I’ve known Dan Chmielinski for over a decade, and it has been a real pleasure watching his career unfold.  Dan grew up in metro Chicago, and I had the privilege of being his bass teacher through middle and high school.   

Dan started playing bass at age 3 with Virginia Dixon, and he has one of the most natural and fluid approaches to the bass that I’ve ever seen.  After high school, Dan attended Juilliard for for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, whee he studied with Ron Carter.

Dan has toured the world, performing with artists such as Joey Alexander, Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Jeff “Tain” Watts.  His main project right now is Four by Four.  Here’s a link to their trailer on YouTube.

We dig into all kinds of topics:

• what the Juilliard jazz studies audition is like (hint: it’s intense!)
• the Richard Davis Foundation Conference – Dan attended as a student from ages 3-18, and he is now a faculty member
• teaching for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz for Young People Program
• the focus required to develop a career as a New York City jazz bassist
• advice for younger musicians

Be sure to follow Dan on Instagram to keep up to date with his latest activities!

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 Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D’Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

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