Contrabass Conversations

Today's episode features Houston Symphony principal bassist Robin Kesselman .  Robin studied with David Allen Moore and Paul Ellison at the Coburn School of Music and the University of Southern California, and with Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer at the Curtis Institute of Music.  He has also performed as Guest Principal Bass with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, travelled internationally with both...

Today's episode is a tribute to bassist, film composer, and conductor  Terry Plumeri , who was found murdered in his home in Florida on April 1st of this year.  This episode features comments from former Terry Plumeri student Eric Swanson  plus a clip from an early podcast in which I featured the music of Terry.

Leon Bosch  is a remarkable figure in the world of the double bass.  From his early years growing up in South Africa to his long tenure with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and his proliferation of solo projects, Leon has approached each challenge with a focus and determination that are incredibly inspiring. This is a "must listen" episode for any musician eager to realize their greatest po...

Today's episode features an entertaining couple of conversations that I had a few years ago with bassist, author, speaker, and playwright Justin Locke .  These have been some of our all-time most popular and commented upon episodes, and bringing them back into the spotlight seemed like a good idea. Justin has written several books , including: Real Men Don't Rehearse Principles of Applied Stupidit...

Today's episode features  Madeleine Crouch , who has served as general manager of the  International Society of Bassists for the past 25 years.  Madeleine and I talk about her musical background, the value of a liberal arts education, the growth of the ISB over the years, and new developments for the organization like the ISB/George Vance Online Research Library ,  Online Journal of Bass Research...

I'm thrilled to present this complete performance of the Prokofiev Quintet featuring DePaul University faculty member Jeremy Attanaseo on double bass.  This performance was broadcast live in February on the radio in Chicago with the International Chamber Artists .   I've known Jeremy for years—we both play in the Elgin Symphony and used to play in a bass quartet along with Michael Hovnanian of the...

I'm thrilled to bring you this episode featuring Joe Conyers.  Joe is the assistant principal bass for the Philadelphia Orchestra and is the founder of Project 440 , a nonprofit organization that brings music to young people in Philadelphia.  We're joined on this episode by John Grillo , my longtime podcast collaborator. John and I talk with Joe about topics such as: growing up in Savannah studyin...

Today's episode features soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist Guy Tuneh .  Guy was on the podcast way back in 2007, and a lot has changed for him in the intervening years.  His previous interview was one of our most popular episodes of all time, and in this talk we go even deeper, digging into why Guy makes music, how he approaches every single note he plays, and what motivates him to s...

Today we're featuring Claus Freudenstein , who is pushing the boundaries of the double bass in some really interesting ways.  Claus is innovative on a number of fronts.  He joined the world of the bass later in life than many people, and he came to it through heavy metal and the electric bass.  This resonates greatly with me because this is the exact same way  that I arrived at the bass. Claus has...

Trevor Jones and I have done joint clinics in the past, but this is the first one since restarting the podcast, and I figured that it would make sense to put it out this week since we just released our conversation a few days ago. This talk was held at Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall as part of the 2016 Chicago Bass Festival, which is an event put on by the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory. Michae...

Today's episode features double bassist Trevor Jones. It actually amazes me that this is the first time that Trevor has been on the podcast. Trevor kind of does it all: he studied classical bass with Rob Kassinger at DePaul University but got a music education degree as well He has played for years in the rock band Molehill but also maintains a full-time performing schedule as a theater musician,...

Today's podcast featuring a conversation with Peter Tambroni , who was an early guest on the podcast back in 2007 on episode 32 .  Pete is the author of An Introduction to Bass Playing , which is now in its seventh edition, and is an active bass performer, teacher, and author.  You can learn more about Pete on his website petertambroni.com . About Peter: Peter Tambroni received his Master of Music...

Today we are featuring Adam Ben Ezra , who has exploded onto the double bass scene in recent years with his unique musical voice. Adam combines elements of Arabic music, Latin drumming, American pop, looping, and many other styles to form his own craft. He has become quite popular on YouTube, and his videos are fun and visually compelling. To me, Adam is an example of what I find so exciting about...

