Contrabass Conversations

I had the opportunity recently to perform my arrangement of the Monti Czardas for double bass and orchestra recently, and I thought that it would make for a cool podcast episode.  I though that Andy Anderson would make for a spectacular soloist, so this recording features me conducting and Andy playing bass with my orchestra.  Andy is a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago bass section and teaches...

We are diving into a really interesting project today called Anna's Promise . Anna's Promise is the third in a series of multimedia works developed by Barry Green (author of The Inner Game of Music and several other works, and also a former Contrabass Conversations guest ). Barry is joined by Jeff Bradetich (double bass professor at the University of North Texas and also a former Contrabass Conver...

I am thrilled to feature Ron Carter today on the podcast. If is one bassist in the world that truly needs no introduction, it's Ron. Ron recently received the Guinness World Record title for most recorded jazz bassist in history, with well over 2200 recording credits to his name. From his work with the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s to his collaborations with musicians like Freddie Hubbard, Joe...

Friday's episode features another interview from the archives with bass maker Chris Threlkeld-Wiegand, who owns and operates the Heartland String Bass Shop . Chris makes beautiful basses and extensions—I actually have one of Chris' extensions on my main bass.  Chris' basses are played in major orchestras throughout the United States and are beautiful instruments with great sound. About Chris: Chri...

John Grillo and I recorded this interview with Barrie Kolstein back in 2008, and it has proven to be a very popular episode in the catalog. Barrie runs the Kolstein shop Long Island, and his instruments have been utilized by Jeff Turner of the Pittsburgh Symphony, James Van Demark of the Eastman School of Music, Scott Haigh of the Cleveland Orchestra, and many others. John Grillo has been frequent...

We are featuring George Martin from Thomas and George Martin Violin Makers. Their shop has been making basses for over 30 years, and they have a wealth of knowledge about the instrument-making and restoration process. George and I dig into these details, talking about some of his most challenging restorations and what goes into making a bass. Our recent  Contrabass Conversations guest Marc Ramirez...

Nick Lloyd has become one of the top double bass makers in the country over the years, with award-winning basses being played worldwide, including talents as diverse as New York Philharmonic principal bassist Tim Cobb and YouTube sensation Adam Ben Ezra. We talk about Nick's early years learning the bass, apprenticing with various makers and learning the craft of bass making, the intricacies of ma...

A graduate of Juilliard, Susan Lipkins is one of the most respected bowmaker in the country and has made bows for Hal Robinson, Alex Hanna, Jeff Turner, Max Dimoff, Thomas Martin, and other major bassists worldwide. We talk about Sue's early years growing up in Queens and studying with Homer Mensch and John Shaffer at Juilliard, her inspiration to become a bowmaker, the multitude of small steps th...

One of the most enjoyable things about hosting a show like this is that I have the opportunity to connect with people that I find interesting and that are really exploring different directions in the world of the double bass, and Brent Edmondson is a prime example of a person like this. I've been following along with Brent for years as he helped Ranaan Meyer to launch the Next Level Journals  and...

We are featuring Carlos Henriquez on today's show.  Carlos has been the bassist for the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for nearly 20 years, and he has just released his first solo album The Bronx Pyramid on Blue Engine Records.  You'll hear clips from the title track before and after the interview, and we have a link to check out the entire album, which I highly  r...

Today's guest is Ian Hallas, the newest member of the double bass section of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.  Ian successfully auditioned for Lyric in January of 2016 and joins a section with former Contrabass Conversations guests Greg Sarchet and Andrew Anderson .  Ian studied with Paul Ellison at Rice University and David Allen Moore at the University of Southern California.  Ian also happens to be...

We are featuring Douglas Mapp on today's episode. Douglas is the current president of the International Society of Bassists and is also on faculty at Rowan University , where he is professor of jazz studies and teaches double bass. He is also extremely active as a performer, serving as principal bassist of the Reading Symphony and Assistant Principal of the Delaware Symphony and he performs regula...

