Reviews

One of today's most prominent contemporary jazz bassists, Gerald Veasley has released a fresh compilation of tracks comprised of soulful grooves and melodies on his eighth production as a leader, Your Move. Veasley, an extremely versatile sideman and session player whose varied resume includes extensive stints with Grover Washington Jr.'s band and Joe Zawinul's Zawinul Syndicate, is accompanied by award winning guitarist Chuck Loeb, who wrote and produced four tracks, and a world-class lineup of guest performers. Spanning this selection of 10 compositions, Veasley's playing continues to evolve, entertain, and inspire as he employs a collection of 4-string, 5-string, and 6-string electric, tenor, and acoustic bass guitars. While Veasley's virtuoso technical facility as a bassist has been widely revered on a worldwide scale by his colleagues, critics, and fans alike since the 1980's, his foremost priority as a musician has been to compose instantly identifiable and intelligent instrumental pieces which connect to his audience on an emotional level. This recording features multiple tracks which the listeners of smooth jazz radio are certain to embrace. As a solo project, Your Move is Gerald Veasley's best move to date.

Tracks
"Hear Now"
"Slip 'n' Slide"
"So Close To The Sun"
"Greenwood"
"Your Move"
"Cross Currents"
"Three Tears"
"Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"
"Traveling Light"
"Roxanne's Dance"

Musicians: Gerald Veasley (Bass), Chuck Loeb (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums), Chris Farr (Saxophones, Flute), James Rouse (Drums), Will Brock (Keyboards), Donald Robinson (Piano), Pablo Batista (Percussion), Peter Kuzma (Organ), Matt Cappy (Flugel Horn), Mark Knox (Keyboards), Josh Dion (Drums), Brian Dunne (Drums, Percussion), Nathan Eklund (Trumpet, Flugel Horn, Trombone), Mikki Kornegay (Vocals), Wendell Sewell (Guitar), John Swana (Trumpet), Richard Waller III (Drums), Martin Walters (Cymbals)

Style: Contemporary Jazz/Smooth Jazz

Release Date: March 11, 2008

Artist Contact: GeraldVeasley.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - March 24, 2008

Following the successful release of M-Vibez, his acclaimed debut in 2003, Peter Muller has produced his second solo session, The Flow. Over the past two decades, Muller has become recognized as a leading bass figure throughout Europe. Compiled in his own Wave Island studio in Germany and distributed under his own label Mullenium Records, Muller is joined by Frank Mead (sax, flute), Tim Cansfield (guitar), Tobias Neumann (keyboards), Christian Kappe (trumpet), Ulle Rode (guitar), Kristof Hinz (drums), and Tim Weller (drums) on 10 remarkable tracks which blend funk, contemporary jazz, r&b, and soul sounds. Utilizing his classic 1979 Fender Jazz bass, Muller articulates the punchy slap grooves and solos that bass enthusiasts have come to expect from Muller. In addition to the virtuoso slap bass playing, Muller also contributes fretless bass melodies, percussion, synthesizers, samples, and guitar tones to this release. While some sophomore productions fail to meet the expectations set forth by their predecessor, Muller's latest project delivers from start to finish. Although the bass is featured in a prominent role in each of these selections, you don't have to be a bassist to enjoy the depth of these compositions. If you are an aficionado of funk music, heavy grooves, or lead bass playing, The Flow is definitely worth checking out.

Tracks
"Cairo"
"The Chase"
"Lounge Creatures"
"G-String"
"Space Train"
"For Funk's Sake!"
"Chanson Triste"
"The Cruise"
"Dracula"
"Belleza"

Musicians: Peter Muller (Bass, Percussion, Rhodes, Organ, Clavinet, Synthesizers, Samples, Guitar), Frank Mead (Sax, Flute), Tim Cansfield (Guitar), Tobias Neumann (Keyboards), Christian Kappe (Trumpet), Ulle Rode (Guitar), Kristof Hinz (Drums), Tim Weller (Drums)

