Bassist Bobby Vega has been called “a master of pickstyle funk, a tone connoisseur, and a professor of the groove”. He began his professional career at age 15 with Bo Diddley, but he attained widespread attention as a 16-year-old for his distinctive picked and muted bass line on Sly Stone’s “I Get High On You” (from Sly’s 1975 album High On You). Since then, he has contributed his soulful feel and incredibly dynamic playing to a long list of world-class artists, including: Billy Preston, Booker T, , Paul Butterfield, Joan Baez, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Santana, Tower of Power, Etta James, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Starship, Kitaro and many more.
Bobby’s a world-class bass collector and a “vintage freak” of the first order, but the 1961 Fender Jazz affectionately known as the Shark Bass has been his main instrument since 1977. The other instrument most commonly associated with him is the Bobby Vega Halfling Bass, an acoustic bass guitar built by luthier Tom Ribbecke. An accomplished composer, Bobby has collaborated on the soundtracks for the TV documentaries, the Francis Ford Coppola film One from the Heart, and the Sega video game Sonic The Hedgehog 3. Bobby was added to Bass Player Magazine’s Top 100 Bassists of all time in 2017. He made the cover of Bass Player Magazine in 2016. Bobby wrote a column for Bass Player from 2014 to 2016. Bobby Vega continues to play live and record. His latest solo album is What Cha Got.
To Swedish bass musician Jonas Hellborg, music is not simply entertainment, it is necessary for our balance and well being as humans, his devotion in pursuing this concept defining his well over four decades international music career with some of the leading exponents of jazz, Indian and western classical music. Labeled as innovator and rule breaker, he simply takes the shortest, most direct way to essence and truth, even if that means banishing taboos or inferior standards, putting minds out of their comfort zone.
He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Ustad Sultan Khan, Fazal Qureshi, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson, Anders Johansson, Ginger Baker, Michael Shrieve, V. Selvaganesh, Jeff Sipe, Mattias IA Eklundh, Public Image Ltd, and Buckethead. Jonas has also released numerous recordings as bandleader and solo musician. Hellborg has been involved in instrument design from early in his career and his work includes signature guitars, amps and strings.