Contrabass Conversations

Jordyn Davis , a multi-talented bassist, composer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Detroit, MI, is the first African-American woman to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition from Michigan State University. She also earned a Master's in Jazz Studies from the same university. In 2021, after moving to Brooklyn, NY, she was honored as one of the inaugural Jazz Leader Fellowshi...

Jacob Warren has just released his transcription of the Debussy Cello Sonata , which was the main piece on his competition winning program at the 2023 International Society of Bassists Convention.   This transcription is a notable new addition to the double bass repertoire and a great opportunity to explore the music of this great composer. We talk about the history of this piece as well as the ch...

Dr.  Mark Foley is Professor of Double Bass and Electric Bass at Wichita State University is the Principal Double Bass for the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. He's also a key figure in Wichita's jazz scene, collaborating with local and national artists, and has performed as a concerto soloist. Mark also engages in rock gigs, bluegrass sessions at the Walnut Valley Music Festival, and creates records a...

In this episode, we delve into The Only Girl in the Orchestra , a new documentary directed by Molly O'Brien about the life and career of trailblazer Orin O'Brien, the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic. Despite the spotlight her unique position brought, Orin always preferred playing a supporting role to her family, students, friends, and colleagues. Jason and Molly are joined by ed...

Michael Bates recently released an album titled Metamorphosis: Variations on Lutoskawski . This album contains Michael's arrangements and is based on arrangements of the composer Witold Lutoslawski, with music for clarinet, violin, bassoon, double bass, drums, plus string quartet. It's a hybrid of jazz, classical, and improvisation and is a wild ride of styles and textures. We talk about the genes...

Hein van de Geyn   is jazz double bassist, composer, teacher and band leader from the Netherlands.   His groundbreaking Comprehensive Bass Method has influenced a generation of bassists and is widely regarded as one of the leading pedagogical works for jazz double bass. We talk about Hein's remarkable career, his time in San Francisco, writing his bass method, what life in South Africa has been li...

Jason selects on 2023 and plans for 2024 in this "solo rant."   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Overview theme music by Eric Hochberg 00:00 Introduction and Reflections on Solo Shows 01:35 Moving to California and Weather Benefits 02:21 Experiences with San Francis...

Steve Husted began his musical journey at the ripe old age of 6. From there he was always involved in everything musical from school band to private instruction to playing local parties for friends. At age 15, Steven moved from CT. to San Francisco, where he jumped head first into the study of jazz. By the time Steven was 23, he was one of the top call bassists in the San Francisco Bay Area, inclu...

Sonia Ray is titular professor of double bass at the Federal University of Goiás (Brazil). She holds an undergraduate degree in Conducting and Composition from the State University of São Paulo and master's and Doctoral Degrees from the University of Iowa, both in Double Bass Performance under Dr. Gannett. Ray performs regularly performing both Brazilian and contemporary repertoire as a priority....

Gregg Goodhart has a passion for teaching others how to learn so they can surpass their perceived limitations. This passion led to an intense interest in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience and psychology as they relate to teaching. By putting these principles into practical use in the classroom over many years, he has come to an understanding of how to teach others to reach their potential. We...

Oslo Philharmonic bassist Cécile-Laure Kouassi recently released an EP titled Beaux Jours .   This album features two arrangements by Cécile-Laure as well as two original works for double bass and piano. We talk about this project and much more in this engaging conversation.   Check out the new album on Spotify and v isit her website for her arrangements and much more! Subscribe to the podcast to...

Drew Banzhaf won the audition for Associate Principal Bass Malmö Symphony in 2023. He spent three years as a guest musician of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has regularly appeared with renowned orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Minnesota Orchestra. Drew was also a New World Symphony Fellow for three seasons and is a graduate of Indiana Univer...

Gregg August is a New York double bassist who successfully balances careers in classical and jazz music, as well as composition. He is member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Associate), the American Composers Orchestra, Westchester Philharmonic and Orchestra of St. Luke's. He is also an active composer and performer in avant-garde, jazz and Latin jazz worlds. We talk about his background, how he...

Greek bassist  Kostas Patsiotis  recently released his solo debut album October , which was recorded in a single day at Antart Studios in Athens and features Yiannis Papadopoulos on piano, Michael Tsiftis on guitar and Dimitris Klonis on drums.   We talk about what it's like being a jazz bassist in Greece, how Kostas got into bass playing, his gear, what it was like recording this album, and much...

Jesse Dietschi recently released Gradient , his debut album with fellow Toronto musicians Ethan Ardelli (drums) and Ewen Farncombe (piano).   This album has been getting considerable acclaim and will be featured in the Debut Album Reviews section of the December 2023 edition of DownBeat Magazine, along with numerous radio programs throughout North America and Europe.   We talk about the story behi...

Technical Sergeant Joseph Whitt is the bassist for the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to joining the Band of the Pacific, he was stationed at the United States Air Force Band of Flight, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and at the United States Air Forces in Europe Band at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.   We dig into a variety of topics, including: the USAF...

Marty Isenberg recently released his debut album "The Way I Feel Inside" - Inspired by the films of Wes Anderson , and it has been getting great press .   In this interview, we chat with Marty about his life in music, his career as a jazz bassist, the inspiration for this album, and much more.   We also bring up a great interview that Marty also did for the Bass Shed .   Check out this super cool...

Phoebe Russell is Principal Bass for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.   She recently released a course on Discover Double Bass titled Smash Your Audition .    We released a YouTube video digging into this course, and in this podcast we cover Phoebe's tips for preparing orchestral excerpts, what it was like to put all of her knowledge into a video course, general life updates, and more.   Check o...

Bobby Scharmann is Associate Principal Bass with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and has been documenting his audition journey and what he has learned through the 24 professional orchestra auditions he took.   We last had Bobby on the podcast in 2020 , and it was great to catch up with him and dig into his preparation process and what it was like landing his full-time orchestral position.   Enjoy, an...

Lorraine Chai is the author of Stringstastic , a set of music theory books for double bass and the other string instruments. We talk about these cool books, both of which are available through Amazon. Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Thank you to our sponso...

Susan Hagen  is a Boston native and is extremely active in that city's musical scene.  She serves as principal double bassist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra,  teaches bass at the Berklee College of Music , and is a regular substitute in the Boston Symphony. She recently updated her remarkable book BASSics of Bass , and we dig into this and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check her 2023...

Pete Lampe is the owner of Pete's Upright Bass Shop in Portland, Oregon, and he has been an active bassist in Portland since 1986.   He won a Silver Medal for Tone at the 2023 International Society of Bassists Convention , and he is currently focused on building his own double basses.   We dig into Pete's background, setup, strings, the "Golden Age" of bass building happening now, and much more.  ...

It was a pleasure to visit Ear Trumpet Labs founder Philip Graham and go behind the scenes with the Nadine microphone for double bass. I did a review of this mic back in 2020 and have been loving it ever since.   Enjoy, and check out the video version of this for some cool visuals from the workshop.    Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with...

Abe Gumroyan is a Grammy-award winning bassist who plays a wide range of gigs, ranging from major motion picture soundtracks to professional orchestras like the San Francisco Symphony.    We dig into Abe's background, what it's like freelancing, advice on developing a multifaceted career, Abe's surprising "pandemic job," and much more.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews de...

Lauren Pierce has written a new book title Scales, Scales, Scales: A Progressive Technical Journey for the Double Bass .   We dig into the inspiration for this book and catch up with Lauren and her current projects in this wide-ranging conversation.   Check out her new book here , and be sure to give Lauren a follow on Instagram and YouTube !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews deli...