John Hendow

Last night I attended the Three Below concert in Seattle, featuring three incredible musicians: Trey Gunn, Michael Manring, and Alonso Arreola. Trey is one of my favorite musicians and composers, and he is a trailblazer in touch instrument technique. He performed and recorded with King Crimson for twenty years, and has continued to expand his musical horizons in other global projects. Michael Manring was a student of fretless bass legend Jaco Pastorius, and has a very interesting approach to using the eBow on fretless bass. Alonso Arreola is new to me; he is a remarkable virtuoso who employs a wide range of slapping / popping / percussion techniques, and has recorded with David Fiuczynski .

The experience of seeing three bass wizards might sound like a master class, but this is a true musical experience. Each member of the ensemble performs an extended solo piece, showcasing their technique and approach; in each case, the use of effects and looping expands the horizons of the instrument. They also play a number of pieces arranged for the trio ensemble; this really shows off the highly developed musical awareness they each possess.

They have multiple dates on this tour, including Portland on Wed 10/8, and Corvallis on Thur 10/9. Read the reviews and get your tickets!

I am looking forward to this evening’s performance by King Crimson. The band produces intense, adventuresome rock music that defies categorization. One of the things I’ve long admired about them is their stylistic diversity and restlessness. It’s difficult to pin them down, and the band’s lineup changes every few albums. At the helm throughout the band’s existence has been Robert Fripp, one of the most individually unique guitarists in the world, who has collaborated with many other high influential musicians that I love (Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, etc).
Starting in the 1980s, the band has also included my favorite musician: Tony Levin. To quote the Wikipedia page:

A prolific session musician since the 1970s, Levin has played on 500 albums, including those of Cher, Alice Cooper, John Lennon,Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Buddy Rich, The Roches, Todd Rundgren, Seal, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Warren Zevon, Kevin Parent, Laurie Anderson, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Gibonni, and Jean-Pierre Ferland. Additionally, he has toured with artists including Paul Simon (with whom Levin appeared in Simon’s 1980 film One Trick Pony), Gary Burton, James Taylor, Herbie Mann, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, Peter Frampton, Tim Finn, Richie Sambora, and Claudio Baglioni.

Tony’s bass playing inspired me to pick up bass and to learn fretless. He always adds the perfect groove to every context. I’m really looking forward to hearing this new lineup of the band. It will be a challenging and inspiring night of music!

I’m pretty pleased with my AxeFX rig, and it continues to perform beautifully at shows of all sizes. My current setup involves a pair of Euphonic Audio VL110 cabinets. They’re great sounding and deliver a lot of punch. However, I’ve also been considering the possibility of using a monitor wedge for my listening position. I have been looking at the Xitone 1×12 passive monitor as a possibility. The advantage of a dedicated monitor would be putting the sound right at my performance position, and being able to carry a smaller rig.

Xitone cabinets get very good reviews from other AxeFX users, and I have been exchanging email with the owner of the company. It’s likely I’ll be adding this cabinet to my system in the near future.