Style: Contemporary Jazz

Release Date: January, 2008

Artist Contact: PeterMuller.de

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - February 18, 2008

Firmly established as both an award-winning leader and a sideman on an international scale, Chris Tarry has released eight solo projects and is a two-time Juno Award recipient as a member of the celebrated Canadian jazz quartet Metalwood. Since relocating to New York City in 2003, Tarry's exposure has increased significantly by playing alongside some of New York's finest jazz musicians. Through sold out concert tours and festival appearances around the United States and Europe, The Chris Tarry Group has become one of the most successful bass-fronted ensembles in contemporary jazz. Featuring a cohesive core consisting of Dan Weiss on drums, pianist Henry Hey, Pete McCann on guitar, and saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, Tarry expands his dynamic repertoire with eight brand new compositions on Almost Certainly Dreaming. With his 5-string Fodera, Tarry and his group push the envelope of jazz as they navigate in and out of odd time signatures, pulsating swing feels, intricate unison lines, and intense rhythmic figures with astounding fluidity. Unlike many of the other bass-led endeavors released by his colleagues, Tarry doesn't permit his own technical prowess on bass to dominate the content of these compositions, and everyone is given ample opportunity to contribute. With each new solo session he releases, Tarry's inventive composition style and arranging skills continue to mature. After listening to this production for just a few moments, it becomes completely apparent that Almost Certainly Dreaming is contemporary jazz performance at its highest level.

Tracks
"Bedford Celebrities"
"An Unlikely UFO"
"Radio Princess"
"Same Clothes, Different Day"
"Prettiest Town Of Goderich"
"In The Beginning"
"Almost Certainly Dreaming"
"Alien Blueprints"

Musicians: Chris Tarry (Bass), Dan Weiss (Drums), Henry Hey (Piano), Pete McCann (Guitar), Kelly Jefferson (Sax)

Style: Contemporary Jazz

Release Date: November, 2007

Artist Contact: ChrisTarry.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - January 20, 2008

Conversations is the sixth studio session released by internationally acclaimed bassist Alain Caron. While all of Caron's previous projects as a leader have been comprised of electric fusion tracks within different ensemble configurations, this recording features a set of intimate acoustic duos pairing Caron with highly regarded pianists including Francois Bourassa, Lorraine Desmarais, Oliver Jones, Otmaro Ruiz, and vibraphonist Jean St-Jacques. As its aptly named title suggests, this recording contains musical conversations between Caron and his guests which is very reminiscent of all the historic recordings that captured the brilliant interplay between pianist Bill Evans and his bassists, Scott LaFaro and Eddie Gomez, through the 1960's and 70's. Similar to what Evans' famed bassists demonstrated on those extraordinary trio dates, Caron weaves in and out of hard swinging walking bass lines, tight unison exchanges, and melodic solos utilizing only a fretless acoustic bass guitar. Caron's tone is deep but articulate, his intonation is impeccable, and he plays some of the most sophisticated jazz bass solos you will hear anywhere. With the exceptions of the bebop classic "Confirmation" by Charlie Parker and "Setembro," a Brazilian wedding song, Caron composed ten of the dozen tracks included on this collection. Compositionally, these traditional pieces might not consist of what you would expect to hear from Caron when compared to the previous endeavors that he has released as a solo artist over the past 15 years, but they do explore a brand new dimension of his remarkable writing and performance facility which I look forward to hearing more of in the future because you can't help but enjoy listening to these conversations.

Tracks
"No Pick"
"Ivoire"
"Questions"
"Blue Screen"
"Val C"
"X Tensions"
"Solitude"
"Strings Of Spring"
"Confirmation"
"Scrapper"
"Baby Steps"
"Setembro"

Musicians: Alain Caron (Fretless Acoustic Bass Guitar), Francois Bourassa (Piano), Lorraine Desmarais (Piano), Oliver Jones (Piano), Otmaro Ruiz (Piano), Jean St-Jacques (Vibraphone)

Style: Contemporary Jazz

Release Date: July, 2007

Artist Contact: AlainCaron.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - December 15, 2007

