Being a new section mainly for interesting and musical people of medium height: a little short for a feature but far too sturdy for a news item. Today, Weather Report refugee Alphonso Johnson and an instrument to gawp at and the curious Gruppo Sportivo (Q: Are we not Italian? A: We are Dutch).

Further into the jargon jungle of marvellous multitrack with Desperate Dean. Careful with them tracks, Richard.

Was the electric bass a logical outcome of the roots of Rock'n'roll or the very cause of its happening? Ken Achard examines the products of the visionary Leo Fender.

Frank Zappa is never short of a word or a thousand. In this case, there were so many, we had to make it a two-parter. In this first, Ralph Denyer finds out why Frank doesn't hate people (quite) and why London's one of the worst places on earth.

The problems and thrills of shopping around for the best deal for your first piece of public vinyl, by Paul Riley, bass player for Survivor.

The backstage view of the mammoth Tull operation from Tony Freeman, one of those without whom... nervous times among the cigarette stubs.

That's the way Tony Attwood sees it. See if you agree.

Richard Elen visits the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop and hitches a ride through 21 years of past and present music and effects production from Quatermass to Blake's 7.

Chords and chord voicings for every social occasion