Contrabass Conversations

Joe Policastro played a great set to close out the Cincinnati Bass Bash this April.   This episode features Joe on bass along with Steve Schmidt on piano and James Leslie on drums.     Enjoy, and be sure to follow along with Joe and his trio on their website , Instagram , YouTube , Facebook , and Spotify !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check o...

Barry Green hit the ground running when he moved back to Cincinnati a few years ago, and I was fortunate to be a part of two recent Ohio events.   This short episode features an interview with Barry and is a great example of his enthusiasm for the double bass and the community surrounding it.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out ou...

Today's deep-dive covers ideas for getting more accurate with double bass intonation.   Enjoy! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically! Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 300+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and Inter...

Thomas Fiorini recently performed the premiere of the Groslot Concerto for Bass Guitar with the Brussels Philharmonic. This concerto has recently been released on all digital platforms , and Tom has released a fascinating video series documenting the story behind this important new addition to the repertoire.   We talk about the story behind this piece, what it has been like working toward the pre...

Today's deep-dive covers thoughts on bass camps and the benefits they have to local communities.   Enjoy! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically! Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass cours...

Richard Duke is the director for the Golden Gate Bass Camp and the San Francisco Winter Bass Bash .   In this episode, we talk about Richard's early years in music, moving from Alaska to California to study at UC-Santa Cruz, our shared time at Northwestern University in the late 1990s, the Bay Area music scene, how Richard got involved with the bass camp, and what it has been like since taking ove...

In this solo show, Jason covers his thoughts about turning 46 and what the last few years have been like. Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically! Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass cours...

Johnny Hamil recently released a new podcast called Jamming With Johnny , and we hopped on the line to do a podcast for both of our respective shows. In this episode, we catch up with Johnny, dig into his inspiration for and continued experiences starting and running the Kansas City Bass Workshop , and much more.   Enjoy, and learn more about this summer's KC Bass Workshop here .   Subscribe to th...

This podcast is a deep-dive on the topic of deliberate practice, inspired by this week's YouTube video about the Musical SuperLearning course from Musical U.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, A...

Jackson Jay Kidder is a bassist, vocalist, and composer based in Chicago.   He recently released his debut EP Standing By and will be celebrating with a live event in April.   We talk about his musical background, his time studying at DePaul University, what it has been like as a working jazz artist, how the pandemic inspired Jackson's singing, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Jack...

Nina DeCesare was recently in San Francisco as the guest artist for the 2022 San Francisco Winter Bass Bash .   We talk about her recital, her recent faculty appointment to the Peabody Institute , and much more.   Enjoy. and be sure to follow Nina on her website , Instagram , and YouTube Channel !     Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our...

Susan Hagen has recently written a book of Warm Ups for double bassists.   It's titled BASSics of Bass and is available in digital form through our sheet music store or in print form by emailing Susan .   We talk about this book and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Susan on her website , YouTube Channel , and Berklee faculty profile !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews...

Today's episode is a panel discussion on auditioning and other topics from the 2022 Pittsburgh Double Bass Symposium .   The panelists for this discussion are Brandon McLean , Andrew Kohn , Tracy Rowell , Jeremy Kurtz-Harris , and event organizer Micah Howard .   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with...

Photo by Rens Dekker Peter Willems is a bassist and vocalist and is currently studying both subjects at the conservatory of Maastricht.   He recently released Double Dare, Vol. 1 with the Grammy-nominated Gary Lucas.   We talk about his musical background, the unique learning environment in Maastricht, practicing, plans for the future, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to follow Peter on his web...

Today's deep-dive covers the strange sounds that we can get when learning to bow, and some possible diagnoses.   Enjoy, and check out the accompanying YouTube video there plus a PDF copy of the checklist .   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Con...

It's a pleasure to bring back Gahlord Dewald as a guest today.   He was featured on an i n-person episode at the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention and also on a remote chat in 2020 about his album Coherent Light Enclosed Without , which was recorded at  The Tank Center for Sonic Arts .   Gahlord recently moved from Vermont to Hawaii.   We talk about what it was like relocating, fin...

Today's deep-dive covers how I approach teaching the very first bass lesson.   Enjoy, and check out the accompanying YouTube video to see me attempt to teach bass to my wife for the first time!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations w...

Today we're featuring Christopher Sutton of Musical U .   I've been a fan of Christopher's for years, and it was so cool to be able to sit down and talk through his online journey.   ' We dig into his musical upbringing, how he "blew up" in the early days of the App Store, the trials and tribulations of pivoting over the years, what it's like to teach the incredibly important but often overlooked...

Today's deep-dive covers what I carry to the gig.   Enjoy, and check out the accompanying YouTube video for links to everything.   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Begi...

photo by Andreas Etter   Paul Cannon has just released his first solo album through Ensemble Modern .   Titled Polyglot , it is a wide-ranging look at contemporary music written for double bass from the past few decades.   We dig into what it was like recording this album, life as the bassist for this unique ensemble, creativity in general, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Polyglot...

Today's deep-dive covers how to take creative chances and get out of your comfort zone—enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and In...

Longtime Boston Symphony bassist Lawrence Wolfe wrote a piece for San Francisco Symphony bassist Stephen Tramontozzi titled Melodies .   We dig into the story behind this piece and much more in this engaging chat with Larry.   Enjoy, and you can listen to Steve's recording of Melodies plus pick up a copy of the sheet music in our digital store .   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews d...

Today's deep-dive takes a look at the similarities and differences between orchestral and jazz pizzicato—enjoy! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically! Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass...

Stephen Tramontozzi recently released Urban Bass , his third album, which features chamber works with Carlos Ortega , Jerome Simas , Russ deLuna , and Jeremy Cohen .   We talk about the story behind these pieces, the recording process for this album, lessons learned from decades of learning music for recitals, and much more.   Enjoy, and check out Urban Bass on Spotify , Apple Music , and Steve's...

Today's deep-dive is all about learning Bach on the bass and was inspired by this week's YouTube video —enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Beginner's Classical B...