Delivering a collection of contemporary jazz, R&B, rock, funk, and spiritual sounds through eleven original compositions which employ the massive tonal range of his sub-bass guitars, Seven Waves is the long-awaited debut solo project from bassist Yves Carbonne. Carbonne, a pioneer of sub-bass playing, has spent the past several years refining his innovative concepts utilizing 10 and 12-string fretless basses which are tuned one octave below conventional tuning. Upon first listen, it is apparent that there is something very special about Carbonne's creative sub-bass approach which merges funk-laden subcontra grooves with pristine harmonics, powerful chords, and lyrical fretless soloing. The amount of low end that is not only heard but also felt on this production is extraordinary. While extended range instruments present bassists with a number of formidable challenges, Carbonne successfully transcends these obstacles when performing his music and spans the entire sonic spectrum in a very coherent, sensitive, and musical fashion. In addition to his many emotional bass/vocal collaborations with French African jazz and soul singer Guillaume Eyango, this recording features three unaccompanied sub-bass pieces and guest performances by prominent artists including solo bass virtuoso Michael Manring, drummers Roger Biwandu and Anthony Breyer as well as Laurent Maur on harmonica. From nearly subsonic depths, Yves Carbonne has elevated the bar for playing extended range bass with the release of Seven Waves.

Tracks
"Cloudy Day"
"Sweet Passion"
"Holy Spirit 2nd Verse"
"Childhood"
"Childhood Interlude"
"Seven Waves"
"Origin"
"Origin Interlude"
"You Got All My Love"
"Dawning"
"A Day In His Life"

Musicians: Yves Carbonne (Fretted & Fretless 6-String Contrabasses, Fretted & Fretless 8-String Sub-Basses, Fretless 10-String Sub-Bass), Guillaume Eyango (Vocals), Roger Biwandu (Drums), Anthony Breyer (Drums), Laurent Maur (Harmonica), Michael Manring (Fretless 4-String Bass)

Style: Contemporary Jazz, R&B, Rock, Funk, Spiritual

Release Date: September, 2007

Artist Contact: YvesCarbonne.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - November 12, 2007

Building affordable and reliable bass amplification systems which are specifically devised for live performance applications has been the basis of Gallien-Krueger's designs for the past 40 years. Since its start in the late 1960's, Gallien-Krueger has become a legendary brand name in bass amplification and the world-wide leader in the production of solid state bass amps which generate a bass tone that has the punch of a kick drum. Bob Gallien, founder of Gallien-Krueger, has dedicated his ingenuity to solving the amplification problems experienced by professional bass players. Along the way, this Stanford-schooled engineer created a product line that delivers some of the most sought after sounds within the bass community and conceived a list of renowned innovations which are today recognized as standards in the music industry. Found on stages and in recording studios around the world, Gallien's creations are utilized by a genre-spanning artist roster of rock, jazz, fusion, and session bassists such as Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Velvet Revolver's Duff McKagan, Justin Chancellor of Tool, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden, Norm Stockton, Jonni Lightfoot, and Leland Sklar.

The Neo Series combo amps combine a high powered G-K artist series head with their popular Neo Series speakers. At the heart of these cabinets are G-K's custom cast-frame neodymium loudspeakers which have the ability to sustain high output levels at a fraction of the weight contained in traditional ceramic speakers. Unlike practically every other manufacturer who makes use of outsourced speakers that were created by one of the major speaker companies, G-K builds their own brand of speakers under the Paragon name which they use in conjunction with all of their cabinets.

Featuring a double front-ported design, the Neo 700/112 combo amp is constructed of 11-ply poplar and is covered with black tolex, a flexible vinyl material. Although many people prefer the look and feel of tolex to the standard black carpet which practically all of G-K's competitors employ on their enclosures, the one potential drawback of tolex is that it is going to be more susceptible to damage if the cabinet receives substantial bumps. This combo amp also features a 16-gauge grill to protect the speaker and tweeter along with interlocking corners for stacking the Neo 700/112 with other G-K cabinets.

Housed inside the cabinet, you will find one of G-K's proprietary 12" neodymium woofers along with a G-K Paragon 5H50-8 tweeter. The amplifier section of the Neo 700/112 contains the G-K artist series 700RB-II bi-amp bass amplifier which features one of the most versatile tone configurations in production because the amp's interface is packed with so many options for the discriminating bassist. All of the controls are grouped into six different sections including direct out, input, voicing filters, active equalization, bi-amp output, and patch bay. From left to right on the front panel, there is an XLR direct out for sending a balanced signal to P.A. or recording consoles, ground lift, pre/post eq switch, level control, a standard 1/4" input jack to plug in active or passive basses, a -14dB pad to reduce the input signal from your bass if the clip LED lights up excessively, tuning mute switch, volume, 5/4-string voicing, contour, presence, active 4-band equalizer section with treble, hi-mid, low-mid, and bass controls, boost, tweeter level with hi-cut switch, woofer level with hi-cut switch, effects send and return, tuner out, and power switch. On the rear panel, there are two 1/4" speaker out connectors and two speakon outputs. To maintain a safe operating temperature, a variable speed fan is also included and increases in velocity as the amp works harder.

