Contrabass Conversations

I had a wonderful time talking with Kevin Smith for the podcast!  Kevin is Willie Nelson's bassist and has some of the best stories from the road that I've heard.  You'll love this conversation with Kevin--enjoy! About Kevin Smith: Currently on tour with Willie Nelson and Family, Smith has toured with High Noon, Ronnie Dawson, Dwight Yoakam and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Smith received a Grammy n...

It was a pleasure to chat with Leigh Mesh for the podcast!  Leigh is the MET Orchestra Associate Principal Bass and teaches bass at Bard College.  This is a fun and wide-ranging conversation with a ton of great advice throughout. About Leigh Mesh: Leigh Mesh, Associate Principal Bass, joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 1993. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, he has taught master...

In this conversation with recent Kansas City Symphony audition winner Nash Tomey , we dig into how Nash overcame a playing injury that threatened to derail his playing career.  This is an inspiring and honest conversation about something that many musicians struggle with during their careers! About Nash Tomey: Philadelphia native Nash Tomey joins the Kansas City Symphony beginning with the 2017/18...

It was a pleasure to chat with Anthony Manzo about his career as a chamber music double bassist, traveling with a bass (always an adventure!), the unique qualities of Anthony's bass, and much more. A special shout-out to Eric Roy of Upton Bass for connecting me with Anthony for this conversation! About Anthony Manzo: Anthony Manzo enjoys performing in a broad variety of musical forums - despite th...

I had such a great time spending a week with Diego at  Andrés Martin's bass festival  this fall.  Diego is one of the most inspiring double bassists I know, and he's doing great things for the double bass both in Spain and in his home country of Uruguay. About Diego Zecharies: Diego Zecharies is a highly dedicated professional musician who has mastered his art globally, branching out as recording...

Today we feature innovate French double bass luthier Patrick Charton .  Patrick has been turning heads with models like his B21, C21, and Suit-Bass  for many years, and it was great to chat with him about how he developed these unique models. About Patrick Charton: Patrick Charton's new instruments have attracted the attention of many soloists and musicians from French and foreign orchestras.  The...

It was a pleasure to meet  Carmen Rodríguez this past summer at the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention!  She and I talk about growing up in Panama, the experience of coming to the United States to study, her professional ambitions, and much more! About Carmen Rodríguez: Carmen Liseth Rodríguez began her music studies in 2008 at the Instituto Nacional de Música in Panama. In 2016, sh...

Grammy Award-winning bassist and longtime Branford Marsalis collaborator Eric Revis joins Jason for today's deep-dive into growing up in California, being influenced by Parliament and prog rock, gut string explorations, and much more. A special shout-out to Eric Roy of Upton Bass for connecting me with Eric Revis for this conversation! About Eric Revis: One of the most talented and accomplished mu...

Today's conversation with Atlanta Symphony bassist Karl Fenner  is a deep-dive into auditioning, progress, long-term planning, and persevering through adversity.  There's a ton of advice that you can use to help with your preparation for any upcoming performance, audition, or high-stakes event! About Karl Fenner: Bassist Karl Fenner joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in January 2016. A native o...

Catalin Rotaru has just released a new album titled The Lord of The Basses .  This album features Catalin performing on Bottesini's famous 300-year-old Testore bass.  Catalin has also released another project this fall titled Sonic Bridges Vol. 2 . About Catalin Rotaru: Catalin Rotaru was born in Moldova, a province in the far northeast of Romania, in the same region where Romania's most celebrate...

I had a great time chatting with Susan Wulff for the podcast! Susan is Associate Principal Bass of the San Diego Symphony and is a longtime friend of mine.  She is an active Contemporary and Hip Hop dancer and loves to build things as well.  About Susan Wulff: Susan Wulff is the Associate Principal Bass with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double Bachelor of...

Jack Unzicker and Jason Heath chat about all kinds of topics in today's episode.  This was recorded live at East Side Denton in Denton, Texas in September, 2017. Links to Check Out: Jack's website Jack's past Contrabass Conversations appearance Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle! Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:   D'Addario Strings This episo...

