Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

258: RCM International Double Bass Festival

The first Royal College of Music International Double Bass Festival will be taking place on October 16, 2016.  Gabriele Ragghianti, Dan Styffe, and Alberto Bocini discuss this exciting new event on today’s episode.

This event is free and requires no tickets, so be sure to check it out if you can!

About the 2016 RCM International Double Bass Festival

Free, no tickets required

RCM International Double Bass Festival: Double Bass Masterclass with Dan Styffe

2:00pm | 14 October 2016
Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall

Co-Principal Bassist at The Oslo Philharmonic Dan Styffe shares his experience with talented string players at the Royal College of Music.

RCM International Double Bass Festival

11:00am | 16 October 2016
Royal College of Music

Our double bass festival sees renowned bassists from around the world flock to the Royal College of Music for a unique day of masterclasses, seminars, coaching sessions and performances.

About our Sponsor

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.

Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

257: Sandor Ostlund on musical influences, practicing, and career possibilities

Sandor Ostlund

Our teachers shape us more than we realize. Having the right teacher is critical for achieving our goals.

Sandor Ostlund has had a staggering set of quality teachers throughout his life journey.

First, he studied with Hans Sturm. Then he worked with Richard Davis. From there, he found his way to Paris to study with François Rabbath. In Paris, he met Paul Ellison, with whom Sandor would study with for his DMA. In fact, Sandor was the first student to every receive his DMA with Paul at Rice University.

Talk about a great set of musical role models!

Sandor has gone on to have a major impact in the world of the double bass. He teaches bass at Baylor University, works as a clinician across the United States, and has released a fantastic solo album of new works for the double bass.

We dig into all kinds of topics:

  • how Sandor continues to find inspiration
  • lessons Sandor learned from Paul, François, Richard, and Hans
  • what to do if you only have an hour to practice
  • finding your path in the music world

…and much more!

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Links:

Sandor’s website

Leap of Faith (album)

Thanks to our sponsor!

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.

Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

 

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

Thanks to our sponsor!

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.

Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

 

Listener feedback links:

255: Frank Proto on jazz influences, bebop violin, and deadlines

Frank Proto

Jazz is Frank Proto’s native language.

Growing up in Brooklyn, Frank spent his days studying with Fred Zimmermann and his nights hanging out at Birdland.

I love hearing Frank describe what it was like studying with Fred. In fact, Frank’s lesson slot was right after Charles Mingus.

Talk about being a part of jazz history!

Frank’s journey from the jazz clubs of New York City to the Cincinnati Symphony is remarkable…and that’s putting it mildly!

Here are just a few of his many career highlights:

  • Bassist and composer-in-residence for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
  • Over 20 large-scale works premiered by CSO
  • Countless shorter works and arrangements premiered by CSO
  • Over 400 performances of Carmen Fantasy for Trumpet and Orchestra
  • Over 500 performances of Casey at the Bat
  • Composed music for Dave Brubeck, Eddie Daniels, Duke Ellington, Cleo Laine, Benjamin Luxon, Sherill Milnes, Gerry Mulligan, Roberta Peters, François Rabbath, Ruggerio Ricci, Doc Severinsen, Richard Stoltzman and Lucero Tena

I could go on and on.

Frank has impacted the world of the double bass immensely.

But he has gone way beyond that.

Best of all, he hasn’t slowed down. In fact, he is continuing to explore new ideas and unexpected collaborations.

I can’t wait to see what he does next.

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Links to check out:

Frank Proto on Wikipedia

Liben Music (Frank’s publishing company)

Brandeis Jazz Festival – Fred Zimmermann, Charles Mingus, Gunther Schuller, George Russell

Brandeis Jazz Festival (YouTube)

All About Rosie (YouTube)

Harry Lookofsky: Stringsville

‘Round Midnight – Harry Lakoofsky performance (YouTube)

Music featured in this episode (all written by Frank)

Thanks to our sponsor!

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.