Contrabass Conversations double bass life

Cécile-Laure Kouassi has had quite a musical journey so far.  Growing up in the French Alps, she moved to New York to study with Albert Laszlo at Juilliard.  She went on to study with Tim Pitts at Rice University before taking her current position as Assistant Principal Bass of the Oslo Philharmonic. We talk about her upbringing, the decision to study in the United States, favorite memories of her studies with her former teachers, life in Norway, and much more. Enjoy!

Yuriy Galkin’s latest album ...For Its Beauty Alone has been turning heads since its release last year, getting warm accolades in All About Jazz, Jazz Weekly, and more. We chat with Yuriy about growing up in Russia, moving to the United Kingdom, and his eventual relocation to the New York City area in 2017.  We also talk about composing, workflows, how Yuriy approaches orchestration, and much more.  Check out Yuriy on at his album release show at Smalls in New York City on February 19!

Sasha Witteveen caught my attention with her wonderful recent rendition of Paganini’s Moses Fantasy.  At age 16, she has established herself as a rising star in the world of classical music. We talk about her background in music, discovering the bass, what it’s like balancing her studies with her musical aspirations, how groups like the LGT Young Soloists are creating opportunities for young musicians, and much more. Enjoy!

After 30 years as Principal Bass of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Steve Reeves decided to retire and move on to other projects.  This happened to coincide with my trip to Australia for Rob Nairn’s Melbourne Bass Day, and I had the chance to meet up with Steve over coffee and chat about his career, why he decided to retire, and what he has learned serving as a principal player for three decades.

It was such a pleasure to meet and spend time with Kirsty McCahon during my trip to Australia in late 2019.  Kirsty has worn many hats as a musician over the years, from holding the position of Principal Bass with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for 20 years to her current roles as Principal Bass with Pinchgut, Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, Bach Akademie Australia.  We also chat about the surprising health scare that Kirsty had in 2011 and how she navigated through it.

I had a wonderful time meeting and spending time with the Australian Chamber Orchestra principal bassist Maxime Bibeau. Max has had a fascinating career path, and he plays with a power and subtlety that is truly remarkable. We talk about his path from Quebec to Australia, what it’s like playing on a 1585 Gasparo Da Salo bass, the unique experience of playing in a group like the ACO, and much more.  A big thanks to all the people who recommended that Max and I connect during my trip to Australia!

It was such a pleasure to chat with renowned Australian jazz bassist Ben Robertson in person during my trip to Australia in late 2019! Ben is an outstanding musician with a remarkable career path and musical background, and we had a fascinating conversation into all kinds of subjects revolving around bass, learning, developing listening skills, the subtleties of working on improvisation, and much more. Learn more about Ben on his website, and a huge shout-out to Rob Nairn for connecting us!

Jack Unzicker and Martha Walvoord have recently released an album of duos for violin and bass.  Titled The Diaries of Adam and Eve, it features new works for violin and bass by composers Michael Daugherty, Dan Cavanagh, Andrea Clearfield, Tom Knific, and George Chave. Check out this new album available on all platforms. •Subscribe to the podcast: http://smarturl.it/cbcpodcast •Subscribe to our newsletter: http://smarturl.it/cbcnews

Diego Zecharies is one of the most inspiring musicians I know. He is in the process of releasing his latest album featuring a new concerto by Simón García, Diego’s arrangement for bass and strings of Le grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla, and 3 Tangos for string orchestra from Andrés Martín. We talk about the inspiration for this new project, the power of taking charge and not waiting for permission, the beauty of bringing new works into the world, and much more. 

Grace Lewis is starting an exciting new project in Houston called Collegia: Houston.  Grace and Jason talk about the idea for the project, its goals, challenges and rewards of launching a nonprofit, and much more. Enjoy, and be sure to follow along with Collegia: Houston on Facebook and Instagram!  Also, check out Grace’s past podcast appearances from 2018 and 2019.  •Subscribe to the podcast: http://smarturl.it/cbcpodcast •Subscribe to our newsletter: http://smarturl.it/cbcnews

Today’s episode is a quick look back at 2019 in terms of travel, interviews, highlights, and most popular episodes.  Enjoy! •Subscribe to the podcast: http://smarturl.it/cbcpodcast •Subscribe to our newsletter: http://smarturl.it/cbcnews •Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://smarturl.it/cbcyoutube

Today’s conversation features Stephen P. Brown, a conductor of orchestras, choirs, concert bands and musical theater, and the founder of Concert University.  We cover how Stephen woks with musicians, what holds people back in their performing careers, and much more.  Enjoy! •Subscribe to the podcast: http://smarturl.it/cbcpodcast •Subscribe to our newsletter: http://smarturl.it/cbcnews

Today’s conversation features a deep-dive with Clarineat host Sean Perrin about how both of our careers have evolved over the past several years.  Sean is a past podcast guest, and this chat was also published on his podcast on episodes 122 and 123.  Enjoy! •Subscribe to the podcast: http://smarturl.it/cbcpodcast •Subscribe to our newsletter: http://smarturl.it/cbcnews

This “best of” conversation with world-renowned jazz bassist Gary Peacock has been one of our most popular episodes ever since it aired in 2017.  It is also one of the first times we crowd-sourced questions, so all the topics we dig into are suggestions from people that follow the podcast.  Enjoy!

This “best of” episode features a conversation with the wonderful jazz bassist Christian McBride.  This lighthearted and engaging conversation originally aired in 2018 and has become one of our most popular episodes. Enjoy!