Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

1016: Kostas Patsiotis on Greece and October

Greek bassist Kostas Patsiotis recently released his solo debut album October, which was recorded in a single day at Antart Studios in Athens and features Yiannis Papadopoulos on piano, Michael Tsiftis on guitar and Dimitris Klonis on drums.

We talk about what it’s like being a jazz bassist in Greece, how Kostas got into bass playing, his gear, what it was like recording this album, and much more.

Enjoy, and be sure to check out October and also follow along with Kostas on his website, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram!

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Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – The School of Music at CMU highly values each and every individual who wants to be a part of an innovative fine arts community immersed in a top research university. 

Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.

1015: Jesse Dietschi on balancing jazz and classical playing

Jesse Dietschi recently released Gradient, his debut album with fellow Toronto musicians Ethan Ardelli (drums) and Ewen Farncombe (piano).  This album has been getting considerable acclaim and will be featured in the Debut Album Reviews section of the December 2023 edition of DownBeat Magazine, along with numerous radio programs throughout North America and Europe.

We talk about the story behind this album, how Jesse and I met several years ago at the Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference, what it’s like balancing classical work like subbing with the Toronto Symphony with his jazz projects, and much more.

Enjoy, and be sure to check out October on Spotify and bandcamp, and be sure to follow along with Jesse on his website and Instagram!

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Thank you to our sponsors!

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – The School of Music at CMU highly values each and every individual who wants to be a part of an innovative fine arts community immersed in a top research university. 

Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.

1014: Joseph Whitt on a career as a military bassist

Technical Sergeant Joseph Whitt is the bassist for the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to joining the Band of the Pacific, he was stationed at the United States Air Force Band of Flight, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and at the United States Air Forces in Europe Band at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

We dig into a variety of topics, including:

  • the USAF Band mission
  • the USAF audition process and preparation
  • military lifestyle, service, and overseas experience
  • benefits, education, training
  • professional development
  • double/electric bass cross-over

Enjoy, and you can learn more about a career in The United States Air Force Band here.

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Thank you to our sponsors!

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – The School of Music at CMU highly values each and every individual who wants to be a part of an innovative fine arts community immersed in a top research university. 

Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.

1013: Marty Isenberg on “The Way I Feel Inside” – Inspired by the films of Wes Anderson

Marty Isenberg recently released his debut album “The Way I Feel Inside” – Inspired by the films of Wes Anderson, and it has been getting great press.  In this interview, we chat with Marty about his life in music, his career as a jazz bassist, the inspiration for this album, and much more.  We also bring up a great interview that Marty also did for the Bass Shed.

Check out this super cool album on bandcamp and Spotify, and follow along with Marty and his projects on Instagram and his website!

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Connect with us:

Thank you to our sponsors!

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – The School of Music at CMU highly values each and every individual who wants to be a part of an innovative fine arts community immersed in a top research university. 

Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.

1012: Phoebe Russell on Smash Your Audition

Phoebe Russell is Principal Bass for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.  She recently released a course on Discover Double Bass titled Smash Your Audition.  

We released a YouTube video digging into this course, and in this podcast we cover Phoebe’s tips for preparing orchestral excerpts, what it was like to put all of her knowledge into a video course, general life updates, and more.

Check out Phoebe’s 2019 podcast appearance here, and be sure to check out her awesome course here!

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Connect with us:

Thank you to our sponsors!

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – The School of Music at CMU highly values each and every individual who wants to be a part of an innovative fine arts community immersed in a top research university. 

Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.