Contrabass Conversations

1048: Peter Dominguez on The Milt Hinton Institute for Studio Bass

On this episode, we welcome accomplished bassist and Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Peter Dominguez. Peter started his career in Milwaukee and has also taught at Michigan State University, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and performed with various artists globally. Peter's contributions include adjudicating international competitions, directing the Richard Davis Foundation conference, and the Milt Hinton Institute for Studio Bass. His d...

1047: Mike Gaisbacher on bowmaking

Our guest, Mike Gaisbacher, is a Nashville-based bow maker who specializes in bass bows. He started his journey in bow making in 2022 after graduating from Berklee in 2015 and learning how to rehair from Sue Lipkins. Mike has since dedicated himself to perfecting the craft, studying with experts like Sue Lipkins, Matt Wheling, and attending Rodney Mohr's workshops. His work includes a remarkable project: a bow for Paul Kowert of the Punch Brothers, which is a copy of Edgar Meyer's bow. Mi...

1046: Sam Suggs on his double bass journey

Sam Suggs is the first solo bassist in 36 years to join the Concert Artists Guild roster, and was recently recognized with an award for Extraordinary Creativity at the 2017 Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Competition. We dig into his unique path from a strong piano background in Buffalo, through Northwestern University, where he studied both performance and theory, to his time at Yale focusing on contemporary music. We also explore Sam's philosophy on concert programming and...

1045: Stephanie Patterson on the value of community orchestras

Stephanie Patterson specializes in teaching adult learners and has been playing in community orchestras for decades.  We talk about the joys and community benefits of participating in community orchestras, Stephanie's role in the Abington Festival Strings, and highlight various community orchestra activities and events, including rehearsals, concerts, and the engagement of various age groups. Enjoy, and check out Stephanie’s past podcast appearances here. Subscribe to the podcast to get ...

1044: Robin Kesselman on Bow Speed Geography

Robin Kesselman is the author of Bow Speed Geography, which elegantly explores concepts of bow speed geography  in string playing, focusing on the importance of evenness in bow speed, control, and the application of bow speed. We dig into life for Robin in the eight years since our past interview, the inspiration behind the book, and all kinds of topics surrounding bow speed, technique, and expressivity.  Enjoy, and you can pick up a copy of this great new resource at the ISB Store and Ro...

1043: Paul Thompson on the evolution of pdbass

Paul Thompson is a bassist and educator in the Pittsburgh metro area.  He also runs a successful YouTube Channel under the name pdbass. This interview discusses content creation challenges, audience management, social media usage, balancing creative goals with audience expectations, and YouTube's influence on careers. It emphasizes music passion, content segmentation, understanding platform success/failure, and navigating YouTube analytics. It also covers the emotional impact of views/comm...

1042: Carlos Pino and Dana Saba on Between the Bass

In this episode, we delve into a fascinating conversation with ​Dana Saba David​ from Israel and ​Carlos Pino​ from Colombia, the duo behind the bass duet ​Between the Bass​. They share their unique approach to the double bass and electric bass, blending tradition with innovation in a way that redefines the possibilities of these instruments.   Thank you to our Sponsor, Upton Bass Upton's double bass rosin​ is a new formulation developed and tested by Upton Bass to provide the b...

1041: Peter Doubrovsky and Brandino on 5 string double basses

Peter Doubrovsky and Brandino are both renowned musicians and fans of the 5-string double bass. Peter Doubrovsky, aside from his work with the Pasadena Symphony and POPS orchestra, is a highly sought-after recording musician. His illustrious career spans over twenty years, during which he has recorded for countless feature film soundtracks. Some notable works include Coco (2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Trek (2009), and Conspiracy Theory (19...

1040: Alejandro Arenas on jazz gigging and teaching

Alejandro Arenas is a versatile musician, composer, producer, and educator who has performed with various bands and genres, co-founded award-winning Jazz ensemble La Lucha and World Music ensemble Orilla, and worked as a freelance bassist for numerous artists. He also serves as an adjunct professor of bass at St. Petersburg College for the Music Industry Recording Arts program. We dig into his journey through the music world and much more.  Follow along with Alejandro on his website, Ins...

