Contrabass Conversations double bass life

Playing outside of Aspen's Paradise Bakery was both a low-stakes and high-stakes affair for Louis Levitt and his friends. Low-stakes because... well, it was playing outside of a bakery. High-stakes because folks like David Zinman, Gil Shaham, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg were walking by constantly. Louis was on the orchestral path that so many of us take.  But along the way, Louis started to ask "what if?"

For bassist and educator Jennifer Bradbury, it wasn't just one kid coming her way.  It was triplets... and they came into this world 25 weeks early. The story of these three young children (dubbed the EduTriplets by Jennifer and her husband Jeff) is inspiring, heartwarming, and totally compelling.  You'll love what we cover in the podcast, and be sure to check out Jeff's TEDx talk for the complete story.

I've been meaning to chat with Gahlord Dewald on the podcast for years.  He is forging new ground by fusing double bass playing with modular synthesis and is a unique voice in our community.

Kieran Hanlon is Assistant Professor of String Bass and Jazz at The State University of New York at Fredonia. In addition to his teaching, Kieran is a first call performer in both the classical and jazz idioms, and enjoys a diverse performing career in both genres across Upstate New York and Pennsylvania.

John Davis is a great example of how musicians in smaller markets can create a vibrant career.  John runs his own business, providing string instrument rentals and repairs.  He also restrings tennis rackets!

Jon Liebman is the founder of For Bass Players Only, which recently published its 500th interview.  Jon is also the author of several titles for Hal Leonard and has a series of online bass lessons.

Rick Jones started Acoustic Image to solve the problem of hauling around a bulky amplifier that artificially colors the acoustic sound of the bass.  As an engineer, he came up with unique methods of construction that keep the weight down and eliminate the problem of cabinets changing the sound of the instrument.

Curtis Burris has taught bass for many years at the Chautauqua Institution.  I was with Kate Jones and ran into Curtis as he was chatting with Virginia Dixon on the streets of Ithaca.  Kate is a former student of Curtis, and she set up this interview for the following day.

Gaelen McCormick was heading up the Young Bassists Program for the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention.  Gaelen is a past guest on the podcast, and we were able to find a few minutes to chat about her role at the convention as well as her new book Mastering the Bow, Part 3: Studies for Bass.

David Neubert was one of the early champions of the International Society of Bassists. He hosted conventions at UT-Austin (1986) and Interlochen (1993). He was the Principal Bass of the Springfield Symphony (Massachusetts), the Wichita Symphony and recently retired from the Austin Symphony Orchestra. He was a double bass professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Wichita State University, and The University of Texas at Austin.

David Gage opened his shop in 1978 in New York City.  He has played an integral role in the double bass world ever since.  David has served on the International Society of Bassists board of directors in the past and provides a wide range of products and services for the double bassist.

Today's episode covers details about the BASS2018 European Bass Congress that will be taking place in Lucca, Italy. Follow along with the slideshow through this link, and be sure to keep up with current BASS2018 updates on the organization's Facebook page.

Today's episode features a panel discussion with individuals that started the International Society of Bassists, guided it through the early years, and helped shape it to what it is today.

I've been dreaming about having Gary Karr on Contrabass Conversations ever since starting the show.  We got a chance to sit down and chat during the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention, and that's what you're hearing today.

This is a “best of” episode from three classic Contrabass Conversations episodes. Back in the early days of the podcast, John Grillo and I recorded two episodes that dissected various excerpts. He and I talked through each excerpt and then played a recording of John performing it.