Today's guest is jazz bass legend Chuck Israels .  We start by covering more familiar topics like meeting Charlie Mingus, playing with Bill Evans, Bill's use of rhythm, the importance of having concrete and specific role models, and then go deep into topics like Balinese wood carving (the time it takes to get good) - not creating your own artistic world without the traditions that preceded you, th...

We're featuring National Symphony bassist and Peabody Institute faculty member Ira Gold on today's episode.  Ira was one of the very first interview guests for the podcast, and we spread it out over three episodes: 15 , 18 , and 43 .  This "round two" interview was conducted almost a decade after the first conversation, and Ira has been incredibly active with all sorts of new projects.   In this i...

I'm turning 40 today, the podcast just passed a million downloads, I wrote a chunky blog post that resonated with a lot of people, and I just got back from Cuba.  This is a different kind of episode where I share details on where I've been and where I'm headed in many areas of life. If you haven't read the above referenced post, check it out and you'll find links to a lot of what I talk about in t...

This is an all-music episode of Contrabass Conversations featuring Italian bassist  Federico Marchesano and tracks from his recent release on the Solitunes label titled The Inner Bass .   The first track, Piggy, features pedal effects and overdubs.  We then hear Hakazehe, a traditional Burundi song that features the bass being hit by a wooden stick.  We round out the show today with the haunting t...

This is an all-music  of Contrabass Conversations featuring jazz bass legend Todd Coolman with some tracks from his  new album Collectibles .  The Coolman Trifecta is made up of Todd on bass, Bill Cunliffe on piano, and Dennis Mackrel on drums.   We featured Todd as an interview guest on the podcast back on episode 137 , and Win Hinkle was our guest host for this interview, so be sure to check it...

Today's episode features an interview with the great Bert Turetzky. With nearly 60 years spent championing new works for the contrabass, Bert truly is the father of modern bass playing.  Bert has recently released a memoir titled A Different View which chronicles his life spent in music.  It delves into his early years growing up in Connecticut, his dreams of becoming a jazz player, his orchestral...

Today's episode features composer, teacher, and bassist  Andrés Martín .  Andrés has written works recently that have become quite popular in the bass community these past few years, and I've been looking forward to talking with him ever since hearing his music.  Andrés is also the composer of Anna's Gift and is currently writing the music for Anna's Promise , the project spearheaded by Barry Gree...

We are featuring double bassist Gaelen McCormick on today's episode. Gaelen is a member of the Rochester Philharmonic, teaches at Nazareth College and the Eastman Community Music School and is the author of Mastering the Bow , a two-part series for bass. Part one is based on the violin studies of Franz Wohlfahrt, and part two features off-the-strings strokes. We had a wonderful conversation about...

Inez Wyrick has been a huge name in bass pedagogy for decades. She really is one of those teachers that I think we all aspire to be like—she can take a student at any level and develop their technique while also instilling in them a passion for making music of all sorts. Today's conversation with Inez is a journey through the topics of education, inspiration, the development of bass teaching from...

This episode from the archives features an interview that Barry Lieberman did with Gary Karr . In preparation for it, Barry listened to all of Gary Karr's recordings and picked out his very favorite, and he and Gary listen to these and discuss the context behind them. It's a fascinating window into this great artist, and it's well worth a listen. This was originally released in 2008 on episode 89...

Today's episode features double bassist, author, conductor, and educator Michael Klinghoffer . Michael is a former Gary Karr student and is the author of the unorthodox and compelling book Mr. Karr, Would You Teach Me How to Drive a Double Bass? Michael is one of the most interesting minds in the world of contemporary double bass. In addition to his book, he has a wealth of articles, videos, and r...

Today's episode features double bassist David Murray . David is on faculty at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, and has been on the board of the International Society of Bassists for past two decades. The former winner of the ISB solo competition, David is known around the world as a soloist and clinician. He is also a member of the Bad Boyz of Bass , a quartet rounded out by Volkan Orho...