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Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

533: Kenny Davis on Jazz and Classical chops

 

Kenny Davis is one of the most in-demand bassists in New York.  You name it—he’s played it.  From playing in the Tonight Show Band for several years to recording, touring, and performing with artists like Herbie Hancock, Cassandra Wilson, and Freddie Hubbard, Kenny has been in involved in an astonishing array of musical projects.

We also happen to have quite a bit of shared background.  Kenny grew up in Chicago, Illinois, where I lived for over 20 years.  We also both attended Northwestern University, and we both even studied with Jeff Bradetich for a period of time!

Kenny and I dig deep into his background, what it was like playing for the Tonight Show Band, lessons learned from Kenny’s former teachers like Ron Carter and Warren Benfield, how his classical chops ended up paying off for him big time throughout his career, and much more!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

D’Addario Strings

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.

Kolstein Music

The Samuel Kolstein Violin Shop was founded by Samuel Kolstein in 1943 as a Violin and Bow making establishment in Brooklyn, New York. Now on Long Island, over 60 years later, Kolstein’s has built a proud reputation for quality, craftsmanship and expertise in both the manufacture and repair of a whole range of stringed instruments, and has expanded to a staff of twelve experts in restoration, marketing and production.

Steve Swan String Bass

Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast’s largest selection of double basses between Los Angeles and Canada.  Located in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, their large retail showroom holds about 70 basses on display. Their new basses all feature professional setups and come with a cover at no additional cost. Used and consignment instruments receive any needed repairs and upgrades before getting a display position on the sales floor.

The Bass Violin Shop

The Bass Violin Shop offers the Southeast’s largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome!

A440 Violin Shop

An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440‘s commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

  • Jason Heath, host
  • Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
  • Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
  • Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
  • Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/53320Kenny20Davis-Bus201.mp3

521: Herbert Smith on Brazil and his path there

Herbert Smith has had a remarkable career spanning a variety of musical genres.  Originally from Chicago, Herbert spent many years in Southern California prior to his move to São Paulo, Brazil eight years ago.

We dig into similarities and differences between the musical scenes of Brazil and the United States, Brazilian musical traditions, language and how it affects the music of a specific culture, Herbert’s interesting life path, business skills, and much more!

About Herbert:

Herbert D. Smith currently lives in São Paulo, Brazil.  He has had a diverse international performance career for over 20 years, performing with tenor saxophone greats like Eddie Harris, Teddy Edwards, and Buddy Collette, pianists Art Hillery, Harold Land Jr., Ted Jackson, John Wood and George Cables, jazz vocalist Elaine Miles, guitarists Steve Cotter and John Chiodini, Mexican vocal stylist Sandra Valdivia, Capitol Records blues singer Betty Hall Jones, Basie trombonist Jimmie Cheatham, Dr. Ronald V. Myers, great jazz drummers Clayton Cameron of the Tony Bennett and Sammy Davis Jr. bands, the legendary Billy Higgins and Sherman Ferguson.

As an orchestra section bassist, he has performed under Maestros Dr. Herbert Blomstedt and Dr. Jon Robertson in the Blomstedt Summer Orchestra, Riverside, California.   Smith also performed with the New American Orchestra in Hollywood under Music Director and Conductor Dr. Luther Henderson, and was Principal Bassist of the Riverside Civic Light Opera Orchestra.  Prior to coming to Brazil, Smith performed World Music for 3 years as house bassist at the Orange County California nightly “hotspot” “ The Caspian “ in Irvine, California.

Smith was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  He started his music education at the famed Chicago Music College (CMC) of Roosevelt University. CMC former students consisted of Robert Lamm of the rock group “Chicago” and Jazz Saxophonist Steve Coleman of the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Orchestra. Through the advice and recommendation of the late Chicago Symphony Bassist Warren Benfield, Smith traveled to Madison Wisconsin to study with Jazz Bassist Richard Davis at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, then on to Milwaukee with Laura Synder currently with the Milwaukee Symphony. Smith received a scholarship to study in the Jazz Program at Livingston College of Rutgers University in Livingston, New Jersey under the direction of Bassist Larry Ridley.

