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Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

421: Bert Turetzky (from the archives)

Photo credit: snapshotsfoundation.com

This “best of” episode features double bassist and contemporary music pioneer Bert Turetzky.  Enjoy, and check out the original episode from 2016 here.

About Bert Turetzky

Bertram Turetzky has been a distinguished clinician and pedagogue for over three decades, giving master classes, seminars, and workshops nationally and internationally. His knowledge of repertoire, performance style, and his unique approach to technical, psychological, and physical problems has made him a highly sought-after teacher. His master classes have been referred to as “life-altering.”

Turetzky has been a featured contrabass soloist in the music centers of the United States, Europe, Latin America and Australia. The response to his many concerts, recordings, lectures, writings and his unique sonic vocabulary has taken the contrabass from it’s traditional role to assume the position of a major solo instrument. More than 300 compositions have been written for, performed by, and recorded by Turetzky, making him one of the few performers, in all of music history, to have created a large and impressive repertoire of music for his instrument.

He is is a prolific recording artist and has recorded for Nonesuch, Finnador, Son Nova, Desto, Music and Art, Incus, 9 winds, Advance, Vanguard, New World, and others as soloist, improvisor, chamber player, Jazz player, orchestra player, and Klezmer artist. He is also an acclaimed scholar/researcher in the fields of Jazz History, 18th Century Chamber Music and the author of many reviews, articles and the now classic book “The Contemporary Contrabass.”

After the success of his book, Turetzky was named co-editor of “The New Instrumentation Series” [UC Press]. He is also a published composer, editor, transcriber and arranger of music for his instrument. His compositions are published, reviewed and recorded. Turetzky has also received many awards for composition from ASCAP plus grants from the NEA and Meet the Composer as well as many commissions.

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/CBC_421_-_Bert_Turetzky_from_the_achives.mp3

197: Bert Turetzky on forging new paths, compositional language, and commissioning over 300 works

Contrabassist Bertram Turetzky

Contrabassist Bertram Turetzky

Today’s episode features an interview with the great Bert Turetzky. With nearly 60 years spent championing new works for the contrabass, Bert truly is the father of modern bass playing.  Bert has recently released a memoir titled A Different View which chronicles his life spent in music.  It delves into his early years growing up in Connecticut, his dreams of becoming a jazz player, his orchestral experiences, teaching at the Hartt School and the University of California San Diego, and it covers in great detail his work as an advocate for the contrabass.

We also feature clips from a University of California Television broadcast from 2008 titled Bertram Turetzky and Friends: Music for Contrabass.  This program featured solo and chamber works, including four premieres and several pieces that have made Bert famous. The entire program is available on YouTube.  Be sure to check out the YouTube video for Bert’s wonderful descriptions of these works.
Audio used in the podcast:
  • Seven Miscellaneous by Donald Erb
  • Onde (World Premiere) by Salvatore Macchia
  • Inside by Kenneth Gaburo
  • Contrabajissimo (World Premiere) by Astor Piazzolla
Links:
  • Bert Turetzky – video interview about A Different View (43 min)
  • Bertram Turetzky and Friends: Music for Contrabass
  • A Different View – memoir by Bertram Turetzky
  • Bert’s Wikipedia page
http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/CBC_197__Bert_Turetzky_on_forging_new_paths_compositional_language_and_commissioning_over_300_works.mp3
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