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Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

681: Gary Karr and his Influence

Today’s episode features the following past podcast guests on the topic of Gary Karr and his influence:

  • David Murray – Butler University
  • Derek Jones –  bassist for Cirque du Soleil’s show KÀ
  • Diana Gannett – University of Michigan professor emeritus
  • Gary Karr – the man himself!
  • Hector Tirado – Puerto Rican bassist
  • Lawrence Hurst – Indiana University professor emeritus
  • James Oesi – soloist and bass community organizer
  • Jeff Bradetich – University of North Texas
  • Jim Ham – luthier
  • Larry Hutchinson – retired Detroit Symphony member
  • Phoebe Russell – Queensland Symphony principal bass
  • Ranaan Meyer – Time for Three
  • Steve Reeves – retired Melbourne Symphony principal bass

Check out Gary Karr’s first and second appearances on this podcast, and listen to more “best of” episodes at contrabassconversations.com/highlights.

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

D’Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Steve Swan String Bass

Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast’s largest selection of double basses between Los Angeles and Canada.  Located in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, their large retail showroom holds about 70 basses on display. Their new basses all feature professional setups and come with a cover at no additional cost. Used and consignment instruments receive any needed repairs and upgrades before getting a display position on the sales floor.

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

The Bass Violin Shop

The Bass Violin Shop offers the Southeast’s largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome!

Modacity

Modacity is a practicing app that helps musicians be more effective at practice.  They help you get the results you want, while keeping you encouraged and motivated to stick with it and reach those goals – however big, or small, they may be.  

Kolstein Music

The Samuel Kolstein Violin Shop was founded by Samuel Kolstein in 1943 as a Violin and Bow making establishment in Brooklyn, New York. Now on Long Island, over 60 years later, Kolstein’s has built a proud reputation for quality, craftsmanship and expertise in both the manufacture and repair of a whole range of stringed instruments, and has expanded to a staff of twelve experts in restoration, marketing and production.

A440 Violin Shop

An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440‘s commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

  • Jason Heath, host
  • Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
  • Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
  • Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
  • Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/680_-_Gary_Karr_and_his_Influence_-_3_3_20_9.11_PM.mp3

189: Barry Green and Jeff Bradetich on the Anna’s Promise Project

AnnasPromisePosterWe are diving into a really interesting project today called Anna’s Promise. Anna’s Promise is the third in a series of multimedia works developed by Barry Green (author of The Inner Game of Music and several other works, and also a former Contrabass Conversations guest). Barry is joined by Jeff Bradetich (double bass professor at the University of North Texas and also a former Contrabass Conversations guest) to speak with me about this work.

The first piece, Anna’s Way, From Inspiration to Artistry, is a 45-minute musical and visual journey of a young bass prodigy and her rediscovery the joy of music after lessons with a Tai Chi master. Written by Alan Scofield, this story is set to music from China, India, Africa, Brazil, Israel, and America by Tony Osborne, Francois Rabbath, Arvo Pärt, Astor Piazzolla, Emily Brown, Mary Knysh, Larry Dunlap, Johann Birkenstock, Frank Proto, and Andrés Martín (who we recently interviewed for the podcast—stay tuned for this!).

The second piece, Anna’s Gift, is a fifty-five minute story about a musician named Anna was written for solo bass, concert band, and narrator, and includes background visuals. The story takes place ten years after Anna was inspired to become an artist from her studies with retired Tai Chi Master Chen. The piece recounts the emotional journey of a gifted concert bassist who is longing for love and fire in her music and her life. Andrés Martín composed the music for this piece.

We delve into Anna’s Promise, the third part of this series, today in our conversation with Barry Green and Jeff Bradetich about this project, which is being performed by 34 different soloists all across the world. Andrés Martín is also the composer for this third installment.

Anna’s Promise is a worldwide effort to spread this inspirational story. The commissioning fee for Andrés Martín and story writer Alan Scofield, is being raised through industry solicitation directed by Toni Buffa of Lemur Music Inc. Toni@lemurmusic.com. When requested, USA non-profit status for charitable deductible contributions to this project will be possible through the Bradetich Foundation. www.bradetichfoundation.org. Further information from Barry Green barry@innergameofmusic.com.

There is also a gofundme set up for this project, and Kolstein’s has contributed a bass and bow for auction to support Anna’s Promise. Visit the Anna’s Promise website for complete details about this project.

Here’s a line-up of the performers for this project and the country in which each will be performing:

  • South Africa: Leon Bosch
  • Sweden: Jan Alm
  • Mexico: Andrés Martín
  • Brazil: Marcos Machado
  • Argentina: Juan Pablo Navarro
  • Israel: Michael Klinghoffer
  • Australia: Steve Reeves
  • China: Heran Yang, Tian Yang Liu
  • Germany: Claus Freudenstein
  • Norway: Dan Styffe
  • Switzerland: Enrico Fagone
  • Spain: Diego Zecharies
  • Italy: Giuseppe Ettorre
  • Turkey: Esra Gul
  • France: Theirry Barbe
  • Austria: Christine Hoock
  • Bulgaria: Irina-Kalina Goudeva
  • Hong Kong: Chan Shiu Hang Olive
  • Thailand: Pongsathorn Nowbassist Surapab
  • Japan: Kazuhiro Tanabe
  • Russia: Artem Chirkov
  • United States: Barry Green, Jeff Bradetich
  • Singapore: Gennadi Mouzyka
  • Greece: Vassilis Papavassiliou
  • Poland: Irene Olkiewicz
  • Denmark: Andreas Bennetzen
  • Canada: Ali Kian Yazdanfar
  • United Kingdom: Chi-Chi Nwanoku
  • Rumania: Catalan Rotaru
  • Taiwan: Yi-Jung Su
  • South Korea: Ha Young Jung
  • Serbia: Svetozar Vujic
  • Czech Republic: Jiri Hudec
http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/CBC_189__Barry_and_Jeff_on_Annas_Promise.mp3

CBC 103: Jeff Bradetich interview 2

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We’re concluding our interview with University of North Texas and Cleveland Institute of Music bass professor Jeff Bradetich on this week’s Contrabass Conversations episode. We featured the first part of this interview on episode 101 of the podcast, and we hope you enjoy hearing the thoughts and perspectives from this wonderful and influential performer and pedagogue. Learn more about Jeff and his new foundation at BradetichFoundation.org.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/CBC_103_-_Jeff_Bradetich_interview_2.mp3

CBC 101: Jeff Bradetich interview

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It is a real pleasure to be able to put out this interview with University of North Texas and Cleveland Institute of Music faculty member Jeff Bradetich. Jeff was a huge influence on my early development, and I continue to use the principles he taught me in my own teaching and performing each and every day.

We get really “inside baseball” on some technical considerations for the bass in this interview, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy, and we also feature a track of Jeff performing the Czardas by Vittorio Monti from his excellent album Portraits. We’ll conclude this interview in the next few weeks and really get into Jeff’s exciting new double bass foundation, which you can learn more about at www.bradetichfoundation.org. Enjoy!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/CBC_101_-_Jeff_Bradetich_interview.mp3
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