Contrabass Conversations

Rob Anzellotti and I had been planning on doing an interview.  When we realized that we would both be in Prague for BASS2016, we made plans to meet up and chat about capos, extensions, and other sorts of bass geekery. Rob and I are joined by Chris Mathers for a freewheeling talk about bass, living in New York, life as an expat, getting into fabrication and how that led to making bass capos. Did yo...

Florian Pertzborn launched the European Orchestra Experience Award for the BASSEUROPE Orchestral Competition this year in Prague. The recipients were: 1st prize: Luzia Vieira 2nd prize: Zuzana Blahova 3rd prize: Andrea Cocco Florian and I got a chance to sit down in the beautiful courtyard of the HAMU in Prague to discuss this competition.  We talk about why Florian launched this and what benefits...

It was such a pleasure to catch up with Petia Bagovska in Prague for BASS2016 !  I've known her for years.  We used to play in some orchestras together when we were both living in Chicago.   When we both realized that we would be in Prague together for the European Bass Congress , we agreed to find a few minutes to catch up and record an interview. Let's set the scene... We're sitting in the court...

I'm so thrilled to announce that Winning the Audition is now available! You can get it in paperback, ebook, and Kindle formats, and links to all of this are available at winningtheaudition.net .  More formats (including audiobook) coming soon! Today's episode covers: what people are saying about the book Ira Gold 's complete foreword to Winning the Audition (it's great!) highlights from all four e...

I had the good fortune to meet Yung-chiao Wei back in 2000 at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan.  She was wrapping up her time with the New World Symphony and was just about to start new new position at Louisiana State University . The rich double bass culture she has created the past decade-and-a-half is remarkable .   In addition to creating the Louisiana Bass Fest , Yung-chio has propelled he...

I'm thrilled to announce that my new book Winning the Audition  will launch on Thursday, November 17th.  This book expands on the content provided in the Winning the Audition podcast series . You'll learn: Why thinking of your audition preparation as a scientific experiment unlocks your potential. How charting your audition progress keeps you from making the same mistakes repeatedly. How you can t...

Reuben Rogers and I got connected through our mutual friend Allan Santos . I wasn't even sure where to begin with a player like Reuben.   I mean, he has played with Charles Lloyd, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Marcus Roberts, Nicholas Payton, and a long list of jazz luminaries.  He's played on some of the best jazz albums of the past 20 years. Where to even start? So I reached out...

Alexandre Ritter has become a champion of Armando Trovajoli's work  Sconcerto . Once you hear this amazing piece , you'll understand why.   Written for Franco Petracchi, this work has been largely unplayed  until Alex got his hands on it. The process was complex, but Alex worked it out to record the entire piece and publish it on YouTube.  This piece is destined to become one of the major concert...

Dennis Bergevin and I have a lot in common. He's a bass player.  Me too. He taught public school orchestra.  So did I. His career has taken an unexpected turn. I totally identify with that. For Dennis, it was the interactions with the students that he found most valuable.  Not that the music wasn't important, but helping young people to find their path in life was what really mattered to him. I ag...

I first learned about Cornelia (Corky) Watkins through my friend Jeremy Little .  Jeremy and I used to teach together in Illinois.  He is a proponent of a style of music teaching called Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP). Teaching music through this model is interesting .  CMP teaches the complete musician.  The intent is to provide music students with  deeper understanding and m...

Johnny Hamil has dedicated his life to teaching bass . Starting out as a music education student, Johnny met George Vance at an International Society of Bassists Convention, and his life has never been the same since. After years of prodding from George, Johnny started the Kansas City Bass Workshop .  This event has grown into one of the most vibrant double bass events in the country . But Johnny'...

I love episodes like this. Garrett Hope of The Portfolio Composer and I wanted to feature each other on our podcasts. But we couldn't figure out the best way to do it. So we chucked the script, flipped on the mic, and riffed for an hour on the subjects that interest us the most .   We're both bass players .  We're both podcasters .  We're both building our careers around this crazy podcast model....

Szymon Marciniak played a killer recital in Prague for BASS2016 . Here's a great photo from that standing-room-only event. The centerpiece of this recital was Frank Proto 's compelling new Sonata No. 3 .  Frank wrote this piece expressly for Szymon, and it is--to say the least--epic in scope. Along with pianist Evan Mitchell, Szymon recorded a CD and DVD called New Music for Double Bass for Liben...

