Contrabass Conversations double bass life

Danny Ziemann and Geoff Chalmers of Discover Double Bass chat about Danny's new course on playing in a jazz trio

Dan Carson is the latest member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s bass section. Dan attended Indiana University and won principal bass of the Alabama Symphony during his junior year. After a few years, he decided to return to Indiana University to finish his undergraduate degree. He opted to not return to the Alabama Symphony and headed to the University of Southern California to study with David Allen Moore. Five months into his studies at USC, Dan won a position with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Dr. Jacqueline Pickett has built a remarkable career as a double bass performer, educator, and community activist. From managing nonprofits to launching programs in the public schools, Jacqueline has been a major force for good in the double bass world

Oregon Symphony and Grant Park Orchestra principal bassist Colin Corner performs "Romanze" by Richard Strauss , Anderson Sonata No. 2, the Weinberg Sonata, and "Chorale" by Nicholas Walker

Today’s episode is a deep-dive into double bass strings.  We take a look at D’Addario’s Kaplan, Zyex, and Helicore strings and learn more about how these strings play, feel, and sound. You’ll hear perspectives from the following D’Addario Orchestral Artists: Alexis Cuadrado - New York-based jazz bassist, composer, and educator Andres Martin - Mexico-based soloist and composer Barry Green - Inner Game of Music author Daniel Kimbro - Grammy-nominated bassist for Jerry Douglas Band and m

I’ve known Dan Chmielinski for over a decade, and it has been a real pleasure watching his career unfold. Dan grew up in metro Chicago, and I had the privilege of being his bass teacher through middle and high school. Dan has toured the world, performing with artists such as Joey Alexander, Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Jeff "Tain" Watts. His main project right now is Four by Four. Here’s a link to their trailer on YouTube.

Pascale enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and teacher. She is the founder of the Boston Bass Bash and is co-founder of the co-founder of Duo Cello e Basso (formerly the Axiom Duo) with cellist Emmanuel Feldman. She also teaches at Bard College, New England Conservatory, Tufts University, and Brown University.

I was introduced to Melody Chia by our mutual friend Lauren Pierce. Melody is located in Melbourne, Australia, and in addition to being an excellent bassist, she has worked for many years in marketing. We speak about bass, creativity, and marketing campaigns!

I had the opportunity to spend some time with Chuck Israels during my recent trip to Portland, Oregon. In fact, we even took a trip together to visit Seth Kimmel’s shop in Eugene! Both Chuck and Seth are past podcast guests, and I thought that a rebroadcast of my conversation with Chuck was in order.

Currently principal bass of the Oregon Symphony and Grant Park Symphony. We take a deep-dive into auditioning, the role of a principal bassist, and much more.

I met Henry in Chicago. While in Chicago, Henry spent his time studying with Rob Kassinger and playing principal bass with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Fast-forward ten years, and Henry is now teaching at Soochow University School of Music in Jiangsu, China. We talk about Henry’s journey from Chicago to China and the steps in between, what it’s like teaching and performing in China, opportunities for bass players looking for an orchestra job, Henry’s teaching style, and much more!

Volkan Orhon was one of my early podcast guests, appearing along with fellow Bad Boyz of Double Bass members Anthony Stoops, David Murray, and Paul Sharpe. I chatted with the Bad Boyz ten years ago (!), and I realized that I’d never actually sat down with Volkan one-on-one for the podcast. We fix that today!

This year’s Winter Olympics inspired podcast listener Steven Bingham to write in the following topic request: “If I could suggest a future podcast topic, it would be "performance psychology" with a bassist or other musician who also is a subject matter expert, for example, a university teacher or researcher. We hear from a variety of players, coaches, and more!

An article from Barry just came out in the American String Teachers Association’s journal. Titled “Chair Factor,” this article is an examination of body energy in playing, and how posture can indicate good or bad body energy.

I was first introduced to Erik Higgins by orchestra director and bassist Jonathan Lane. Jonathan passed along a mesmerizing video of Erik performing an improvised duet with clarinetist Kinan Azmeh. In addition to performing in A Far Cry, Erik plays regularly with the Handel and Haydn Society, and remains active in the both the modern and period performance scenes locally, nationally and abroad.