As the bassist for Jools Holland’s band for over two decades, Dave Swift is likely the U.K.’s best-known bassist.
He has performed with an astonishing array of artists, including:
- Paul Simon
- Eric Clapton
- Paul McCartney
- Chaka Kahn
- Smokey Robinson
The list goes on and on!
He and I got a chance to sit down over Skype earlier this fall and dig into all sorts of fascinating topics like:
- how Dave transcribes the songs he performs with Jools
- why people call Dave an “industrial” bassist
- learning a tune in front of Amy Winehouse
- being impressive versus truly moving someone musically
- life on the road and in the studio
- crazy gig stories like playing with Smokey Robinson and Eric Clapton without a rehearsal!
Dave is a great guy and is such a fun person to chat with! He recently redesigned his website, so be sure to dig into everything that he’s up to there. Check out Dave’s amazing bass collection below:
Links to check out:
- Dave’s website
- Dave’s appearance on the Lean Musician Podcast
- Later… with Jools Holland (YouTube channel)
- Scott Devine interviewing Dave Swift (YouTube)
- list of all the artists with which Dave has played (it’s a huge list!)
Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!
Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support
Thanks to our sponsors!
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.
Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!
Hosting for Contrabass Conversations is provided by Bass Capos. Bass Capos are an excellent choice for any bass player using or looking to implement a double bass extension. Easy to install and adjust, cheaper and more reliable than hand-built latches, also lighter and quicker in operation.