Podcast

1145: Bowen Ha on his audition process

Bowen Ha joined the San Francisco Symphony at the start of the 2024–25 season after training at Juilliard with Timothy Cobb and Harold Robinson, and appearing as a substitute with major orchestras.

Born in Shanghai, Bowen’s path ran from piano to cello and finally to bass, through Interlochen, the Shanghai Conservatory’s affiliated program, and Juilliard.

We dig into the nuts-and-bolts of what changed between Bowen’s early pro auditions and his San Francisco win: obsessing over details and doing daily metronome work.

Enjoy, and connect with Bowen on Instagram and YouTube!

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Theme music by Eric Hochberg

1144: John Goldsby on Big Band Bass

John Goldsby returns to the podcast to celebrate Big Band Bass, a project that spotlights the double bass at the front of the band alongside the legendary WDR Big Band and arranger/conductor Bob Mintzer. We talk about what it felt like to close a 30-year run in one of the world’s rare full-time jazz ensemble jobs, and how stepping away has opened up space for hand-picked gigs, home projects, and new recordings.

We dig into the album’s origin story—why Vince Mendoza’s “Sonatinita” is the lone non-Goldsby composition, how Bob Mintzer turned John’s “little ditties” into full-blown big band architecture, and what it’s like hearing your writing amplified by master arrangers. We also get nerdy (in the best way) about gear and sound: Spirocore light gauge vs. Gerald Genssler’s silk-core strings, recording with a Schoeps MK 41, using a Fishman Full Circle onstage, and the realities of earplugs and in-ears in a loud big band environment. Connect with John at john.goldsby.de and explore his work with Discover Double Bass.

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When you buy a product using a link on this page, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting DBHQ.

Theme music by Eric Hochberg

1143: Professional Instruments Aren’t Luggage with Valentina Scheldhofen Ciardelli

Valentina Scheldhofen Ciardelli , double bass professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and an active performer/educator, returns to the podcast to talk about a project that goes way beyond the practice room: fixing the chaos of traveling with large instruments. Check out Valentina’s work and latest updates on her website .

We dig into Valentina’s advocacy work to create clearer, non-discretionary standards for transporting professional musical instruments, sparked by real-world experiences (including those “crying in the airport” moments many traveling musicians know all too well).

Jason shares a few horror stories from the bass-travel trenches, and Valentina describes the progress being made through dialogue with airlines, airports, and policymakers, including her recent speech in Brussels and why signatures matter even outside the EU.

You can sign the petition here , follow Valentina on Instagram and Facebook , and visit her YouTube channel!

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When you buy a product using a link on this page, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting DBHQ.

Theme music by Eric Hochberg

1142: Slow Water, Deep Grooves with Stephan Crump

Stephan Crump is a Brooklyn-based bassist, composer, and educator whose work moves fluidly between groove, spacious sound-worlds, and collective improvisation. We dig into the making of Slow Water, the magnetism of deep feel, and how growing up in Memphis—and spending a lot of life near the Mississippi—shaped the way Stephan hears music as ecology, storytelling, and energy in motion.

We talk about inspired listening walks, the ideas behind Erica Gies’ book Water Always Wins (and what it means to let water—and music—meander), and Stephan’s approach to leading ensembles. We also get into bass-life details, his time in Amherst and Paris, and much more.

Check out Stephan on Instagram, his website, and Bandcamp!

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When you buy a product using a link on this page, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting DBHQ.

Theme music by Eric Hochberg

1141 – Gut Strings and Time Travel – Michal Bylina on Early Music

Michal Bylina is a Polish bassist and composer whose work bridges early music performance and new music for the instrument. In this conversation, Michal shares how a love of the past pulled them toward gut strings, Baroque style, and the Vienna bass tradition, plus the path from studying in Kraków to a year studying in Brussels with Korneel Le Compte.

We dig into Michal’s composing process, from writing cadenzas to building a huge library of bass sheet music and learning by analysis, along with current projects like a concerto inspired by the surviving bars of Dittersdorf’s concerto for violone and an aria for countertenor and obbligato bass. Michal also talks about balancing music with life as a parent and work as a software developer, and what might come next. Connect with Michal on Instagram and Facebook, and explore his catalog on his website and in our DBHQ Store!

Connect with DBHQ

Gear used to record this podcast

When you buy a product using a link on this page, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting DBHQ.

Theme music by Eric Hochberg

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