Category Archives: New Release

Symphonic Jazz Orchestra + Christian McBride

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George Duke’s Concerto for Christian McBride will premiere at a free UCLA 
concert that will feature the 67-member Symphonic Jazz Orchestra (LA), conducted by Mitch Glickman. McBride will appear as bass soloist in the new commissioned work composed by composer/keyboardist/producer Duke. The concert will also feature works commissioned by composers Charles Floyd, and SJO conductor Mitch Glickman.

George Duke: “This is without a doubt the most comprehensive symphonic jazz composition I’ve written. It is written for the full breadth of Christian’s talents including upright, fretless and electric basses. My central idea is to allow Christian the freedom to spontaneously create and at the same time have a cohesive composition with the orchestra. The piece includes a standard jazz rhythm section along with a full orchestra. The challenge was to have complete interplay between the orchestra and the jazz trio and allow the bass to speak throughout its range as the dominant soloist and melodic proponent.”
Links: wwwjazztimes.com, Free tickets at www.sjomusic.org

Phil Palombi on Scott LaFaro’s Prescott

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2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the untimely death of jazz great Scott LaFaro. Phil Palombi, author of the Scott La Faro transcription book, has recorded a tribute CD to this bass legend, which is now available. This recording features piano great (and former roommate of Scott’s) Don Friedman and Bill Evans alumnus Eliot Zigmund on drums.For this recording, RE:Person I Knew – A Tribute To Scott LaFaro, Phil was granted the honor of recording the entire CD with a very special instrument: “I was granted the immense honor of the loan of Scott LaFaro’s actual Prescott bass. Yes, THE bass that he used on the Village Vanguard recordings. I will forever be grateful to Helene LaFaro-Fernandez and Barrie Kolstein for this opportunity!”

Gemini soundpost setting tool

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soundpost setter

If you don’t use the traditional, S-shaped sounpost setting tool very often, setting the soundpost can really be a big challenge. The new Gemini sounpost setting tool holds the soundpost securely against the saddle at the tip of the tool, in order to make it easier to insert the soundpost through the f-hole and into proper position without the risk of the soundpost becoming dislodged as could happen with a traditional sound post tool. During the setting procedure, the soundpost is held by a nylon rope. The release mechanism gently releases the tool from the soundpost once it is in position.

Jazz.FM91: web radio app for iPhone/iPod

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A couple of apps turn your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad into a web radio. I’ve been using last.fm a lot, but the available music has recently become less exiting, in my opinion. I now have discovered the Jazz.FM91 app at the App Store, which immedieately became my new favourite! Jazz.FM91 is  a Jazz radio station from Canada, which is available worldwide via the internet. With the new iPhone app, you not only can enjoy their radio shows via live stream, they also offer Podcasts, additional web radio streams (“singers” or “contemporary Jazz“), a feature to listen their shows while using other apps (“background”), direct links to their website, program schedule, twitter, webblog, etc …
Five stars from me!

Updated: iRealBook Editor

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Massimo Biolcati, double bassist from NYC and developper of the iRealBook iPhone-App has updated his iRealBook Editor software for Mac. Even if you don’t own a iPhone (or iPod touch), the iRealBookEditor is a really useful piece of software. You can put together leadsheets very fast, transpose the changes, and print them out or send as PDF. Besides this, Massimo has also launched a Forum – you can now send your tunes to the iRealBook Forum, and discuss and share your transcribed changes with other musicians. You can also find and download a couple of alternate versions and new tunes there, that don’t come with the iPhone app (yet). Massimo has solved this integration very simple, but elegant.

”Coda“: a new book on Double Bass setup and repair

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Chuck Treager, bass luthier and author, has published a new book: Coda to “Setup and Repair of the Double bass” – New Sound Setup Discoveries & Repair Tips.
With it’s 64 pages, Coda is a much thinner book than Traeger’s first volume, but also filled to bursting with Double Bass know-how, too. Many chapters reference to the first volume, but feature many new ideas and observations. In some issues, Traeger even correct himself or specify particular details. Being written as a sequel, Coda can also be read without knowing the first volume – for inspiratition and fresh ideas for double bassrepairs and sound optimization.