We are featuring a series of crazy gig stories that I had recorded in the first phase of the podcast. I had a total blast doing these back in the day and hope to do more of these in the near future. You'll be hearing four of my own stories on this episode: My Car Caught Fire and Exploded Bugs Bunny is my Mortal Enemy Annoying Conductors 101 Auditioning is a Rotten Pastime The last story is from po...

Today's episode is a bit of a departure from the norm for us. This is a recording of a talk I did for the Illinois American String Teachers Association 's Fall Teacher Enrichment Workshop in October of 2015.  I have been involved with this organization for many years and am their current state chapter president.  I have done presentations like this many times in the past (you can find them in the...

We are featuring Bruce Bransby on today's show. Bruce has been professor of double bass at Indiana University for three decades and has taught bass players who now hold positions in major orchestras worldwide. Bruce has also been a faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival for this same length of time. Prior to that, he served as principal bass of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Kansas City...

Jason talks about his rapidly approaching move to San Francisco and discusses what's in store for the show.

We are featuring Andrew Raciti on this week's show.  Andy is the acting principal bass of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He is also the head of the double bass studio of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. Before joining the Milwaukee Symphony in 2006, Mr Raciti was associate principal bass of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Australia. He has also performed with the Detroit...

Today's episode features Indianapolis Symphony principal bassist Ju-Fang Liu . We had a great conversation about growing up in Taiwan, her years studying at the Interlochen Arts Academy and at Indiana University with Lawrence Hurst and Bruce Bransby, her time in New World, teaching, playing jazz, studying bass overseas, and several other topics. We also feature excerpts from her wonderful solo alb...

Today's episode features longtime collaborator John Grillo performing Mozart's aria Per questa bella mano . So, today's episode features John performing Per Questa Bella Mano with John Dennison singing and Andrew Hauze on piano. In addition to being our third interview guest for the podcast way back in 2007 (almost ten years ago at this point!), John and I have co-interviewed many prominent bassis...

Today we are featuring an interview with Marc Ramirez. Originally from New York, Marc is the principal bassist with the Gulbenkian Orchestra of Lisbon, Portugal . Marc and I had a great conversation about his path to this job overseas, where he has now been for 17 years. We talk about similarities and differences in American and European orchestras, auditioning, traveling with a bass, his beautifu...

Today's episode features Lauren Pierce and Geoff Chalmers , both of whom have been doing some remarkable things online in the world of the bass. What's really cool is that these two have paired up to do a new web series called Ask Geoff and Lauren . In this episode, we talk about each of their respective sites and what they've been developing online. You can find Geoff online at discoverdoublebass...

It is our pleasure to bring you this interview with Paul Ellison . Paul is chair of strings and professor of double bass at Rice University, where he has taught for the past four decades. He is the former principal bass of the Houston Symphony, former president of the International Society of Bassists, and has had a significant impact on the double bass world.  In this interview, we discuss Paul's...

We are featuring Blair Tindall on the podcast today. Blair is the author of the book Mozart in the Jungle , which explores the world of classical musicians in a very compelling narrative.  Blair and I talk about life as a New York freelancer, her journey into a career as a writer, and we take a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the production of the TV series. Mozart in the Jungle has been turned int...

  About Shigeru: Born in Tokyo, Japan, Shigeru Ishikawa is one of the foremost double bassists of his generation, both as a performer and a teacher. He is currently He is currently Solo Bass (ie. principal bass) of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. Shigeru previously served as the principal double bass (Solo Kontrabass) of the BernerSymphonieOrchester in Bern, Switzerland, which he s...

Today we talk with Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist Brian Johnson, who has just released an app for iOS called Learn Double Bass .  What a cool app!  This app (currently free!) contains over 70 videos that clearly cover a specific bass topic.  These videos range from the very first steps (tuning the bass, rosining the bow) to more advanced concepts like spiccato.  In addition to these videos, the...