The tone sculpting options available with the Neo 700/112 are tremendously flexible, and regardless of the dozens of different settings I dialed in, they all maintained a desirable sound with very musical properties. Within the voicing filters section, the 5/4-string switch extends the roll off of the bass frequencies +11dB at 20 Hz when engaged to accommodate the ultra lows of an extended range bass. This is not just simply a bass boost button which works like a graphic equalizer when activated because it doesn't boost anything. It extends the roll off of the low bass frequencies. If you are playing a 4-string bass and trying to replicate the renowned sound of a G-K 800RB, you will want to leave the 5/4-string in the out position, but if you are playing a bass with a low B-string, you will want to have this button pushed in. As a 4-string bassist, you can actually leave the button pushed in at all times to get as much low end as possible out of the amp. The contour control is based on the same circuit that is found in G-K's classic 800RB amplifier, and it cuts the mid-range frequencies while simultaneously boosting the low and high frequencies (+2dB at 50 Hz, -10dB at 500 Hz, and +3dB at 7 kHz). The presence control provides additional definition for improved clarity when soloing or playing chords by boosting the highs +9dB at 10 kHz. In terms of the rotary 4-band equalizer, the treble and bass controls are both active shelving type which means that they boost the highs and lows consistently. The bass boosts and cuts +/-10dB at 60 Hz while the treble has the ability to boost and cut +12/-17dB at 7 kHz. The hi-mid and low-mid controls are both active bandpass type which boost +6dB and cut -10dB at 1 kHz and 250 Hz, respectively. Your tone can also be modified by adjusting the boost and tweeter controls in the bi-amp output section. The boost control uses G-K's exclusive valve effect technology which adds growl as it is turned clockwise, and the tweeter is the master volume control for the 50 watt horn amp which handles frequencies beyond 5 kHz. The tweeter hi-cut button cuts frequencies above 10 kHz in order to reduce tweeter hiss, and the woofer hi-cut button cuts frequencies above 5 kHz from the 12" woofer.

The most unique aspect of the Neo 700/112, and my favorite feature, is the horn management system. G-K's amplifier design consists of two separate power amps. In contrast to a passive, full range combo amp which can send several hundred watts of power to a tweeter, the G-K's horn management system splits the high and low signal paths. No other manufacturer has a crossover network in their cabinets that will accommodate this feature. A separate 50 watt horn amplifier is dedicated to managing the high frequency tweeter. If you are driving a horn with the same power amp as the woofer which is the case in nearly all other amps, instead of achieving a pleasant sounding growl, you receive unwanted buzzing due to the distortion that is coming through the horn. When you separate the woofer's power amp from the horn, you can boost the volume control of the woofer amplifier in order to achieve a desirable growl, and you can keep the level of the horn amplifier below clipping. This configuration will allow you to maximize the woofer's peak power so you can add as much growl to the woofer's signal as you want while the tweeter remains articulate and free of distortion resulting in greater overall projection. In addition, the Neo 700/112 can be connected to a G-K bi-amp compatible enclosure via a special 4-conductor speakon cable which will permit you to have completely independent control of the output from the woofers and tweeters in both cabinets. On the back of G-K enclosures, there is a bi-amp/full range switch that offers you the opportunity to run the speakers in a bi-amp or full range mode. While in the full range setting, the cabinet works like a typical enclosure, and you can drive the speakers with any amplifier hooked up to it with a standard cable. In bi-amp mode, the woofer and horn paths are separated, and they can be driven using our G-K's proprietary speakon cable. When the bi-amp mode is utilized, all of the frequencies below 5 kHz are sent to the woofers while everything above 5 kHz is sent through the horn.

At approximately 55 lbs., the Neo 700/112 ranks as an average-sized combo amp, but with its top grip and side spring-loaded handles, it can still be easily transported by a single person. In a small to medium-sized venue, the Neo 700/112 outputs more than enough volume with extra headroom to spare at 320 watts, and it can be easily expanded to a full bi-amped bass rig capable of handling 480 watts with the addition of an extension cabinet.