1039: Mark Dresser on Tines of Change

Mark Dresser is a Grammy-nominated, internationally renowned bass player, improviser, composer, and interdisciplinary collaborator. At the core of his music is an artistic obsession and commitment to expanding the sonic, musical, and expressive possibilities of the contrabass. He has recorded over one hundred forty CDs including three solo CDs and a DVD.  Mark’s latest solo album is Tines of Change, which features luthier Kent McLagan’s innovative bass designs, including a set of metal ti...

1038: Gustavo Lorenzatti on tango bass and composition

Gustavo Lorenzatti is an Argentine double bass player, composer and long standing member of the Symphony Orchestra of Córdoba. He has a background in jazz, improvised and classical music, tango and Argentine folklore. He formally studied at the Rotterdam Conservatory of music with the soloist of the Netherlands Philharmonic, Hans Roelofsen. We dig into Gustavo’s path through the music world, his unique approach to composition and solo performance, and also hear several musical examples of ...

1037: Anne Luna on bluegrass bass

Anne Luna recently launched a series on her YouTube Channel called Bass Bites, which explore various aspects of double bass technique.  Anne is an experienced performer and educator with an extensive background in bluegrass, and these videos are a great exploration into her approach to teaching the bass. We talk about her aspiration for the channel, living in rural New Mexico, the world of bluegrass, and much more in this engaging conversation.  Enjoy! Subscribe to the podcast to get the...

1036: Matt Rybicki on learning jazz bass

Matt Rybicki  has performed with renowned artists like Wynton Marsalis and played at esteemed venues from The Village Vanguard to international concert halls. He balances an active performance schedule with his roles as a faculty member at The Juilliard School and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Matt recently started a YouTube Channel titled Learn Jazz Bass with Matt Rybicki, which digs into all kinds of insights into jazz bass for players of all levels. We talk about the i...

1035: Dominik Wagner on his double bass journey

Dominik Wagner is one of the world’s leading double bassists and has built a remarkable career as a soloist and educator.  He has begun hosting long-form interviews on his YouTube Channel with bassists such as Christoph Wimmer and Jeff Bradetich. We cover Dominik’s latest projects, the inspiration for these long-form interviews, working through focal dystonia, and much more.  Enjoy! photo credit: Maria Frodl Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automaticall...

1034: Adnata Ensemble on their bass quartet album

Bassists Ari Folman-Cohen, Michael Isvara Montgomery, Ran Livneh, and Scott Colberg make up the Adnata Ensemble, which has just released their debut album Oku.  We dig into the story behind this bass quartet, coming together in the park in 2020, how these collaborations led to this album, and much more. Check out Oku here, and be sure to give this quartet a follow on Instagram! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all th...

1033: Sam Loeck on his audition path

Sam Loeck has recently been appointed Principal Bass of Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra. Prior to this position, he served as Principal Bass of the Calgary Philharmonic. He was also a finalist and trialist for Principal Bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. We dig into Sam’s path into the world of double bass and his auditioning journey, exploring the twists and turns and lessons learned. Enjoy! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!  ...

1032: Stephen Tramontozzi on Basso Novo

In this episode, we delve into the intricacies of Stephen Tramontozzi's new solo double bass album, Basso Novo. Tramontozzi shares the three-fold mission behind the album: to uncover and bring to light underappreciated works for the double bass, to transcribe works from other instruments for the double bass, and to commission new works for the instrument. This is his fourth, and most ambitious recording project to date, with all tracks designed for solo double bass and featuring contempora...

Bonus: Szymon Marciniak on The Hertl Project

1031: Lauren Pierce on Basstudes

Lauren Pierce recently released Basstudes, a series of 16 etudes organized around bowing, left hand technique, and right and left-hand coordination. We dig into the inspiration behind this project, her accompanying audio guides, and much more.  Enjoy, and be sure to check out more titles from Lauren on DBHQ and also give her a follow on Instagram. Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass ...

