Contrabass Conversations

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Principal Bass David Daly has released a true epic debut album with a great title: Titanic Double Bass.  The title track of the album is an Irish air my Great Uncle Eugene played on the deck of he Titanic (thats right—David’s Great Uncle played on the Titanic!) as it left Ireland.  David also filmed an epic video at the crack of dawn on the cliffs overlooking where the Titanic had been.

That alone makes for an incredibly cool story, but the whole album is great as well.  It features a premiere recording of a new piece David commissioned from an Irish composer named John Kinsella as well as a revised edition of the Eccles, a ‘Duetto’ for cello and bass by Dragonetti, and a performance of Schubert’s Arpeggione.

David has created a lovely “behind the music” page on his site for each piece on the album, including the history of the piece, why he decided to record it, and video footage of the recording process.

We talk about the making of the album and all sorts of great stories surrounding it.  You’ll love it!

Links to check out:

• Buy the CD
• Buy on iTunes
• Erin’s Lament video (so cool!) and the story behind the piece
• David’s site

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

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.

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.

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