Dan Robbins was one of the first bassists I met when I moved to the Bay Area, and I’ve loved following along with his career and his imaginative musical stylings for years.
We finally got a chance to sit down and do an interview during the 2019 Golden Gate Bass Camp, and we dug into topics like what it was like being invited to do “bass duels” with Christian McBride and his big band, the diverse array of pedals and effects he uses, the pace of life living in the Santa Cruz mountain foothills, and his many and varied projects.
Dan is quite active in a wide array of groups. Some of his many projects include:
- his improvisational trio Source Field
- the funk band Wasabi
- teaching at San Jose State University and Santa Clara University
- Idiot Fish 3
- Laurie Antonioli
- Lost American Jazzbook featuring Tammi Brown
- Gary Meek Band
Enjoy!
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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
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