Contrabass Conversations double bass life

This “best of” episode features our conversation with the outstanding jazz bassist Larry Grenadier.  Larry recently released his solo album The Gleaners, and we talked about the genesis behind this album in this conversation, which originally aired in 2017.  Enjoy!

Angela Beeching’s monumental book Beyond Talent has been hugely influential in the music world. As the former director of entrepreneurship and career offices at Manhattan School of Music, NEC, and Indiana University, Angela has helped musicians to understand their potential and options and now works with clients one-on-one and in “power groups” to move forward in their career. We dig into mindset, limiting beliefs, the challenges of book writing, and much more!

LA Philharmonic bassist Jory Herman is releasing a new album that combines narration and bass.  This album, which is an outgrowth of his community engagement work, features pieces geared toward children with other works like Frank Proto’s Mingus - Live in the Underworld and Jon Deak’s BB Wolf.  In addition to covering the album, I asked him what it was like winning an audition for the LA Phil while also holding down a full-time job, being a dad, and working on his musical side projects. 

So many people will resonate with the musical journey that Don Messina has had.  He has been a proponent of the music and style of Lennie Tristano ever since meeting him in 1973, and he also spent 14 years studying jazz with tenor saxophonist Fred Amend. Don and I dig into his decisions to play gut strings and without an amp, the unique musical scene surrounding Lennie Tristano, Sal Mosca, and Don’s other major influences, how the jazz scene has evolved over the years, and much more.

I’ve known Jeremy Baguyos for over 15 years. After playing bass full-time with the Orquesta Filarmonica de GC (Spain) and Shreveport Symphony, Jeremy moved to Washington, DC. After getting a Master’s Degree in Computer Music from Peabody, Jeremy’s career pivoted. He is Professor of Music & Interdisciplinary Informatics at the University of Nebraska Omaha. We talk about his public music project in Chicago back in 2004, the twists and turns of his career, music entrepreneurship, and much more. 

I’ve been a fan of the music of Dr. Norman Ludwin for years. In fact, his bass ensemble The Love Story led to one of the most entertaining memories of my early years of teaching bass! Norman was in San Francisco doing a talk on orchestration for the American Federation of Musicians Local 6. I had a chance to attend his presentation and also sit down with him the next morning for an in-depth interview

Susan Hagen is a Boston native and is extremely active in that city’s musical scene.  She serves as principal double bassist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, teaches bass at the Berklee College of Music, and is a regular substitute in the Boston Symphony. We talk about the influence of Ed Barker and her studies with him at Boston University, the unique teaching environment of Berklee (400 bass students!), the crazy adventures that ensue when called for a gig at the least moment, and much more.

Pawel Knapik is a bassist and composer originally from Poland and currently lives in New York City.  He recently performed the American premiere of Tadeusz Kassern’s Double Bass Concerto. Pawel is also an accomplished composer, and how he has written many pieces for the double bass, including his Westbeth Capriccio.  We talk about Tadeusz’ life as a diplomat, how he found himself in the United States, his unique compositional voice, and the CGDA tuning in which his concerto is written.  Enjoy!

Roberto Cassani has had a fascinating path through the music world.  Originally from Milan, Italy, Roberto landed a record deal at a young age but walked away from it and moved to Scotland… without speaking any English! Since then, he has toured extensively in many different guises, either solo or playing double bass in the world of folk, rockabilly, swing, and more. We talk about Roberto’s path through the music world, what it was like switching to the bass, scheduling creativity, and much more.

Brianna Goldberg has quickly become one of the most sought-after bow specialists in Southern California.  After several degrees and years of performing across the country, Brianna became inspired in part by a conversation with bowmaker Sue Lipkins, to look into the world of bow rehairing and repair. We dig into Brianna’s backstory, the challenges, and rewards of starting a small business, and numerous questions about bow maintenance and care.  Enjoy!

Danny Ziemann has recently launched a new music education-focused publishing company called Low Down Publishing.  This team of experienced music educators seeks to help you cut through the clutter by curating the best books for music teachers and independent learners. Danny and his team are in the middle of their campaign to launch their first five titles.  Be sure to check out their website for more details and how you can be a part of the process in the creation of these new educational materials!

Nina Harries is a compelling force in the creative arts, exploring new territory with bass and vocals in an exciting manner.  She recently launched her debut album in an event along with harpist and vocalist Ellie Ford, and she has several extremely groovy solo pieces like Icarus and The Clown Song up on YouTube. We talk about the experience of feeling like a “duck out of water” her time at Royal College of Music, finding her groove with voice and bass, and joining the Akram Khan Company. 

Dan Robbins was one of the first bassists I met when I moved to the Bay Area, and I’ve loved following along with his career and musical stylings for years. We dug into topics like what it was like being invited to do “bass duels” with Christian McBride and his big band, the diverse array of pedals and effects he uses, and his many and varied projects. Some of his many projects include: Source Field, funk band Wasabi, San Jose State University and Santa Clara University, Laurie Antonioli, and more.

I was introduced to Robert Landfermann by WDR Big Band bassist and former guest John Goldsby.  Robert is a mainstay on the German jazz and new music scene. He’s played for years with the Pablo Held Trio, and does his own albums and projects. He teaches at the University in Essen. We dig into topics like what it’s like performing free jazz, the influence of Paul Motian, Gensler strings and their fascinating properties, the Cologne jazz scene, and more.  Be sure to check out his albums Brief and T

David Neubert has been at the forefront of music technology and how it applies to teaching for decades.  He presented a session about online learning for double bassists and some of the pros and cons of this approach. In addition to being a past president of the International Society of Bassists and former bass faculty The University of Texas at Austin, David is also a pilot.  He is one of the few people that attended the 2019 ISB Convention by flying his own plane there!