1030: Sean Michael Casey on Progressive Orchestral Excerpts

Sean Michael Casey has just released A Progressive Guide to Orchestral Excerpts for the Double Bass, which is a step-by-step method for teaching the fundamentals of good orchestral double bass playing. Sean is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the American Federation of Musicians, and the International Society of Bassists.  Sean currently operates a teaching studio in Allen, TX, with students making All-Region and chosen for TMEA’s All-State orchestras. His stude...

1029: Jordyn Davis on Compose the Way

Jordyn Davis, a multi-talented bassist, composer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Detroit, MI, is the first African-American woman to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition from Michigan State University. She also earned a Master's in Jazz Studies from the same university. In 2021, after moving to Brooklyn, NY, she was honored as one of the inaugural Jazz Leader Fellowship recipients by the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Recently, she has worked on the Tony-Winnin...

1028: Jacob Warren on his Debussy Cello Sonata transcription

Jacob Warren has just released his transcription of the Debussy Cello Sonata, which was the main piece on his competition winning program at the 2023 International Society of Bassists Convention.  This transcription is a notable new addition to the double bass repertoire and a great opportunity to explore the music of this great composer. We talk about the history of this piece as well as the challenges and solutions for mapping this piece out on the bass.  We also listen to several selec...

1027: Mark Foley on his Double Bass Concerto

Dr. Mark Foley is Professor of Double Bass and Electric Bass at Wichita State University is the Principal Double Bass for the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. He's also a key figure in Wichita's jazz scene, collaborating with local and national artists, and has performed as a concerto soloist. Mark also engages in rock gigs, bluegrass sessions at the Walnut Valley Music Festival, and creates records and live electronic music as a composer. Mark recently premiered his Little Wichita Concerto f...

1026: Only Girl in the Orchestra

In this episode, we delve into Only Girl in the Orchestra, a new documentary directed by Molly O’Brien about the life and career of trailblazer Orin O’Brien, the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic. Despite the spotlight her unique position brought, Orin always preferred playing a supporting role to her family, students, friends, and colleagues. Jason and Molly are joined by editor Monique Zavistovski to discuss this remarkable profile of one of the double bassist’s major fi...

1025: Michael Bates on Lutoslawski

Michael Bates recently released an album titled Metamorphosis: Variations on Lutoskawski. This album contains Michael’s arrangements and is based on arrangements of the composer Witold Lutoslawski, with music for clarinet, violin, bassoon, double bass, drums, plus string quartet. It’s a hybrid of jazz, classical, and improvisation and is a wild ride of styles and textures. We talk about the genesis of this idea, what it was like traveling to Poland to record this album, plans or touring w...

1024: Hein Van de Geyn on his jazz bass journey

Hein van de Geyn  is jazz double bassist, composer, teacher and band leader from the Netherlands.  His groundbreaking Comprehensive Bass Method has influenced a generation of bassists and is widely regarded as one of the leading pedagogical works for jazz double bass. We talk about Hein’s remarkable career, his time in San Francisco, writing his bass method, what life in South Africa has been like these last several years, and much more.  Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these ...

1023: Thoughts on 2023 and beyond

Jason selects on 2023 and plans for 2024 in this “solo rant.”   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Overview theme music by Eric Hochberg 00:00 Introduction and Reflections on Solo Shows 01:35 Moving to California and Weather Benefits 02:21 Experiences with San Francisco Symphony 03:04 Journey as a Freelancer and Teaching 04:29 Launch o...

1022: Steve Husted on San Francisco, Austin, and his new album

Steve Husted began his musical journey at the ripe old age of 6. From there he was always involved in everything musical from school band to private instruction to playing local parties for friends. At age 15, Steven moved from CT. to San Francisco, where he jumped head first into the study of jazz. By the time Steven was 23, he was one of the top call bassists in the San Francisco Bay Area, including 6 years teaching at the acclaimed Stanford Jazz Workshop. Steven has played with many jazz ...

1021: Sonia Ray on her creative double bass career

Sonia Ray is titular professor of double bass at the Federal University of Goiás (Brazil). She holds an undergraduate degree in Conducting and Composition from the State University of São Paulo and master's and Doctoral Degrees from the University of Iowa, both in Double Bass Performance under Dr. Gannett. Ray performs regularly performing both Brazilian and contemporary repertoire as a priority. Guest artist of ISB since 1993, Ray is a co-founding member of the Brazilian Society of Music ...