Hans Sturm and Jackie Allen have recently released Rose Fingered Dawn , an album of original compositions written by Hans.  Today's episode is a conversation with Hans about this new album along with excerpts of several selections. About The Album: Rose Fingered Dawn Ten tunes written for Jackie by Hans Sturm, performed by her working band and a three-horn section. John Moulder, guitars Tom Larson...

It was a pleasure to sit down with bassist, composer, and University of California San Diego professor Mark Dresser  for this wide-ranging conversation about bi-tones, fingerboard amplification, telematic music performance, and much more! About Mark Dresser: Mark Dresser is a Grammy nominated, internationally renowned bass player, improviser, composer, and interdisciplinary collaborator. At the co...

Today, we take a look at the remarkable impact that Paul Ellison has had on the double bass world as a teacher.  This episode includes our original interview with Paul from 2016 as well as thoughts on Paul as a teacher from five former students: Kaitlyn Kamminga Nina DeCesare Peter Seymour Nicholas Walker Jory Herman About Paul Ellison Performing solo and ensemble concerts as well as giving master...

This "best of" episode features Berlin Philharmonic principal bassist Matthew McDonald.  Enjoy, and check out the original episode from 2016 here . About Matthew McDonald As a child Matthew McDonald was actually interested in playing only jazz and rock music. His parents gave him an electric bass for Christmas – but only under the condition that he would also learn to play the double bass. Matthew...

This "best of" episode features composer, teacher, and bassist Ron Carter.  Enjoy, and check out the original episode from 2016 here . About Ron Carter Ron Carter is among the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz. With more than 2,000 albums to his credit, he has recorded with many of music's greats: Tommy Flanagan, Gil Evans, Lena Horne, Bill Evans, B.B. King, the Kronos Quar...

In addition to today's "best of" podcast, check out my book Winning the Audition !  It's available in paperback, Kindle, enhanced PDF, and audiobook formats. This series is drawn from interviews conducted with dozens of bassists from orchestras like the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, and Houston Symphony, plus some of the most inf...

This "best of" episode features double bassist and contemporary music pioneer Bert Turetzky.  Enjoy, and check out the original episode from 2016 here . About Bert Turetzky Bertram Turetzky has been a distinguished clinician and pedagogue for over three decades, giving master classes, seminars, and workshops nationally and internationally. His knowledge of repertoire, performance style, and his un...

Can a piece of music be cursed? After hearing this tale of repeatedly bizarre circumstances surrounding James VanDemark 's repeated Dittersdorf Concerto performances, you'll be asking that same question! A big thank you to James for his idea for this episode, and be sure to check out James' past podcast appearance for more about his career as a double bass performer and teacher.

This "best of" episode features composer, teacher, and bassist Andrés Martín .  Enjoy, and check out the original episode from 2016 here . About Andrés Martín Native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, bassist, arranger, and composer Andrés Martín has performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles in Argentina, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, England, Germany and United States. Since his arrival i...

In addition to being a bassist and working with artists like Elvin Jones and Miles Davis, Gene Perla is a composer, arranger, orchestrator, band leader, manager, booking agent, music publisher, record company executive, producer, Broadway sound designer, and much more. Gene and I engage in a delightful and insightful conversation about how the music business has changed and where it's headed. More...

This special episode is brought to you by The English Double Bass Book !  We speak with former podcast guests Thomas Martin and George Martin along with Martin Lawrence about this exciting new offering.  Be sure to visit www.theenglishdoublebass.com to reserve your patron copy now! The English Double Bass examines the great English double bass makers of the 18th and 19th Century, illustrating in f...

I've been looking forward to chatting with Milton Masciadri for quite some time! Milton is Distinguished University Professor of the University of Georgia and is a UNESCO Artist for Peace.  He has been highly involved in the international double bass community for over 30 years. More About Milton: Milton Masciadri is a third generation of double bass player. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, he began h...

I'm thrilled to be chatting today with Alexandra Scott !  Alexandra plays bass in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, and she was a headliner for the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention . More About Alexandra: Born in Somerset, England, Alexandra Scott began her studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School in London. Later, whilst study...