On Saturday evening October 24 at 8:00 p.m., Juan Alderete, Thomas Pridgen and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta will perform at a concert at Hollywood's Key Club which will include a presentation of Bass Player magazine's Lifetime Achievement Awards to jazz legend Charlie Haden and R&B legend Rocco Prestia. Haden (in duo with pianist Alan Broadbent) and Prestia (backed by Tower Of Power bandmates Dave Garibaldi, Larry Braggs, Mark Harper and Roger Smith) will also perform, and the show will end with the annual All Star Jam, led by Steve Bailey.
Revered as among the greatest bass players in jazz history who became a legend at nineteen years old as a member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet that redefined jazz in the 50s and early 60s, Charlie Haden is the subject of a new documentary, Rambling Boy which will be screened at Bass Player LIVE! on Friday, October 23 at Musician's Institute. The film begins with the session in which he and his children record Haden's latest album interspersed with flashbacks of his own childhood performances and then traces Haden's many accomplishments in a series of fascinating chapters.
That most recent CD, Charlie Haden Family and Friends - Rambling Boy, recalls the Americana and bluegrass music Haden played with his parents on their radio show and includes performances by his son-in-law Jack Black and guest appearances by some of the most illustrious names in contemporary Americana and popular music: Roseanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Vince Gill, Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Skaggs & the Whites, and others.
A true living legend of the groove, Rocco Prestia has invested over 40 years defining fingerstyle funk with Tower Of Power on such pocket anthems as “What Is Hip?, “ “You're Still a Young Man, “ “Soul Vaccination." “Squib Cakes, “ Only So Much Oil in the Ground, “ and “Credit." The Sonara, California-born, Fremont-raised Prestia started on guitar and switched to bass soon after joining T.O.P., at age 14. Just prior to the group's 1970 album debut, drummer Dave Garibaldi arrived, creating an incendiary pairing with Prestia that forever changed the concept of rhythm section. 18 T.O.P. albums, various instructional packages, and one solo CD later, Rocco remains a feel force, as he tours with the iconic 10-piece horn band in support of its latest effort, The Great American Soul Book.
One of rock and roll's most profound and proficient bands, The Mars Volta blends progressive and experimental rock, jazz-fusion, Latin and salsa into their Grammy-winning sound. Formed in 2001, the sextet has played sold-out shows globally, including headlining Bonnaroo and opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as appearing on Late Night with David Letterman. Their critically-acclaimed fifth studio album, Ochtahedron, was released in 2008. The band's key members—bass hero Juan Alderete, drum deity Thomas Pridgen and guitar god Omar Rodriguez-Lopez—will bring their unmistakable Volta vision, as well as the funked-up flavors of Alderete's solo project, vato Negro, to their Bass Player LIVE! set.
Bass Player LIVE! will include clinics, demos, and appearances from top musicians including Rickey Minor, Music Director of American Idol, America's Got Talent, the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Superbowl; Tal Wilkenfeld, the 23-year-old wunderkind from Down Under who since releasing her solo in 2007 toured with Chick Corea and Jeff Beck; Gospel bass giant Andrew Gouche; Canadian fusion master Alain Caron; L.A. session ace Chris Chaney; Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck & NIN); Juan Alderete (The Mars Volta); and many more luminaries.
Bass players can explore the latest gear from manufacturers including Aguilar, Ampeg, D'Addario, DR Handmade Strings, Dunlop Manufacturing, Eden Electronics, EMG Pickups, Ernie Ball/Music Man, Gallien-Krueger, Genz Benz, iGig Cases, Lemur Music, Line 6, M.V. Pedulla Guitars, Inc., N-Tune, R. Cocco Strings, Schroeder Cabinets, Spector, TC Electronic, TecAmp, Warwick and more.
