Interview Guests – Page 135

256: Shinji Eshima on pit experiences, David Walter, and composing for the ballet

Shinji Eshima

Most musicians don’t have a day dedicated to them in their hometown.

Shinji Eshima does. In 2011, the city of Berkeley, California named the day December 6th Shinji Eshima Day, in his honor for his contributions to the arts.

Even fewer musicians play an instrument featured in a Degas painting.

But Shinji Eshima does. His Plumerel bass is the very same instrument painted by Degas in L’Orchestre de l’Opera.

Shinji’s impact on the double bass world has been tremendous. He has performed with the San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Opera Orchestras for decades.

He teaches at San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His students have gone on to perform with the San Francisco Symphony, Utah Symphony, London Philharmonia, Montreal Symphony and the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam

But Shinji is also a composer… and what a composer!

In 2011, the San Francisco Ballet commissioned him to write a ballet. RAkU was the result, and it has been performed across the globe by the San Francisco Ballet. RAkU has also joined the repertoire of The Joffrey Ballet. Swimmer, his third ballet for the San Francisco Ballet, premiered in 2015.

We talk about Shinji’s early years on the instrument, studying with David Walter, performing in the pit, getting into composing, and much more!

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Links to check out

If It’s Tuesday it Must be Up-Bow from Soliloquy album (performed by Patrick Neher)

San Francisco Ballet in RAkU (YouTube)

RAkU: A Conversation with Shinji Eshima (YouTube)

Swimmer – ballet composed by Shinji Eshima (YouTube)

Shinji’s 1843 Plumerl double bass as portrayed by Degas in Orchestra of the Opera

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Listener feedback links:

254: Craig Butterfield on careers, ProTools, and American roots music

Craig Butterfield loved Edgar Meyer’s bass playing ever since discovering it.

Lately, he has been following in Edger’s footsteps. Performing American roots music with mandolinist Jesse Jones is now a key creative outlet.

Craig also teaches at the University of South Carolina. He shows young bassists how to hone their technique to explore creative new paths.

But that’s not it.

Craig also loves recording. He mixes and masters his own recordings in ProTools. His popular YouTube overdub videos have gotten tens of thousands of views.

We talk about:

his time studying with Jeff Bradetich at the University of North Texas
touring with Maynard Ferguson
career opportunities for musicians

…and much more!

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Links to check out:

Craig’s website

Craig’s YouTube Channel

Pisces (new album with Jesse Jones)

Stickerfoot (album with Jesse Jones)

253: Corey Brown on No Treble, Jaco Pastorius, and the opportunity of being first

Corey Brown

Corey Brown started out on the “traditional” music school path.

Starting out at the University of North Texas, Corey left and became a graphic designer. He began developing on the web in the early 1990s.

Fast forward a few years, and he created Squidoo with bestselling author Seth Godin. Squidoo became one of the most-visited websites ever with over 85 million monthly visits.

Corey fused his passion for the bass with his passion for the web in unexpected and impactful ways.

First, he created and ran the official Jaco Pastorius web site, working on it from 2002 to 2007 and again in 2014.

Next, worked on the Portrait of Jaco… the Early Years box set. He designined and produced the packaging for the release in 2003.

But Corey wasn’t done with innovating for the bass.

In 2008, he founded no treble, which turned into the most popular online bass magazine on the web.

With over a dozen regular contributors and hundreds of thousands of monthly visits, no treble has re shaped the way bassists worldwide connect with and learn from each other.

Learn about Corey’s fascinating career fusion of music and design in this interview!

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Links to check out:

no treble

Corey’s blog

Corey’s web consulting

Corey on Facebook

Corey on Twitter

Corey on LinkedIn

252: Nina DeCesare on injuries, auditioning, and George Vance

Nina DeCesare

Nina DeCesare‘s creative musical quest is inspiring.

First, she won the 14 and under International Society of Bassists solo competition. Then she won it again for the 15-18 division.

She studied at Rice University, Tanglewood, and Domaine Forget. Also, she won a scholarship to study with François Rabbath in Paris. Nina ended her time at Rice by winning a position with the Oregon Symphony.

She has done more in her brief career than many do in their entire life.

But it hasn’t always been easy for her.

In fact, she went through a serious playing injury during her time at Rice University.

Her bass playing ground to a halt for months.

But through careful analysis, she changed her approach to the bass. She problem-solved her way out of the injury and changed her approach to the bass in the process.

We talk about what it was like studying with George Vance and Paul Ellison, playing in Portland bars, thoughts on training as a soloist versus as an orchestra player, and much more!

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Links to check out:

Nina’s Website

Nina’s YouTube Channel

How an Injury Saved my Playing (blog post by Nina)

Too many young double bassists prioritise solo technique over orchestral expertise (by Chi-Chi Nwanoku – from The Strad)

251: Hans Sturm on motion capture, François Rabbath, and A Day in Paris

Hans Sturm

Hans Sturm isn’t afraid to reinvent himself.

Everything changed for Hans when he first met François Rabbath. Before he knew it, he was in Paris soaking up these new concepts.

Fast forward many years, and we find Hans playing the second Rabbath Concerto with Sylvan Rabbath on piano. If you look at the music for this concerto, you’ll see that François dedicated this piece to Hans.

But that’s not it.

Hans also realized that not everybody could hop on a flight to Paris to study with François. So he began to think…

How could he get these teachings to a wider audience? What could he to do take these concepts beyond the printed page?

Here’s the answer:

Hans has reinvented himself in many ways throughout his career.

1) He shaped the digital plan for the International Society of Bassists during his time as president.

2) He explored creative uses of DVD technology in the Art of the Bow and Art of the Left Hand.

3) He even left the stability of a tenured position for new adventures in a different part of the country.

Through these journeys, he has brought tremendous value to the bass community. His commitment to education and to furthering his own education throughout these chapters of his life.

Learn more about his time working with Richard Davis, Jeff Bradetich, and François Rabbath, practice techniques, and the genesis of this most recent album A Day in Paris!

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Links to check out:

Hans’ website

A Day in Paris (new album)

Art of the Bow

Art of the Left Hand

Our Rabbath Technique video series (you’ll love the cats in the background)