Janek Gwizdala Podcast

I'm breaking down what it took to put together this love letter to my wife in the form of a cover song as an anniversary gift last week. It was one of the most challenging projects I've ever taken on, and also one of the most emotionally rewarding when I saw the outpouring of love for my wife and the willingness of everyone involved. Check out the epic marriage proposal and the full song as I pres...

With a piece of technology strapped to my wrist that’s somewhere in the region of 300 years old, I’m gently reminded on a daily basis that old things don’t have to become obsolete. I’ve felt lately that the current state of the music business is much like the “Quartz Crisis” of the 70’s and 80’s watch industry. Wearing this centuries old analogue technology, that still functions to help me make th...

The sessions in Argentina were a huge success, and I got more out of the studio days that I could have possibly imaged. Cliff and Tom gave the performance of a lifetime on this incredibly challenging music. Juan Pablo captured it all beautifully in the control room, and flexed his Asado skills away from the studio, making this not only one of the best musical experiences in recent memory, but also...

I just had my bass setup for what I think is the first time since it was made... Not exactly a good example as a professional I know. But what that means is, besides the fact it feels and sounds great for the new album sessions in Argentina next week, I can now share all the exact numbers with you! I was fortunate to be introduced to a great bass tech here in Los Angeles a few days ago, Ryan Gleas...

We are only 10 days away from cutting the new album in Argentina, and this episode takes a deep dive into my process for demoing songs, what I send to the other musicians, and how I prepare to record and give myself the best chance of success. Join the journey with the making of the new album and be a part of the PRE SALE NOW! I’ve added another bonus only available to people who are involved in t...

I hope I've had enough crappy travel experiences to be able to bring a lot of you some useful information when it comes to deciding what to take on tour in your carry-on as a musician. Whether you’re boarding a plane to Japan or taking a van ride up the M62 to Huddersfield, traveling with the least amount of stress and the most functionality is the key! Don't forget the pre-sale for the new album...

As I say goodbye to the last short-scale bass in my collection this week, I'm ponding the fact that I no longer have one, and asking myself how I would go about designing or contributing to the production of the ideal short-scale 4-string bass. The Album Pre-Sale mentioned in the episode is here: New Album Chime in with your thoughts on how you perceive the whole signature bass thing, and what you...

Based on the past 17 days of being on the road, we have a definite winner for what I’m going to be using as my main flight case in the foreseeable future. I’m recapping a little of the East Coast Vital Information tour in today’s episode as well as getting to some key points about traveling with a bass in anticipation of a new video I’m working on for the main YouTube Channel. Our 4th of July sale...

As the sessions for the new album approach I’m hearing a few things that might be really suited to a 4-string, and since all my main gear is packed for touring as I’m recording these episodes, it’s a great chance to try and figure which second instrument I might take with me to Argentina. I think the Henrik Linder Mattisson will win out in the end. It’s one of the best neck’s I’ve ever played, and...

To fend off boredom and always be inspired to sit down in the instrument to work, I’m constantly updating the content of my warm-up and my practice routine. I’m currently out on tour with Steve Smith and don’t have my studio to shoot in. This is one of a couple of episodes I banked at home before hitting the road, in an effort to keep our weekly chat consistent! You can find all the things I talk...

It’s both exciting and challenging to be playing this bass again. It is, after all, still a prototype. There are all kinds of intonation issues with it, the setup is not ideal, and it could probably do with an overhaul of the electronics. But the fundamental feedback I get from it when I play melodically, chordally, and basically just the music I’m working on for the new record, is priceless. Well...

The video I posted to my main channel two days ago was neither clickbait nor a joke. I really am selling almost every bass I own, and keeping just the bear minimum I require to do my job to the highest standard. I’m also going back to a main bass I feel very connected to, and that kind of unintentionally torpedos the title of my recent appearance on the SBL podcast:Why Janek REFUSES to play a sign...