Contents:
The endpin – mightier than  the sound post
How to make  the bass louder and responsive
Simplifying mode matching
making a bass brighter or darker
more about sound posts
 and many more ….

Chuck Traeger: “About the title, the dictionary definition of the word “coda” is:
music; A: a concluding passage, the function of which is to bring a composition to a cogent and well-proportioned close. My wife, June, suggested this title because that is exactly what I am doing here. This booklet is the conclusion of my research and my writing. It is not that there is no more to be done. It is that at eighty three I am running out of the time to do it.”

The book is available from Henry Strobel’s website, or (in Europe) also at www.JonasLohse.de.

Edit: I accidentally found an ooold photo of the author Chuck Traeger, which was taken in 1948 for the Down Beat magazine: http://memory.loc.gov

Swiss Army knife for bass amplification: the EDB1 preamp

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headway edb1The new EDB1, recently launched by the british company Headway, is a very versatile compact external pre-amplifier box with a couple of features you usually miss with bass amps.
The EDB1 has two channels; inputs are Mono Jack, Stereo Jack and XLR – great for blending different piezo pickups and/or microphones. The Input Impedance Switches on each channel allow you to optimize the voicing for any of the major piezo pickup types. Phantom power is also available to Jack In and XLR Inputs, making the unit friendly for use with quality Condenser Mics and with active pickups needing powering.
For shaping the sound, the EDB1 has a five band interactive EQ, switchable input impedance (a very unique feature) and three way range switch (high pass filter) which cut unwanted low end tones, below the useable frequency range of the instrument. This cuts body handling noise, unwanted resonaces, feedback and bowing noise. Feedback and other resonance problems may be further tackled by a very effective, broad ranging tunable notch filter and a Phase Reverse control.
Outputs are via a balanced XLR D.I. out and a line out Jack. If an earth loop is heard causing hum, you may kill it by pressing the Earth Lift Switch. The two outputs also allow you to split the signal, such as between double bass amp for stage monitoring and an out front mixing desk. Powering is via two 9v Batteries, or via plug in DC Power supply.

(Available at www.jonaslohse.de)

Update: iRealBook 2.2

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Massimo Biolcati has released version 2.2 of iRealBook for Apple iPhone and iPod touch.
What’s new in version 2.2:
• Apple iPhone OS3.0 is required
• 75 more songs added for a total of 700
• New font for improved readability
• Landscape mode with extra large font
• Support for multiple playlists with independent transpositions
• Improved backup
• Custom color themes (e .g. almond background and black text, or white text on beaver, or many else)
• Songs and playlists can now be emailed without leaving the app
• Added 12/8 time signature
• Added 9#5, 13#11, 5, 2, add9 chord qualities
• Fixed a bug that would prevent the opening of emailed songs on OS3.0

New iApp: iRealBook

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iRealBookMy latest download from the iTunes App Store is iRealBook. Developped by double bassist Massimo Biolcati from Brooklyn/NYC, iRealBook features the chord changes of more than 600 RealBook tunes. Due to copyright laws, melodies and lyrics are missing – but as a bass player, you don’t necessarily need them. Having 600+ tunes in your pocket is great, but being able to transpose them instantly to any key is a killer. “Round Midnight in A major? No problem, dear vocalist … !“

You can choose tunes alphabetical, by composer or style, and you can put together playlists. Existing tunes can be corrected or changed, and you can add new, own tunes to your library. Fellow musicians without iRealBook, but an iPhone, can get particular tunes by email.

I rate this iApp five stars!

Main Features of iReal Book 2.1 :

• Song Editor that allows the user to modify existing songs and to create new ones.
• Ability to share user modified or created songs via email.
• 600 songs included (see Song List page).
• Each Song can easily be transposed to any key.
• Each chord sheet fits on one screen, no need to scroll.
• Big fonts, easily legible from a distance.
• Night theme option (white notation over black).
• Swipe to next/previous song.
• Ability to create playlists.
• Eb and Bb transpositions for horn players.
• Option to disable screen auto-lock.
• Growing database of songs (requests and submissions are welcomed).