Contrabass Conversations

Noëlle Marty recently hiked 2100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, going from Tehachapi, California to Canada in 117 days and going through 5 pairs of shoes.   We talk about what it was like doing this and more in today's inspiring episode. Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically! Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 250+ wide-ranging titles for bassi...

The Ultimate Music Business Summit will be taking place January 6-8, 2022.   We talk with event coordinators Dr. Garrett Hope , Dr. Heidi Kay Begay , and Arthur Breur about the story behind the summit and what to expect in 2022.   Learn more here , and I hope you can join us! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store w...

Today's episode features Compton College professor Harvey Estrada and Grammy award-winning bassist Kevin "Brandino" Brandon on the topic of five-string basses.   We also dig into the Los Angeles bass scene history and go down many other paths in today's spirited chat. Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+...

Kevin "Brandino" Brandon is an Eastman artist and winner of multiple Grammy awards.   He is also a longtime five-string bass player, and we dig into that topic and many more in today's episode. 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...

100% true story!   You can check out the YouTube video for some visuals as well.   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 I ntermediate t...

Andrés Martín 's Signature Edition double basses are now available through Eastman !   We go behind the scenes with Andrés on the experience of making these basses today. 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...

Elsen Price recently released a new album titled Gastronomy Astrology , which features some of Australia's leading jazz players.   We talk about this latest album and much more in this third interview with Elsen.   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 t...

Marek Romanowski recently released his first CD.   Titled Contemporary Sonatas for double bass and piano , this release features music by Sofia Gubaidulina, Lowell Liebermann, and Frank Proto. We talk about how he chose the pieces for this release, how the pandemic has been for Marek, plans for the future, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to follow along with Marek on his website , Facebook , a...

We're reconnecting with Stephanie Patterson today.   Stephanie specializes in teaching adult learners and was featured on the podcast in 2019 , and we dig into what she has learned about teaching adults over the past few years.   We dig into pandemic teaching, lessons, learned through teaching many adults, and much more. If this resonates with you and you'd like to learn more, you can reach out to...

Marc Johnson recently released Overpass , his first solo double bass album.   We talk about the process behind putting this album together, Marc's path through the music world, reflections on his time with Bill Evans, his longtime collaboration with   Eliane Elias , and much more. Enjoy, and be sure to check out Overpass on the ECM website , Spotify , Apple Music , or wherever you listen to music!...

Micah Howard teaches at Carnegie Mellon University , which is one of the nation's leading programs for double bass study.   CMU has recently come on board as a podcast sponsor, and Micah chats about the benefits of the program and what it's like studying at CMU in this sponsored episode.   Enjoy, and you can click here to visit Micah's website and sign up for a free online trial lesson.   Subscrib...

Valentina Ciardelli is now teaching at the London Performing Academy of Music and is accepting applications through the end of September, including scholarship opportunities.   You can visit this link to apply and learn more through this PDF .     This is a great opportunity to study with one of the most innovative bassists active today.   Check it out , and be sure to also follow Valentina on her...

Canadian-born bassist and composer Michael Bates has had a multifaceted career in the jazz world.   Michael and I connected in person during the 2021 Wabass Institute , and it was great to spend some time digging into his musical path in this follow-up interview. We talk about what the pandemic has been like for Michael, his path from hardcore music bassist into jazz, the big influence of the Banf...

Frank Lestina is an educator and double bassist in metro Chicago.   He received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Roosevelt University and his Master's Degree in Administration from the University of Illinois, and he has had a celebrated career as a high school orchestra director and guest clinician. We talk about Frank's sudden hearing loss on one ear right before a Midwest Clinic per...

Born in Sweden and raised in Germany, Christian Fabian attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship.   Through Brian Bromberg, one of his early mentors, Christian became the bassist for the Lionel Hampton Band. He currently serves as co-leader of the New Lionel Hampton Band featuring Jason Marsalis, and he also co-founded the Native Jazz Quartet.   We talk about what Christian has been...

Today's episode features a conversation with Joseph Brown, the new owner and current vice president of the J.F. Nordlie Pipe Organ Company .   Joe is my brother-in-law, and it was great to talk about the craft of organ building and the similarities between the organ and double bass. Enjoy, and be sure to follow J.F. Nordlie on Facebook and Instagram ! Subscribe to the podcast to get these intervie...

Michael Fanelli is a bassist, educator, musicologist, and author who is also Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Northern Iowa. As string/orchestra specialist at the UNI Malcolm Price Laboratory School, he created and taught the string curriculum for grades 4 through 12 based on Rolland Teaching of Action in String Playing materials. In the School of Music, he was the instructor o...

Dr. Jeffrey C. Zimmerman is a bassist and former student of Stuart Knussen.   His thirty-plus years of experience and study across various disciplines from masters in music, Asian medicine, martial arts, medical qigong, tai chi, and science led to the development of his technique, Harmonetiks , to enhance healing, self-care, and performance. We talk about Jeff's path through the music world, what...

James Oesi is the founder of the Dutch Double Bass Festival , which will be running for the third edition on October 29th and 30th in Rotterdam.   This year's lineup will include Dave Holland, Ben Williams, Sasha Witteveen, and many others.   Pick up tickets on their website now , and be sure to follow the festival on Facebook , Instagram , and Spotify !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these int...

Ishani Bhoola is building an orchestra of young musicians to tour South Africa in July 2024.   This project is called International Youth Orchestra Bridges and is a collaboration between the West Coast Youth Orchestra (South Africa) and the Waverley Ensemble (UK).     It will bring together young musicians from the UK and South Africa, aged between 13 and 17, to form an international orchestra. Th...

Susanna Klein and Randall Pharr have recently released a new iOS practice app called Clipza .   In this episode, we discuss the inspiration behind the app, the simple interface, and how it solves a key problem for practicing musicians.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out the app and follow Susanna and her practicing mission on Instagram , Facebook , and YouTube !   Subscribe to the podcast to get th...

Chris West has released a new book titled The Paganini of the Double Bass: Bottesini in Britain .   This book tells the complete life story of Bottesini, with a huge amount of supporting material from periodicals of the time and a chronological listing of all of Bottesini's double bass compositions.   We talk about the idea for this book, how Chris went about this research and what he learned in t...

We're chatting with Paul Sharpe and Ella Sharpe about what it's like studying the bass from your parents.   We talk about how both Paul and Ella got into playing the bass, the unique bass program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts , perspectives from both Paul and Ella, and Ella's thoughts on her future.   Enjoy! About Paul Sharpe: Paul Sharpe enjoys teaching all levels of stud...

Andrew Reinartz is a musician and educator based in Sioux Falls, SD. Playing primarily upright and electric bass, he easily fits into a variety of styles including Jazz, Classical, Funk, R&B, Rock, and Folk. Andrew also does work as a producer, live/project studio recording & mixing engineer.   Also an avid educator, he is Jazz Bass Instructor at Augustana University, teaches privately and as a gu...

We are now accepting applications to intern with us!   Learn about the program and what it entails in this episode, and you can apply to intern through this link .   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, Andr...