Contrabass Conversations

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...

It was great to chat with Scott Lang for the podcast!  Scott is a music education leadership specialist and public speaker with an inspiring mission: enroll one million new music students in our schools each year. Scott has made the lives of music educators worldwide significantly easier with his Be Part of the Music initiative.  We talk about this, his wonderful book  Seriously?! , how to get stu...

It was great to chat with Marlene Rosenberg for the podcast!  Marlene is a Chicago-based jazz bassist and educator and is one of the most active players in the local scene. More About Marlene: Marlene Rosenberg has emerged as one of the most talented and multi-faceted bass players on the scene today. She has played professionally throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America and Japan, perfo...

This is a look back an an interesting conversation from 2009 that podcast co-host John Grillo and I had about my book Road Warrior Without an Expense Account .  Today we take a look back at: what has changed in the orchestra world what has changed for Jason personally and professionally since this original episode Check out the original episode here .

We chat with frequent podcast co-host John Grillo about a new project called Orchestra Confidential. This is a project that had been many years in the making , and if you'd like to be involved, contact John at grillo@contrabassconversations.com . Links to Check Out: The State of the Orchestra (podcast from 2009) The Orchestral Dream is Dead with Matt Waters past episodes featuring John John Grillo...

It was a treat to sit down and chat with world music bassist Elsen Price for the podcast!  Elsen is based in Sydney, Australia and is incredibly active as a solo and collaborative artist. More About Elsen: (excerpt from Elsen Price: Totally addicted to Bass by Samuel Cottell) Double bass player Elsen Price is making his mark on the music scene in a range of settings. He recently performed his orig...

It has been such a pleasure getting to know Charles Chandler  since moving to San Francisco!  In addition to playing in the San Francisco Symphony, Charles teaches at the  San Francisco Academy Orchestra and is an active soloist and chamber musician.  He is actively involved with the Golden Gate Bass Camp and other Bay Area double bass events and is a champion of new and previously undiscovered wo...

It is such a pleasure to bring you this conversation with Caitlyn Kamminga !  Caitlyn has had a fascinating journey through the music world, and we dig deep into her journey across the globe from New Orleans, Hong Kong, and London to her current home of Trinidad and Tobago. More About Caitlyn: Caitlyn Kamminga graduated cum laude, with both a BM and MM from the University of Southern California in...

In this special episode, we chat with Kurt Morrow about the time he spent with Milt Hinton .  Milt's wife Mona asked Kurt if he would live in faculty housing with Milt.  Kurt shares some of these life-changing experiences with us today. More about Milt Hinton Milt "The Judge" Hinton was regarded as the Dean of jazz bass players. He was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1910, and at the age of elev...

I had a wonderful time chatting with Patricia Weitzel  for the podcast!  Patricia is a dynamic and engaging performer and teacher, and we had a great conversation covering: competitions how a missed opportunity can lead to a better one Patricia's journey from Brazil to the United States being direct with students  ...and much more! More About Patricia: Patricia Weitzel holds a bachelor degree from...

I've been captivated by the massive and multifaceted YouTube videos that jazz bassist and educator Chris Fitzgerald has been putting out these past few years. Today we dig into the hows and whys of Chris' considerable undertaking. More About Chris: Chris Fitzgerald has been a member of the Louisville jazz community as both a teacher and a performer since 1985. During that time, he has performed or...

We're featuring thoughts and playing from the four 2017 Bradetich Competition finalists on today's episode: Szymon Marciniak Dominik Wagner Marek Romanowski Mikyung Soung Check out all four of these players in their semi-final and final rounds on YouTube.

The Bassinova Quartet is a revolutionary new force in the double bass world.  They have turned heads worldwide with their stunning performances of traditional string quartet literature, and they are commissioning new works and breaking new ground.   Jason sits down with quartet members Daniel Nix , Aaron Olguin , Lauren Pierce , and Harry Dearman for a spirited conversation on the origins of the g...

I had a great time talking with Kate Jones for the podcast!  Kate is a Suzuki bass specialist working in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  She is doing remarkable things for young bass students! Links to Check Out: Kate's website Jason attempting to play a 1/32 size bass More About Kate: Double bassist Kate Jones studied with Jeff Bradetich at the University...