1020: Gregg Goodhart on practicing and improvement

Gregg Goodhart has a passion for teaching others how to learn so they can surpass their perceived limitations. This passion led to an intense interest in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience and psychology as they relate to teaching. By putting these principles into practical use in the classroom over many years, he has come to an understanding of how to teach others to reach their potential. We dig into Gregg’s background, how to actually improve, recommended books, and much more.  Enjoy...

1019: Cécile-Laure Kouassi on her EP Beaux Jours

Oslo Philharmonic bassist Cécile-Laure Kouassi recently released an EP titled Beaux Jours.  This album features two arrangements by Cécile-Laure as well as two original works for double bass and piano. We talk about this project and much more in this engaging conversation.  Check out the new album on Spotify and visit her website for her arrangements and much more! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double...

1018: Drew Banzhaf on his audition path to the Malmö Symphony

Drew Banzhaf won the audition for Associate Principal Bass Malmö Symphony in 2023. He spent three years as a guest musician of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has regularly appeared with renowned orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Minnesota Orchestra. Drew was also a New World Symphony Fellow for three seasons and is a graduate of Indiana University and Rice University. We dig into Drew’s background, his decade spent taking 36 profession...

1017: Gregg August on balancing jazz, classical, and composition

Gregg August is a New York double bassist who successfully balances careers in classical and jazz music, as well as composition. He is member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Associate), the American Composers Orchestra, Westchester Philharmonic and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He is also an active composer and performer in avant-garde, jazz and Latin jazz worlds. We talk about his background, how he balances these multiple disciplines, his 2020 project "Dialogues on Race," his experience wit...

1016: Kostas Patsiotis on Greece and October

Greek bassist Kostas Patsiotis recently released his solo debut album October, which was recorded in a single day at Antart Studios in Athens and features Yiannis Papadopoulos on piano, Michael Tsiftis on guitar and Dimitris Klonis on drums.   We talk about what it’s like being a jazz bassist in Greece, how Kostas got into bass playing, his gear, what it was like recording this album, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out October and also follow along with Kostas on his we...

1015: Jesse Dietschi on balancing jazz and classical playing

Jesse Dietschi recently released Gradient, his debut album with fellow Toronto musicians Ethan Ardelli (drums) and Ewen Farncombe (piano).  This album has been getting considerable acclaim and will be featured in the Debut Album Reviews section of the December 2023 edition of DownBeat Magazine, along with numerous radio programs throughout North America and Europe.   We talk about the story behind this album, how Jesse and I met several years ago at the Suzuki Association of the America...

1014: Joseph Whitt on a career as a military bassist

Technical Sergeant Joseph Whitt is the bassist for the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to joining the Band of the Pacific, he was stationed at the United States Air Force Band of Flight, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and at the United States Air Forces in Europe Band at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.   We dig into a variety of topics, including: the USAF Band mission the USAF audition process and preparation military lifestyle, service, a...

1013: Marty Isenberg on "The Way I Feel Inside" - Inspired by the films of Wes Anderson

Marty Isenberg recently released his debut album "The Way I Feel Inside" - Inspired by the films of Wes Anderson, and it has been getting great press.  In this interview, we chat with Marty about his life in music, his career as a jazz bassist, the inspiration for this album, and much more.  We also bring up a great interview that Marty also did for the Bass Shed.   Check out this super cool album on bandcamp and Spotify, and follow along with Marty and his projects on Instagram and ...

1012: Phoebe Russell on Smash Your Audition

Phoebe Russell is Principal Bass for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.  She recently released a course on Discover Double Bass titled Smash Your Audition.    We released a YouTube video digging into this course, and in this podcast we cover Phoebe’s tips for preparing orchestral excerpts, what it was like to put all of her knowledge into a video course, general life updates, and more.   Check out Phoebe’s 2019 podcast appearance here, and be sure to check out her awesome course here...

