I’ve been dreaming about having Gary Karr on Contrabass Conversations ever since starting the show. We got a chance to sit down and chat during the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention, and that’s what you’re hearing today. Gary is the reason that so many of us (myself included) play the bass. He and I chat about… Continue reading 359: Gary Karr on his remarkable journey
Category: Interview Guests
358: Orchestra and Opera Excerpts
This is a “best of” episode from three classic Contrabass Conversations episodes. Back in the early days of the podcast, John Grillo and I recorded two episodes that dissected various excerpts. He and I talked through each excerpt and then played a recording of John performing it. These have been extremely popular resources over the… Continue reading 358: Orchestra and Opera Excerpts
356: James VanDemark on boxing, projection, and 40 years of teaching at Eastman
James VanDemark just celebrated his 40th year of teaching at the Eastman School of Music. His students have held positions with many of the world’s major orchestras, including the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Minnesota, San Francisco, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Rochester Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and… Continue reading 356: James VanDemark on boxing, projection, and 40 years of teaching at Eastman
355: Tom Mendel on Hamilton, pedal boards, and finding joy in playing
Tom Mendel is currently playing bass for the Chicago production of Hamilton. He has performed on over 100 musical theater productions like Wicked, The Lion King, Billy Elliot, and Book of Mormon. Tom is also the President Emeritus of the Theatre Musicians Association. We also cover the gear that Tom is using for Hamilton. Tom uses most… Continue reading 355: Tom Mendel on Hamilton, pedal boards, and finding joy in playing
354: Derek Jones on Cirque du Soleil, gear, and being fearless
Derek Jones is the bassist for Cirque du Soleil’s show KÀ. He joined Cirque after spending time playing with Chris Thile and Nickel Creek and then with Jerry Douglas, and he has played over 5,200 performances of this show at this point. We dig into topics like: challenges of dealing with the low humidity in… Continue reading 354: Derek Jones on Cirque du Soleil, gear, and being fearless