Jazz Bassists – Page 22

214: Terry Plumeri tribute

Today’s episode is a tribute to bassist, film composer, and conductor Terry Plumeri, who was found murdered in his home in Florida on April 1st of this year. This episode features comments from former Terry Plumeri student Eric Swanson plus some recordings of Terry performing and conducting. Learn more about Terry’s bass playing in this For Bass Players Only article.

Tracks featured:

Footprints from Blue in Green (Terry on bass)
Windflower (Oboe Concerto) – Moscow Philharmonic
Pride of Baltimore – Moscow Philharmonic with Terry conducting
Across a River’s Dream – Boguslaw Furtok, bass
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 – Moscow Philharmonic with Terry conducting

bassist, composer, and conductor Terry Plumeri died on March 31, 2016

205: Trevor Jones on musical pit work, scheduling creativity, and finding balance

Multi-talented double bassist Trevor Jones is today’s featured guest.

Today’s episode features double bassist Trevor Jones. It actually amazes me that this is the first time that Trevor has been on the podcast. Trevor kind of does it all: he studied classical bass with Rob Kassinger at DePaul University but got a music education degree as well He has played for years in the rock band Molehill but also maintains a full-time performing schedule as a theater musician, and he has a salaried double bass teaching job at Illinois Wesleyan University as well.

About Trevor:

Based in Chicago, independent artist Trevor Jones works in a variety of musical settings. He performs with regional orchestras throughout the Midwest. He has also recorded for numerous artists and has co-written and recorded three albums: Tin God, Equinox, and Hearts on Fire with his Chicago-based alternative rock group Molehill. Trevor is currently the Instructor of Double Bass at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Trevor is the upright and electric bassist at The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, IL. Highlights include Jeff®-Award Winning Musical Hero (2012) reprised in 2014 at Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, FL. World Premiere of October Sky in Fall 2015. For the Glory with music by Tony Award® nominee Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel) at Majestic Theatre in Gettysburg, PA. Battlecry by Paul Bogaev (Aida, Spiderman).

Trevor grew up in Gettysburg, PA and studied double bass with Duane Botterbusch of the Harrisburg Symphony and continued with Andrew Kohn at West Virginia University where he earned a degree in Music Education. In 2009 he completed his Master’s degree in Music Performance at DePaul University where he studied with Rob Kassinger of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. While studying at DePaul, Trevor performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Trevor’s alternative rock project Molehill performs at some of Chicago’s most prominent venues and tours throughout the country. Highlights include appearances at CBS Studio Chicago, Summerfest, SXSW, and Canadian Music Week. Trevor was awarded an ASCAP+ Award for his songwriting with Molehill.

Trevor is in demand as an educator in the Chicago area and maintains a studio at Midwest Young Artists, the preeminent youth music program in the Midwest. Trevor’s former students are currently studying at Eastman School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Oberlin Conservatory among others.

203: Adam Ben Ezra on YouTube fame, looping, and percussive techniques

photo credit: Paolo Galetta

Today we are featuring Adam Ben Ezra, who has exploded onto the double bass scene in recent years with his unique musical voice. Adam combines elements of Arabic music, Latin drumming, American pop, looping, and many other styles to form his own craft. He has become quite popular on YouTube, and his videos are fun and visually compelling. To me, Adam is an example of what I find so exciting about the bass world right now. He’s taking the instrument in fascinating new directions, he’s pushing the boundaries of technique, and he’s changing the very perception of the instrument.

I’d also like to welcome back our sponsor Discover Double Bass and let you know about their new double bass scales package. 17 different scale types are covered in all 12 keys, over one and two octaves, along with backing tracks. Geoff Chalmers does an excellent job with these tools, which are clear, concise, and built to benefit your playing regardless of your current level. Look for this course to launch in the next week, and check out Geoff’s many other offerings at discoverdoublebass.com/store.

We’re featuring excerpts from several of Adam’s songs:

Can’t Stop Running
Elohima
Flamenco
ConTraBajo (this video features the woman baking in the background)
Dexter
Double Bass Projection and Mapping

Adam has become well-known for his drum’n’bass technique, which you will hear through all of these excerpts, and he offers a video lesson series on this technique as well as transcriptions of several of his tunes. We have links to these in the show notes, and learn more about Adam’s music, tour dates, his upcoming master class project, and much more at adambenezra.com.

202: Chuck Israels on rhythm, amplification and jazz education

Jazz bass legend Chuck Israels is our guest on today’s episode

Today’s guest is jazz bass legend Chuck Israels. We start by covering more familiar topics like meeting Charlie Mingus, playing with Bill Evans, Bill’s use of rhythm, the importance of having concrete and specific role models, and then go deep into topics like Balinese wood carving (the time it takes to get good) – not creating your own artistic world without the traditions that preceded you, the perils of the “parallel case”, and commonalities among how great artists approach their craft.

Chuck has just released a new album on Dot Time Records titled Garden of Delights. We’ll be featuring a few clips from the first three tracks of this album: The Skipping Tune, Garden of Delights, and Mingus.

I’d also like to welcome back our sponsor Discover Double Bass! Their beginner’s course is arranged into 43 sequential HD video lessons arranged into eight chapters that cover everything from choosing your first instrument to the essentials of technique. You can check out this course as well as many other offerings at discoverdoublebass.com/store.

188: Ron Carter on technical development, an orchestral foundation, and developing the next generation of music lovers

Jazz bass legend Ron Carter is featured on today’s podcast episode

I am thrilled to feature Ron Carter today on the podcast. If is one bassist in the world that truly needs no introduction, it’s Ron. Ron recently received the Guinness World Record title for most recorded jazz bassist in history, with well over 2200 recording credits to his name. From his work with the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s to his collaborations with musicians like Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Hank Jones, his numerous projects as a bandleader, and his work outside of the jazz realm with artists like Billy Joel and A Tribe Called Quest, Ron has truly shaped our conception of the sound of the double bass.

Ron has four books available:

Be sure to check out these books, and you can find the video for Ron Carter Live here. Ron’s extensive discography is available through this link.

I’d also like to welcome back our sponsor Discover Double Bass! They have a 4 hour course on creating walking bass lines, with 55 HD video lessons in a step-by-step order to help you to master the style of walking bass. You can check out this course as well as many other offerings at discoverdoublebass.com/store.

If you’re new to Contrabass Conversations and are a jazz fan, then check out our episodes featuring Carlos Henriquez, Rufus Reid, Larry Gray, and Eric Hochberg for more conversations with great jazz artists.