Dec 29th, 2008 · Bars like Whitlow's on Wilson near Washington, D.C., are drawing crowds with an increasingly popular video game called Rock Band. Players can take the stage as rock stars — singing or playing guitar, drums or bass to their favorite hits.
Dec 25th, 2008 · As a young African American man, Leon Bass resented fighting for the US in a war when he didn't have equal rights back home. But after helping to liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, Bass reevaluated how he weighed good and bad in the world. The World War II veteran reflects on his experience.
Dec 23rd, 2008 · Her father was Louis Armstrong's musical director in the 1930s. Her mother still plays the bass. So it's no surprise that Russell has chops. She sings a set of bluesy numbers and standards for Mountain Stage.
Dec 16th, 2008 · Quetzal is a boundary-pushing, L.A.-based Chicano band started by multi-instrumentalist Quetzal Flores in the early 1990s. Featuring dense instrumentation (including violin, Hammond organ, requninto guitar, congas and bajosexto in addition to bass and drums) and impassioned vocals, Quetzal has adapted its music for the 21st century.
Dec 15th, 2008 · Born in the '60s, soul-jazz is a groove-oriented style built from the bottom up. You take a strong bass line, establish a steady groove between the bass and drums, and then embellish that groove with riffs and melody lines that draw heavily from gospel, blues and R&B.
Nov 27th, 2008 · In a concert recorded by Swiss Radio DRS2, the charismatic Richard Bona has a heavenly voice and plays a funky bass. His newest CD is Bona Makes You Sweat, and at the 2008 Basel Jazz Festival, he goes further than that. Bona makes you swoon, sing, stand up and boogie with his band from Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S.
Nov 3rd, 2008 · Currently based in Barcelona, Cineplexx is the work of Argentinean-born musician and graphic artist Sebastian Litmanovich. Though his name may be unfamiliar to many, Litmanovich is no newcomer. Inspired during a study abroad stint in New York City in 1996, he's been creating music under the Cineplexx name for the past decade. He's also collaborated with numerous artists, including fellow Argentine Federico Aubele who plays bass on two of the tracks on Cineplexx's latest album, Picnic.
Oct 22nd, 2008 · Leavell is one of the most sought-after pianists in the world. Even if you didn't know it, you've heard his work with George Harrison, The Black Crowes and Eric Clapton. He recently visited Mountain Stage and performed a set with Doug Payne on saxophone and Don Dixon on bass.