Frank Zappa plays bicycle with bass bow

I found these videos of Frank Zappa on the Steve Allen Show. Zappa appeared on this episode in 1963, well before he became famous as a performer. Both Frank and Steve Allen use a bass bow to create aleatoric sounds on two bicycles, and they plus the studio band and...

Road Warrior without an Expense Account Part VIII: Burnout

A good friend of mine told me as I started my freelance career that musicians can only last ten years as freelancers. After ten years, the majority of people pack it up and look for other means of employment. “Bah!” I said. I was a tough cookie, able to put in six,...

New World Symphony live webcast this Sunday – 4:30 p.m. EDT

The New World Symphony will be performing Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka with Michael Tilson Thomas this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Here is some more information on this event from the NWS website: On Sunday, April 29 at 4:30PM EDT, the New World...

Mstislav Rostropovich dies at 80

Here is some sad music world news: Mstislav Rostropovich, the cellist, conductor and champion of human rights who stood at the center of musical and international life for more than half a century, died Friday of cancer at a Moscow hospital. He was 80. (continue...

How to Polish Ebony Fingerboards

This is a guest post by double bassist Jean-Yves Bénichou on how to correctly polish ebony fingerboards. Benjy is bi-national, being a citizen of both the United States and France. He has lived in France for the past 30 years and has been a member of the Strasbourg...