Contrabass Conversations

In this conversation, Richard Andersson discusses his new album WAW! , recent touring experiences, and his unique collaborations with Carl Winther and Jeff 'Tain' Watts. He recounts his musical journey from starting with the piano to becoming a professional bassist following a life-changing accident. Highlighting his interdisciplinary projects, such as improvising music based on audience descripti...

In this episode, acclaimed bassist Daniel Kimbro reflects on his experiences as a touring artist and the challenges of maintaining routine and mental well-being on the road. Daniel recalls significant moments from his musical journey, including his collaborations with Jerry Douglas and Tommy Emmanuel. He emphasizes the importance of staying grounded through activities like fly fishing, despite the...

In this episode,   Alessandro Fongaro shares his fascinating journey from Italy to the Netherlands, where he fell in love with the vibrant jazz scene. He discusses his extensive experience with orchestral and jazz music, his shift from playing bass guitar to double bass, and his passion for composing. Alessandro also touches upon his involvement in Rotterdam's North Sea Round Town festival, where...

We're excited to introduce our podcast guest for today, Ben Ticknor ! A versatile artist, Ben is the bassist for the band Never Come Down who recently released their new album. He's not just an accomplished musician but also an educator, having studied bass under Jeff Johnson at Portland State University. Currently, he's the Principal Bass of the Oregon East Symphony. And guess what? When he's not...

In this episode, we're excited to bring you a conversation with Dr. Renata Soares Cáceres . Originally from Brazil, Renata began her journey in music as an electric bassist at age 11. She has since studied and performed in the US, obtaining a Master's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, an Artist Diploma Certificate from Texas Christian University, and a DMA degree from the Univers...

On this episode, we welcome accomplished bassist and Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison , Peter Dominguez . Peter started his career in Milwaukee and has also taught at Michigan State University, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and performed with various artists globally. Peter's contributions include adjudicating international competitions, directi...

Our guest, Mike Gaisbacher , is a Nashville-based bow maker who specializes in bass bows. He started his journey in bow making in 2022 after graduating from Berklee in 2015 and learning how to rehair from Sue Lipkins . Mike has since dedicated himself to perfecting the craft, studying with experts like Sue Lipkins, Matt Wheling, and attending Rodney Mohr 's workshops. His work includes a remarkabl...

Sam Suggs is the first solo bassist in 36 years to join the Concert Artists Guild roster, and was recently recognized with an award for Extraordinary Creativity at the 2017 Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Competition. We dig into his unique path from a strong piano background in Buffalo, through Northwestern University, where he studied both performance and theory, to his time at Ya...

Stephanie Patterson specializes in teaching adult learners and has been playing in community orchestras for decades.   We talk about the joys and community benefits of participating in community orchestras, Stephanie's role in the Abington Festival Strings, and highlight various community orchestra activities and events, including rehearsals, concerts, and the engagement of various age groups. Enj...

Robin Kesselman is the author of Bow Speed Geography , which elegantly explores concepts of bow speed geography   in string playing, focusing on the importance of evenness in bow speed, control, and the application of bow speed. We dig into life for Robin in the eight years since our past interview , the inspiration behind the book, and all kinds of topics surrounding bow speed, technique, and exp...

Paul Thompson is a bassist and educator in the Pittsburgh metro area.   He also runs a successful YouTube Channel under the name pdbass . This interview discusses content creation challenges, audience management, social media usage, balancing creative goals with audience expectations, and YouTube's influence on careers. It emphasizes music passion, content segmentation, understanding platform succ...

In this episode, we delve into a fascinating conversation with ​ Dana Saba David ​ from Israel and ​ Carlos Pino ​ from Colombia, the duo behind the bass duet ​ Between the Bass ​ . They share their unique approach to the double bass and electric bass, blending tradition with innovation in a way that redefines the possibilities of these instruments.   Thank you to our Sponsor,  Upton Bass Upton's...

