Barcelona-born Alexis Cuadrado is one of New York’s most sought-after musicians. In addition to performing as a sideman with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner, Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour, Dianne Reeves, Omara Portuondo, Steve Wilson and Seamus Blake, Alexis maintains a thriving career as a composer and educator. I had the chance to see Alexis at the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention,… Continue reading 377: Alexis Cuadrado on technique, composition, and 21st-century careers
Category: Interview Guests
375: Jessica Valls on improvisation, emotion, and finding your voice
Jessica Valls has created a fascinating career as a double bass performer, educator, and free improvisor. She performs regularly with the Austin Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, and the vocal group Conspirare. She also plays chamber music, jazz gigs, and solo performances. Jessica teaches at Southwestern University, Austin Community College, and Huston-Tillotson University. She is also the founder and director of the Austin Bass Workshop. Jessica… Continue reading 375: Jessica Valls on improvisation, emotion, and finding your voice
374: being an adult amateur with Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce is an engineer by trade. Three years ago, he sent his youngest child off to college and did a “rest of life” evaluation. What do things look like for the next 20-30 years? Golf and finishing would be fun… but it didn’t have the appeal to Stuart. Playing an instrument came to mind.… Continue reading 374: being an adult amateur with Stuart Pearce
373: Rebecca Lawrence on the state of women in the bass world and life as a music student
What’s it like being a double bass student these days… and what’s it like being a female bass student? These are two topics that should have come up a lot sooner on the podcast. Even though I’ve put out nearly 400 podcast episodes at this point, I’ve only had students on the show once before. During the 2017 International Society… Continue reading 373: Rebecca Lawrence on the state of women in the bass world and life as a music student
372: finding your path with Louis Levitt
Playing outside of Aspen’s Paradise Bakery was both a low-stakes and high-stakes affair for Louis Levitt and his friends. Low-stakes because… well, it was playing outside of a bakery. High-stakes because folks like David Zinman, Gil Shaham, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg were walking by constantly. Louis was on the orchestral path that so many of us take. But along the way,… Continue reading 372: finding your path with Louis Levitt