David Heyes needs no introduction . Since founding Recital Music over 20 years ago, David has brought the music of composers like Tony Osborne, Teppo Hauta-aho, and Simón García to countless bass players.   David has also commissioned over 500 double bass compositions.  Talk about an impact on the bass world! In recent years, David has become a prolific composer .   In only three years, his compos...

Jonathan Haskell may very well be the world's most interesting man . He's a bassist. In a great orchestra: L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande in Switzerland. Also, he's the president of the musician's union. An accomplished conductor. Fluent in multiple languages. He is also the author of three murder mysteries centered around the orchestra. Here's a link to the first five chapters of On the beat, a...

Allan Santos and I met 15 years ago at the Britt Festival in Oregon. I vividly recall drinking beer with him at the bar while Dave Anderson shot pool in the corner. After studying with players like Shinji Eshima and John Hood, Allan had landed an orchestra gig in the Toledo Symphony. The goal had been reached. But Allan felt like things were at an 8 in his life. Not a 10. What would a 10 look like...

it would be sacrilege to use capital letters when writing about auditionhacker founder rob knopper . rob plays percussion in the metropolitan opera orchestra. which is quite cool. but rob also started auditionhacker , a site devoted to mastering the systems and processes required to win an audition. we talk about: rob's own auditioning experiences his super-cool practice journal system how to adva...

Seth Hanes is a horn player, digital marketing consultant, and the author of the new book, Break into the Scene: A Musician's Guide to Making Connections, Creating Opportunities, and Launching a Career , which is available now on Amazon. If you want to check out some free email templates that will help you pick up gigs and some other bonuses, visit breakintothescene.com . We talk: how to get more...

Spread and focus. That's what Trevor Davis thinks about as he makes his basses. It's all in the arching. That's what makes an instrument sound great. But Trevor didn't just magically know this from the start. His tale is one of persistence and grit. Carving scrolls during the night shift at 7-Eleven. Dragging his half-made first double bass back and forth across country. Making violins during the...

The first Royal College of Music International Double Bass Festival  will be taking place on October 16, 2016.  Gabriele Ragghianti, Dan Styffe, and Alberto Bocini discuss this exciting new event on today's episode. This event is free and requires no tickets, so be sure to check it out if you can! This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings ! Check out their Zyex strings , which are synthe...

Our teachers shape us more than we realize. Having the right teacher is critical for achieving our goals. Sandor Ostlund has had a staggering set of quality teachers throughout his life journey. First, he studied with Hans Sturm . Then he worked with Richard Davis. From there, he found his way to Paris to study with François Rabbath . In Paris, he met Paul Ellison , with whom Sandor would study wi...

Most musicians don't have a day dedicated to them in their hometown. Shinji Eshima does . In 2011, the city of Berkeley, California named the day December 6th Shinji Eshima Day, in his honor for his contributions to the arts. Even fewer musicians play an instrument featured in a Degas painting . But Shinji Eshima does . His Plumerel bass is the very same instrument painted by Degas in L'Orchestre...

Jazz is Frank Proto's native language . Growing up in Brooklyn, Frank spent his days studying with Fred Zimmermann and his nights hanging out at Birdland. I love hearing Frank describe what it was like studying with Fred. In fact, Frank's lesson slot was right after Charles Mingus. Talk about being a part of jazz history! Frank's journey from the jazz clubs of New York City to the Cincinnati Symph...

Craig Butterfield  loved Edgar Meyer's bass playing ever since discovering it. Lately, he has been following in Edger's footsteps. Performing American roots music with mandolinist Jesse Jones is now a key creative outlet. Craig also teaches at the University of South Carolina. He shows young bassists how to hone their technique to explore creative new paths. But that's not it. Craig also loves rec...

Corey Brown started out on the "traditional" music school path. Starting out at the University of North Texas, Corey left and became a graphic designer. He began developing on the web in the early 1990s. Fast forward a few years, and he created Squidoo with bestselling author Seth Godin. Squidoo became one of the most-visited websites ever with over 85 million monthly visits. Corey fused his passi...