It never gets old interviewing your heroes. The bigger they are, the kinder and more focused on what’s important they seem to have been. Steve all of that and more, and is one of the 9 people that inspired me to move to the US over 25 years ago. Between the two bands of the Brecker Brothers in 1992 and Steps Ahead back in 1986, there were nine musicians that changed my life forever and sent me on...

We all suffer setbacks in our music, and I just encountered a big one having written an album’s worth of music for one drummer only to find out he can’t make the sessions, and I have to start again from scratch. This is my process for getting through something like this, and how I don’t let myself get too stressed as it works itself out. Janek. Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdal...

It’s a good feeling to be making progress with music again. Just to be able to sit and play a major scale without coughing up both my lungs is a huge step forward, and as you’ll hear in today’s episode, there’s a heck of a lot more than just major scales happening right now. Here’s hoping I can get back to full fitness in the gym, and execute all the ideas my brain has been working overtime to pro...

Thanks to an incredibly generous gift from a subscriber here on substack, I once again have a working minidisc player and with it, access to bootlegs and sessions I haven’t heard in over 20 years. One of my all-time favorites was a show I went to only weeks after moving to the US that featured John Scofield, Will Boulware, Marlon Browden and Matt Garrison. I share some of that bootleg in today’s e...

As August and the sessions for the new album in Argentina are rapidly approaching, the pressure to get some notes on the page is mounting. In today’s episode I’m working on a new idea and go over how I think about orchestrating a composition, and where some of the idea might possibly end up on the album. I also came up with a new bonus for everyone involved in the pre-sale for the new album which...

I should have been taping this week's episode of the podcast on Sunday morning, but instead I was making my first visit to Urgent care in 25 years of living in the US. That, and much more in this episode, including the launch of the brand new Giant Steps book! Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe

The technical limitations of playing an instrument that isn’t your first aren’t the only benefit to a more honest writing process, but they definitely help. Over time my piano chops have become fairly robust, but they are nowhere near my bass playing, and as a result I’m able to sit at the piano and play things that aren’t super technical and baked into my playing. It forces me to simplify my appr...

We’re talking about everything from String Tension to touring pedalboards in today’s episode. A new board build will be coming up in a couple of months to try and prepare for summer touring in the US, and recording the new album in Argentina. Other things mentioned in the podcast include: Today's Sponsor: https://www.steigerdynamics.com/ Rick Margitza "Hope": Bass Books: https://janekgwizdala.com/...

I was so psyched to be back in Santa Cruz on tour again after so many years, and am really glad it worked out to have Jack come by my hotel and tape this interview for you all. I’ve been a massive fan of the Noble since Jack handed me serial #9 (an unintended prototype) in Santa Cruz when I was on tour with David Ryan Harris in 2014. I’ve used it almost non-stop ever since, have always been curiou...

Greetings from the Vital Information 40th Anniversary tour. We’re out on the west coast of the US, and having a blast. Donny McCaslin stopped by our show in Santa Cruz last night and melted a few faces, and we’re now up in Oregon enjoying our first day off, and preparing for the last four shows of this leg of the tour. I’m psyched to be able to carry a touring podcast setup and still be able to br...

From who Peter considers to be his favorite drummer in Weather Report, to how we can all improve our experience as musicians from the simplest adjustments of intent, Peter goes deep into some of the most important stops along the way of his decades-long musical journey. Steps Ahead, Weather Report, Stan Kenton, and Steely Dan all come up in our conversation as well as details on the importance of...

Whether as a bass player, keyboard player, guitarist or producer, my time in the studio making records during my career has been some of the most fun I’ve had with music. Despite the absolute craziness of home-life right now, and the deadlines rapidly approaching on the new book and Steve Smith’s Vital Information tour about to start, I managed to get this episode done late last night, and I hope...

This is something I’m very grateful to my early mentors in music for stressing the importance of to me. My biggest early bass influences Laurence Cottle, Phil Mulford and Geoff Gascoyne all had this skill together in a multitude of styles, and that rubbed off on me from day one. This episode takes a look at using the cycle of fourths, the circle of fifths, half steps, whole steps, and even Giant S...