Contrabass Conversations

Jacob Warren is a multi-style bassist whose background and interests lie in a wide ranging variety of acoustic styles, including, but not limited to classical, jazz, bluegrass, Swedish fiddle, and many others.   In 2023 Jacob won first prize in the International Society of Bassists Soloist Competition.   We dig into Jacob's background, his recital at the 2023 ISB convention and plans for his solo...

Hosted by Joseph Conyers and Yumi Kendall, Tacet No More is "a new podcast where we are asking the questions that need to be asked and saying the things that need to be said about classical music".   Check out the podcast and follow along with future episodes here , and bravo to Joe and Yuri for starting this cool new show!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automa...

Double bassist Krista Kopper recently released a solo, improvised double bass album titled   " Blessed Are Those Who Mourn " that was inspired by eight women who have been killed while running.   We dig into the story behind this album and much more.   Listen to her solo album as well as my two other improvised duo albums here on bandcamp , and give her a follow on Instagram as well.   Subscribe t...

Gael McKeon interviews Jason about the origins of the podcast, the experience of putting out 1000 episodes, and plans for the podcast's future.   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 sponsors! Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio  – Th...

We celebrate the 1000th episode of Contrabass Conversations live at the 2023 Golden Gate Bass Camp !   Learn more about today's guests: Chuck Israels Charles Chandler Amos Yang 2LOW album (their duo) Andres Martin   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...

Today we feature double bass performer and educator Louis Levitt on how to bring up your energy level for a performance.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Louis' website , Rutgers University teaching profile , and Instagram , and be sure to follow along with his awesome group Sybarite5 !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all thing...

Today we feature double bass performer and educator Louis Levitt on how to warm up when you don't have much time.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Louis' website , Rutgers University teaching profile , and Instagram , and be sure to follow along with his awesome group Sybarite5 !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things doubl...

Renowned double bass luthier Arnold Schnitzer recently released a book titled The Handy Double Bassist; Maintenance, Adjustments and Repairs for the Non-Luthier.   This book is available in print edition through the ISB Store as well as through the DBHQ digital store.   We dig into the inspiration for this book, what bassists can and can't do on their own, strange tales from years of maintaining b...

Today we feature double bass performer and educator Louis Levitt on how to change a string much more quickly than normal.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Louis' website , Rutgers University teaching profile , and Instagram , and be sure to follow along with his awesome group Sybarite5 !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all thin...

Today we feature John Kennedy , who has been one of the leading double bass educators for decades.   I've had the good pleasure to serve on the International Society of Bassists Board of Directors with him as well as on the faculty of several double bass camps, and he is a first-class performer, teacher, and human being.   I hope you enjoy this thoughtful conversation with a dear friend and wonder...

Today we chat with double bass maker Nick Lloyd about the story behind his bench copy of Edgar Meyer's Giovanni Battista Gabrielli from 1769 .   Nick copied Edgar's bass (#55) for Paul Kowert , and the Meyer bass copy that he bright to ISB (#60) was played by Gary Karr during the ISB headliner concert with Steve Bailey and Victor Wooten .   Enjoy, and be sure to check out more of Nick's great work...

Today, we talk with former podcast guest Bill Harrison about his new memoir Making the Low Notes: A Life in Music .   This is a great read about what it was like diving into Chicago's lively jobbing world through the 1970s and beyond. Enjoy, and you can pick up a copy on Amazon !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double...

Sean O'Hara recently won an audition for a double bass section position in the Fort Worth Symphony .   In this episode, we talk about Sean's journey from the San Francisco Bay area to UCLA to study with Chris Hanulik , his time working with Brian Johnson at Cal State Fullerton, his with studying with Tim Pitts at Rice University, lessons learned after 33 auditions, getting into traditional Irish,...

This year's San Francisco Winter Bass Bash recital guest was Szymon Marciniak , a fabulous bass soloist and educator who appeared on the podcast in 2016 . Szymon performed an inspiring program with his longtime collaborator and pianist Evan Mitchell .   In this interview we discuss how Szymon and Evan have approached collaborating over the past decade.   Enjoy, and check out more footage from this...

Nicole Melrose is an orchestral string clinician for D'Addario and the founder of StringRise , which we covered with Nicole in a 2021 interview . Today, we dig into the world of double bass strings, how they are made, what makes double bass strings unique, and the various strings offered by D'Addario. D'Addario is a past sponsor of the podcast, and if you join their Players Circle with the code DC...

Alexander Verster is a composer and double bassist located in London.   He was born in South Africa, but soon ended up in New Zealand prior to his move to London.   We talk about his deep dive into the double bass, how composing fits into his life, and much more.   Enjoy and be sure to check out Alexander's scores and recordings and also give his YouTube Channel a follow!   Subscribe to the podcas...

Kaelan Decman joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Associate Principal Bass in spring 2022.   Prior to his appointment, he was a member of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra bass section.   He is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. We talk about his audition journey and much more in this wide-ranging conver...

Jonathan Colbert recently joined the faculty of the University of Memphis , bringing a wealth of experience gathered from playing with ensembles like the Atlanta Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra.   He spent six years serving as co-principal bass of the Royal Danish Orchestra, and he is in high demand as a performer and private teacher. We talk about his path thro...

Lauren Pierce is a double bassist and educator who has put together a cool guide titled 6 Steps to Learning A New Piece .   In this episode, we dive into each of these steps and why it's important in the preparatory process of learning a new piece.   We also catch up on a variety of topics in this fun conversation with a longtime friend and colleague.   Pick up a copy of the guide here, and be sur...

Sebastiano Dessanay recently released his 377: double CD .   This remarkable project, which we discussed in early 2020 , featured Sebastiano visiting the 377 municipalities of Sardinia traveling exclusively by bicycle: one a day for 14 months.   We talk how this album evolved out of his epic journey, his book covering the journey, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Sebastiano and his...

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Dan McCain is a bassist, composer/arranger, and band leader who has recently released his debut album, Moments in Time.   We dig into Dan's background, the Philly jazz scene, the story behind this album, and more.   A big shout-out to Katie Thiroux for connecting us, and be sure to check out Dan's new album on bandcamp or Spotify and also give him a follow on Insta...

Nataly Linares is a bassist and educator originally from Bogotá, Colombia.   Since December 2020, she has been working with young students and teachers through the Festival Internacional de Contrabajo Infantil with teachers from Mexico, Spain, United States and Germany. She also works with the International Society of Bassists helping the Young Bassists Program .   We talk about the inspiration be...

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of double bass restoration with Zachary Martin and Scott Pingel .   Zachary is internationally renowned for his repair, restoration and maintenance services, and Scott had him come to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for a residency covering basic emergency setup and repair.   Enjoy, and be sure to give Zachary a f ollow on Instagram and check out hi...

Allan Jay Santos recently launched his podcast Touching Greatness , and it was a pleasure to be his guest for episode 6!   This "turn the tables" episode features Allan interviewing me, and the conversation goes into all kinds of interesting territory.   Enjoy, and if you dig this episode, give Allan's podcast a follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these intervie...

This solo show explores my decision-making process about what kind of content warrants a podcast versus a video.   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   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Beginner's C...