1011: Bobby Scharmann on winning an orchestra audition

Bobby Scharmann is Associate Principal Bass with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and has been documenting his audition journey and what he has learned through the 24 professional orchestra auditions he took.   We last had Bobby on the podcast in 2020, and it was great to catch up with him and dig into his preparation process and what it was like landing his full-time orchestral position.  Enjoy, and be sure to check out Bobby’s website, Instagram, and YouTube Channel!   Subscribe to the...

1010: Lorraine Chai on music theory for young double bassists

Lorraine Chai is the author of Stringstastic, a set of music theory books for double bass and the other string instruments. We talk about these cool books, both of which are available through Amazon. Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Thank you to our sponsors!   Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – The School of Music at ...

1009: Susan Hagen on her new edition of BASSics for Bass

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. She recently updated her remarkable book BASSics of Bass, and we dig into this and much more.  Enjoy, and be sure to check her 2023 August Recital for some inspiring bass playing! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews...

1008: Pete Lampe on building his own double basses

Pete Lampe is the owner of Pete's Upright Bass Shop in Portland, Oregon, and he has been an active bassist in Portland since 1986.  He won a Silver Medal for Tone at the 2023 International Society of Bassists Convention, and he is currently focused on building his own double basses.  We dig into Pete’s background, setup, strings, the “Golden Age” of bass building happening now, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to follow along with Pete and his great work on his website and on Instagr...

1007: Behind the scenes with Ear Trumpet Labs

It was a pleasure to visit Ear Trumpet Labs founder Philip Graham and go behind the scenes with the Nadine microphone for double bass. I did a review of this mic back in 2020 and have been loving it ever since.  Enjoy, and check out the video version of this for some cool visuals from the workshop.    Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Thank you ...

1006: Abe Gumroyan freelancing chat

Abe Gumroyan is a Grammy-award winning bassist who plays a wide range of gigs, ranging from major motion picture soundtracks to professional orchestras like the San Francisco Symphony.    We dig into Abe’s background, what it’s like freelancing, advice on developing a multifaceted career, Abe’s surprising “pandemic job,” and much more.  Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double ba...

1005: Lauren Pierce on Scales

Lauren Pierce has written a new book title Scales, Scales, Scales: A Progressive Technical Journey for the Double Bass.  We dig into the inspiration for this book and catch up with Lauren and her current projects in this wide-ranging conversation.   Check out her new book here, and be sure to give Lauren a follow on Instagram and YouTube!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass mer...

1004: Jacob Warren on his multi-style career

Jacob Warren is a multi-style bassist whose background and interests lie in a wide ranging variety of acoustic styles, including, but not limited to classical, jazz, bluegrass, Swedish fiddle, and many others.  In 2023 Jacob won first prize in the International Society of Bassists Soloist Competition.   We dig into Jacob’s background, his recital at the 2023 ISB convention and plans for his solo recital at the 2025 convention, alternate tunings, balancing multiple projects, practicing, ...

1003: Tacet No More with Joseph Conyers and Yumi Kendall

Hosted by Joseph Conyers and Yumi Kendall, Tacet No More is “a new podcast where we are asking the questions that need to be asked and saying the things that need to be said about classical music”.   Check out the podcast and follow along with future episodes here, and bravo to Joe and Yuri for starting this cool new show!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass...

1002: Krista Kopper on excavating your creativity

Double bassist Krista Kopper recently released a solo, improvised double bass album titled  "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn" that was inspired by eight women who have been killed while running.   We dig into the story behind this album and much more.  Listen to her solo album as well as my two other improvised duo albums here on bandcamp, and give her a follow on Instagram as well.   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: ...

1001: Gael McKeon interviews Jason

Gael McKeon interviews Jason about the origins of the podcast, the experience of putting out 1000 episodes, and plans for the podcast’s future.  Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Thank you to our sponsors! Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – The School of Music at CMU highly values each and every individual who wants to be...

1000: Live in San Francisco with Chuck Israels, Charles Chandler, Amos Yang, and Andres Martin

We celebrate the 1000th episode of Contrabass Conversations live at the 2023 Golden Gate Bass Camp!   Learn more about today’s guests: Chuck Israels Charles Chandler Amos Yang 2LOW album (their duo) Andres Martin   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Thank you to our sponsors!   Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – CMU i...