Peter Doubrovsky and Brandino are both renowned musicians and fans of the 5-string double bass. Peter Doubrovsky, aside from his work with the Pasadena Symphony and POPS orchestra, is a highly sought-after recording musician. His illustrious career spans over twenty years, during which he has recorded for countless feature film soundtracks. Some notable works include Coco (2017), Spider-Man: Homec...

Alejandro Arenas is a versatile musician, composer, producer, and educator who has performed with various bands and genres, co-founded award-winning Jazz ensemble La Lucha and World Music ensemble Orilla , and worked as a freelance bassist for numerous artists. He also serves as an adjunct professor of bass at St. Petersburg College for the Music Industry Recording Arts program. We dig into his jo...

Mark Dresser is a Grammy-nominated, internationally renowned bass player, improviser, composer, and interdisciplinary collaborator. At the core of his music is an artistic obsession and commitment to expanding the sonic, musical, and expressive possibilities of the contrabass. He has recorded over one hundred forty CDs including three solo CDs and a DVD.  Mark's latest solo album is Tines of Chang...

Gustavo Lorenzatti is an Argentine double bass player, composer and long standing member of the Symphony Orchestra of Córdoba. He has a background in jazz, improvised and classical music, tango and Argentine folklore. He formally studied at the Rotterdam Conservatory of music with the soloist of the Netherlands Philharmonic, Hans Roelofsen. We dig into Gustavo's path through the music world, his u...

Anne Luna recently launched a series on her YouTube Channel called Bass Bites , which explore various aspects of double bass technique.   Anne is an experienced performer and educator with an extensive background in bluegrass , and these videos are a great exploration into her approach to teaching the bass. We talk about her aspiration for the channel, living in rural New Mexico, the world of blue...

Matt Rybicki   has performed with renowned artists like Wynton Marsalis and played at esteemed venues from The Village Vanguard to international concert halls. He balances an active performance schedule with his roles as a faculty member at The Juilliard School and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Matt recently started a YouTube Channel titled Learn Jazz Bass with Matt Rybicki , which...

Dominik Wagner is one of the world's leading double bassists and has built a remarkable career as a soloist and educator.   He has begun hosting long-form interviews on his YouTube Channel with bassists such as Christoph Wimmer and Jeff Bradetich . We cover Dominik's latest projects, the inspiration for these long-form interviews, working through focal dystonia, and much more.   Enjoy! photo credi...

Bassists Ari Folman-Cohen , Michael Isvara Montgomery , Ran Livneh , and Scott Colberg make up the Adnata Ensemble , which has just released their debut album Oku.   We dig into the story behind this bass quartet, coming together in the park in 2020, how these collaborations led to this album, and much more. Check out Oku here , and be sure to give this quartet a follow on Instagram ! Subscribe to...

Sam Loeck has recently been appointed Principal Bass of Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra. Prior to this position, he served as Principal Bass of the Calgary Philharmonic. He was also a finalist and trialist for Principal Bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. We dig into Sam's path into the world of double bass and his auditioning journey, exploring the twists and turns and lessons learned....

In this episode, we delve into the intricacies of Stephen Tramontozzi' s new solo double bass album, Basso Novo . Tramontozzi shares the three-fold mission behind the album: to uncover and bring to light underappreciated works for the double bass, to transcribe works from other instruments for the double bass, and to commission new works for the instrument. This is his fourth, and most ambitious r...

Lauren Pierce recently released Basstudes , a series of 16 etudes organized around bowing, left hand technique, and right and left-hand coordination. We dig into the inspiration behind this project, her accompanying audio guides, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out more titles from Lauren on DBHQ and also give her a follow on Instagram . Subscribe to the podcast to get these interview...

Sean Michael Casey has just released A Progressive Guide to Orchestral Excerpts for the Double Bass , which is a step-by-step method for teaching the fundamentals of good orchestral double bass playing. Sean Michael Casey is a bass teacher in the greater Seattle-Tacoma region, offering lessons to students of all ages and experience. After ten years teaching in Texas, Mr. Casey and his wife relocat...