrated in 2013 with a 25th anniversary international tour. Hutch Hutchinson has been Bonnie Raitt’s bass anchor and sideman for over 20 years as well as a renowned session artist.
Introduced in 2009, the U-BASS is Kala’s 21” scale bass instrument that is available in acoustic electric and solid body models. The basses incorporate proprietary polyurethane strings which are noted for their deep bottom end. The basses are available in 4 and 5 string as well as fretted and fretless models. Additional string options include Kala Silver Rumblers made exclusively for Kala by Aquila, and Pyramid copper/wound nylon core strings, also available from Kala.
