Bass Extremes Concert at Coastal Carolina University
The concert, which will feature some of the world's greatest bass guitar players, is this year's installment of a major new event launched last year by bass great and CCU artist-in-residence Steve Bailey. The first event of its kind designed expressly for the bass guitar, the inaugural competition/concert attracted gifted bassists from around the world and was adjudicated by some of the star virtuosos of the instrument.
The competition component of this CCU event will not be held annually but will be repeated every other year. This year the event will be devoted to a "Master Class and Workshop Weekend" that will culminate in the Bass Extremes concert. In addition to Bailey, the concert will feature Victor Wooten, John Patitucci, Billy Sheehan and percussionist Gregg Bissonette. This concert promises to be a unique experience since four bass players of this caliber rarely have the opportunity to perform together. Last year's competition winner, Jeff Schmidt, will also make an appearance, as will select master class participants chosen by audition.
Open to participants of all ages and performance experience, the Workshop and Master Class Weekend will offer two days of clinics and workshops led by professional bassists. Participants will develop their solo bass skills through instruction and discussions with the four bassists.
A Myrtle Beach native, Bailey joined Dizzy Gillespie's band in 1983 and went on to record and tour with many artists, including Jethro Tull, Rippingtons, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, and Kitaro, as well as releasing critically acclaimed solo CDs. He is considered a pioneer of the six string fretless bass and founded the innovative two bass group, Bass Extremes, with Victor Wooten. A recent tour of Russia has led to creating, along with Wooten, an innovative new multi media project called The Bass Vault.
Wooten, a Grammy-winner and one of the most celebrated electric bassists of all time, has been named "Bass Player of the Year" three times by Bass Player Magazine. A member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, he has worked with other musicians including Bootsy Collins, Branford Marsalis, Bruce Hornsby, Grover Washington Jr. and Chick Corea.
Patitucci's career has earned him two Grammy Awards including one for playing and one for composing as well as more than 15 nominations. He can be heard on albums with B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Natalie Cole, Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, Sting, Carly Simon, Aaron Neville and Carole King.
Sheehan has been voted "Best Rock Bass Player" five times in Guitar Player Magazine's Readers Poll, an honor that has placed him in its "Gallery of Greats" with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee and Eddie Van Halen. He later started his own band, Mr. Big, which went on to achieve a Billboard #1 single, "To Be With You," in the U. S. and 14 other countries.
Bissonette has performed with James Taylor, David Lee Roth, The Maynard Ferguson Big Band, Joe Satriani, Linda Ronstadt and Santana, among others. He has also performed with Ringo Starr and on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, "Late Night" with Conan O'Brien, "Good Morning America" and "Live with Regis and Kelly." He has also been featured on the weekly NBC show, "Friends," as well as the films "American Pie," "American Pie 2," "Payback," and "Best in Show."
To register for the Workshop and Master Class Weekend, visit www.solobasscompetition.com. No audition is required and there are no age limits or performance/education prerequisites. In addition to the sessions, a $200 registration fee includes a VIP ticket to the concert and the post-concert reception.
Tickets to the concert are now on sale. VIP tickets are $75, which includes premium reserved seating and a private post-concert reception with the artists. Tickets for reserved seats are $25 and $30 and may be purchased at Wheelwright Auditorium Box Office or by calling (843) 349-2502.