As a young bassist in his 20’s, Smith became the founder of the Los Angeles Bass Violin Choir, a group of prominent Los Angeles area bassists performing special arrangements by Smith and New York bassist Bill Lee. Bill Lee, father of director Spike Lee, and founder of the New York Bass Violin Choir, premiered many unique compositions and arrangements in his son’s earlier films. Regular players consisted of Frederick Tinsley, the late Andy Simpkins, Herbie Lewis and George “Red” Callendar, John Heard, and classical double bass extraordinaire Bertram Turetsky. Additional players to perform with the bass choir were bassists Roberto Miranda, James Leary and Alan Jackson. Drummers Sherman Ferguson and Bill Douglass, and Pianist Cecil Lytle also performed with the choir.

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Kolstein Music

The Samuel Kolstein Violin Shop was founded by Samuel Kolstein in 1943 as a Violin and Bow making establishment in Brooklyn, New York. Now on Long Island, over 60 years later, Kolstein’s has built a proud reputation for quality, craftsmanship and expertise in both the manufacture and repair of a whole range of stringed instruments, and has expanded to a staff of twelve experts in restoration, marketing and production.

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D’Addario Strings

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.

A440 Violin Shop

An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440‘s commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

  • Jason Heath, host
  • Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
  • Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
  • Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
  • Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/52120Herbert20Smith.mp3

504: Katie Thiroux and her dynamic Jazz career

We’re chatting with Katie Thiroux on today’s episode.  Katie’s album Off Beat was named one of Downbeat’s Best Albums of 2017, and she recently completed a three-month stint at Quincy Jones’ Dubai Jazz club.

We dig into all kinds of topics, like:

  • growing up in Los Angeles
  • Katie’s favorite Jazz audiences around the world
  • What she does with six hours of practicing
  • Advice for those embarking on a music career

..and much more!  This is an engaging conversation with one of Jazz’s great young artists!  Enjoy, and be sure to follow along with Katie on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Robertson & Sons Violins

For more than four decades, Robertson & Sons has specialized in providing the highest quality stringed instruments and bows to collectors, professional musicians, music educators, and students of all ages. Their modern facility is equipped with three instrument showrooms as well as a beautiful Recital Hall available to our clients to in their search for the perfect instrument and/or bow.

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D’Addario Strings

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.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

  • Jason Heath, host
  • Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
  • Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
  • Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
  • Krista Kopper, cataloging and archiving

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/504-Katie20Thiroux.mp3

479 : Dominic Duval Jr.

As the son of Dominic Duval Sr. (Cecil Taylor’s bassist for a decade), Dominic Duval Jr. grew up immersed in the world of avant-garde jazz.  Dominic attended the Eastman School of Music, working with James VanDemark and Jeff Campbell.  He has performed at venues like Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall, and many New York jazz clubs.

The classmate of former podcast guests Danny Ziemann and Eric Steffens, Dominic and I dig into all kinds of topics, like:

  • playing cruise ships (it can be a crazy gig!)
  • daily routines
  • the highs and lows of a music career
  • when to say yes to a project

…and much more!  Be sure to follow Dominic on Instagram to keep up with his career, and it was a pleasure having him on the podcast.

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D’Addario Strings

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.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

  • Jason Heath, host
  • Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
  • Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
  • Trevor Jones, publication and promotion

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/Dominic20Duval20Jr.mp3

477: Christian McBride

What a pleasure to chat with Christian McBride for the podcast!  Christian just won his sixth Grammy for the Christian McBride Big Band’s new album Bringin’ It, and he has a course available titled Fundamentals of Jazz Bass and Beyond.

Christian and I dig into all kinds of topics (including many suggestions from podcast listeners!), like:

  • the story behind his Benedict Puglisi bass
  • what Christian looks for in a bass setup
  • hearing Ray Brown play live for the first time
  • Christian’s heartwarming story about James Brown from The Moth
  • staying in shape on the road
  • working his bow chops

…and much more!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D’Addario Strings

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.

A440 Violin Shop

An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440‘s commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

  • Jason Heath, host
  • Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, interview editors
  • Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
  • Trevor Jones, publication and promotion

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/47720Christian20McBride.mp3
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