We’re featuring practice tapes from the hugely influential double bass performer and pedagogue Frederick Zimmermann on this week’s Contrabass Conversations episode. Co-host John Grillo unearthed and transferred these tapes of Zimmermann practicing, and he and I briefly chat about how these tapes helped to shape John’s concept of sound on the double bass. Enjoy!
About Frederick Zimmermann:
Frederick Zimmermann was an American double bassist and teacher. He played in the New York Philharmonic from 1930-1966 serving as assistant-principal and principal and taught at the Juilliard School, Mannes College of Music, Columbia University, Manhattan School of Music, and New York University. He is considered by many to be the most influential American double bass teacher of the 20th century.
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We’re featuring double bass virtuoso Guy Tuneh performing an excerpt from the Beethoven Romance for Violin, Op. 50. We’ve featured Guy many times on the podcast and blog in the past, and it’s great to get a chance to feature him again here. Enjoy!
Click to Listen
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We’re featuring double bassist Leon Bosch performing selections from his latest album on this week’s Contrabass Conversations episode. Titled Virtuoso Double Bass Vol. 2, this album contains a dozen works, both familiar and less familiar, from Giovanni Bottesini. You can purchase this album (as well as Leon’s other albums) from Meridian Records here, and learn more about Leon at leonbosch.co.uk.
Tracks performed:
- Nel cor piu non mi sento
- Final de la Somnanbule
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Tim Shaffer, one of my colleagues in the Elgin Symphony, put together this quite entertaining video spoof of the shower scene from Hitchcock’s Psycho. Check it out!
Click to Watch
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We’re featuring music from jazz and free improvisation bassist Barre Phillips on this week’s podcast episode, as well as bass news and updates. Enjoy!
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It’s official! Make plans to celebrate the Summer of Bass Love at the 2011 ISB Convention, June 5-11, at San Francisco State University. Stay tuned for details and mark your calendars!
We’re doing a brief podcast interview today with Barry Green, who we recently featured in an interview/performance episode on Contrabass Conversations. Barry describes the setting for the 2011 convention (which will be awesome!), and some other details that I’m sure will make you excited for this event. Enjoy!
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This week, we’re featuring the double bass stylings of Doug Stuart, a former University of Michigan student who is currently active in the San Francisco Bay area. We’ll be hearing “Wake Up” and “Gratitude” from The Pear and the Pepper, Doug’s latest EP. Learn more about Doug and his playing at myspace.com/dougstuart.
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Enjoy this New Year’s nugget from double bassist Guy Tuneh, featuring a personal greeting for all listeners and readers and a complete performance of Kol Nidrei by Max Bruch. This was recorded live on a borrowed bass during a concert for sick children.
Guy Tuneh 2010 New Year Recording (MP3)
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We’re featuring double bassist Barry Green on Contrabass Conversations this week. In addition to being an influential bassist and teacher (he served as Principal Bass for the Cincinnati Symphony for 28 years, has written many method books, and currently teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area), Barry is the well-known author of The Inner Game of Music, The Mastery of Music, and Bringing Music to Life.
In this interview, we chat about Barry’s early years on the bass, his time as a member of the Cincinnati Symphony as at the bass instructor at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, writing the Inner Game of Music and his subsequent books, the influence of François Rabbath, teaching younger bassists, and his many and varied musical activities in the Bay Area. We also feature Barry performing Cri of Venice by François Rabbath. He is accompanied by pianist Heather MacLaughlin.
Learn more about Barry Green, the Inner Game, and his many activities at thegreenartsnetwork.com.
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The following podcast is a recording of a panel discussion on the future of music from the 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention. It features:
Enjoy!
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