Whether you desire that legendary G-K growl or a clean and articulate sound, the G-K Neo 700/112 delivers some of the most aggressive rock, jazz, fusion, and funk tones available regardless of your preferred playing style or performance application and definitely ranks as one of the best values for a combo amp priced less than $1,000.

Specifications:
Power < 1% THD: Main amp - 320 watts, 480 watts with extension cabinet; horn amp - 50 watts at 8 ohms
Cooling: Continuously variable speed fan
Input Section: Ultra low noise S/N>90dB, clip LED, -14dB pad, volume, mute switch, and mute LED
Voicing Filter: 5/4-string voicing, adjustable contour, and presence
Equalizer: 4-band active
Output: Boost, tweeter level with hi-cut switch and woofer level with hi-cut switch
Direct Out: XLR, ground lift, pre/post switch and level control
Patching: Effects send and return, tuner out
Speaker Output: Two 1/4" and two horn bi-amp compatible speakon connectors
Woofer: 1 GK neodymium cast frame 12", 300 watts at 8 ohm
Tweeter: GK paragon 5H50-8
Construction: 11-ply poplar, black tolex, 16-gauge steel grill, custom tooled interlocking corners, front-ported
Dimensions: 21" W x 20" H x 16" D
Weight: 55 lbs.
Retail Price: $1199
Street Price: $899

Contact:
Gallien-Krueger
2234 Industrial Drive
Stockton, CA 95206
Web Site: Gallien-Krueger.com
E-Mail: sales@gallien.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - October 15, 2007

Having previously published the acclaimed Ultimate Slap Bass book along with a highly successful series of Level 42 transcriptions, Bass Transcriptions - Outbound & Beyond featuring the music of Stuart Hamm is the latest book authored by Stuart Clayton. As one of the most influential electric bassists of the past half-century, Hamm has released five projects as a leader and a number of collaborations as a sideman to guitarists such as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Expanding the non-traditional function of the bass guitar by fusing rock, jazz, fusion, classical, country, and urban sounds with virtuoso technical facility comprised of unconventional techniques including two-handed tapping, slapping, plucking, chords, and harmonics, Hamm has become recognized as a pioneer of his generation and one of today's leading bassists. After a biographical summary of Hamm's career spanning from his childhood in the early 1960's through his Bx3 tours alongside Jeff Berlin and Billy Sheehan to the release of Live Stu X 2 in 2007, Clayton outlines Hamm's collection of Kubicki Ex Factor and signature model Fender Urge basses that he has utilized on his productions. Clayton has also included detailed performance notes to guide you through each track with extended tips and comments supplied by Hamm. In addition to the standard notation, tablature, and chord symbols, Clayton has provided all of the proper slap, pluck, and tap articulations required to execute each of these complex pieces in their entirety. This compilation of 17 songs contains every track from Outbound, Hamm's fourth studio session as a solo artist, along with Hamm's classic solo bass arrangements of standards from the piano repertoire such as Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and Bach's "Prelude In C" as well as Debussy's "Dr. Gradus Ad Parnassum." Other transcriptions consist of Hamm's renowned live bass medley and three compositions Hamm recorded as a member of the fusion trio GHS with guitarist Frank Gambale of Chick Corea's Elektric Band and former Journey drummer Steve Smith. Bass Transcriptions - Outbound & Beyond showcases all of Hamm's signature slapping, plucking, tapping, and chordal techniques which have earned him extensive accolades and award-winning acknowledgment on a global level since the 1980's. There is no better source for learning the style and advanced techniques employed by this legendary bassist which have helped him to redefine the contemporary application of the bass guitar within a band context and as an unaccompanied instrument.

Book Contents:
- Stuart Hamm Biography
- Stuart Hamm's Basses
- Performance Notes
- "Outbound"
- "... Remember"
- "The Castro Hustle"
- "Star Spangled Banner"
- "The Memo"
- "The Tenacity Of Genes And Dreams"
- "Charlotte's Song"
- "A Better World"
- "Further Down Market"
- "Lydian (Just Enough For The City)"
- "Dr. Gradus Ad Parnassum"
- "Moonlight Sonata"
- "Prelude In C"
- "Quahogs Anyone?"
- "Nostalgia"
- "November"
- "Wrong And Strong"

Author: Stuart Clayton

Release Date: August, 2007

Length: 129 Pages

Contact: BasslinePublishing.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - September 10, 2007