Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

200: Living a Fulfilling Life

Jason in Havana, Cuba just before turning 40

Jason in Havana, Cuba just before turning 40

I’m turning 40 today, the podcast just passed a million downloads, I wrote a chunky blog post that resonated with a lot of people, and I just got back from Cuba.  This is a different kind of episode where I share details on where I’ve been and where I’m headed in many areas of life.

If you haven’t read the above referenced post, check it out and you’ll find links to a lot of what I talk about in this episode.  More “regular” episodes to come later this week.

199: Federico Marchesano and The Inner Bass

Italian contrabassist Federico Marchesano

Italian contrabassist Federico Marchesano

This is an all-music episode of Contrabass Conversations featuring Italian bassist Federico Marchesano and tracks from his recent release on the Solitunes label titled The Inner Bass.

The first track, Piggy, features pedal effects and overdubs.  We then hear Hakazehe, a traditional Burundi song that features the bass being hit by a wooden stick.  We round out the show today with the haunting track Contrabutoh, which becomes true heavy metal at the end.  Enjoy these tracks from Federico, and check him out online at federicomarchesano.com.
Links:

198: Todd Coolman new release

Double bassist Todd Coolman

Double bassist Todd Coolman

This is an all-music  of Contrabass Conversations featuring jazz bass legend Todd Coolman with some tracks from his  new album Collectibles.  The Coolman Trifecta is made up of Todd on bass, Bill Cunliffe on piano, and Dennis Mackrel on drums.

We featured Todd as an interview guest on the podcast back on episode 137, and Win Hinkle was our guest host for this interview, so be sure to check it out if you haven’t in the past.    The album will be released May 26th, so this is a sneak preview of what you’ll be hearing from Todd.
Todd is also he author of The Bottom Line: The Ultimate Bass Line Book, and we have a link to this book in the show notes.
We feature three tracks today:
  • New Rhumba
  • Joshua
  • You’re My Everything
Enjoy these new tracks from the great Todd Coolman!

197: Bert Turetzky on forging new paths, compositional language, and commissioning over 300 works

Contrabassist Bertram Turetzky

Contrabassist Bertram Turetzky

Today’s episode features an interview with the great Bert Turetzky. With nearly 60 years spent championing new works for the contrabass, Bert truly is the father of modern bass playing.  Bert has recently released a memoir titled A Different View which chronicles his life spent in music.  It delves into his early years growing up in Connecticut, his dreams of becoming a jazz player, his orchestral experiences, teaching at the Hartt School and the University of California San Diego, and it covers in great detail his work as an advocate for the contrabass.

We also feature clips from a University of California Television broadcast from 2008 titled Bertram Turetzky and Friends: Music for Contrabass.  This program featured solo and chamber works, including four premieres and several pieces that have made Bert famous. The entire program is available on YouTube.  Be sure to check out the YouTube video for Bert’s wonderful descriptions of these works.
Links:

196: Andrés Martín on the creative process, the composer mind, and forging a bass scene

Double bassist Andrés Martín

Double bassist Andrés Martín

Today’s episode features composer, teacher, and bassist Andrés Martín.  Andrés has written works recently that have become quite popular in the bass community these past few years, and I’ve been looking forward to talking with him ever since hearing his music.  Andrés is also the composer of Anna’s Gift and is currently writing the music for Anna’s Promise, the project spearheaded by Barry Green (a former Contrabass Conversations guest) that we featured on episode 189 of the podcast.

We’ll be playing excerpts from Andrés’ music throughout this episode, and we’ll start with an excerpt from the second movement of Andres’ bass concerto.  He’s a distinctive and exciting new voice in the world of the bass and has captured the bass world’s imagination for sure.  Andrés is a great guy and a deep thinker about creativity and the compositional process, and I think that you’ll learn a lot about inspiration and the composer mind from this discussion.
Tracks featured:
About Andrés:
Native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, bassist, arranger, and composer Andrés Martín has performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles in Argentina, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, England, Germany and United States. Since his arrival in Tijuana (Mexico), Andrés has been immersed in teaching as well as performing as a soloist and chamber musician. He is a member of the “Orquesta de Baja California” and “Cuatro para Tango”, a chamber ensemble with whom he has released four recordings. He also organizes and directs “Contrabajos de Baja California A.C. ”, a Double Bass academy who celebrates an international double bass festival and chamber music course held in Tijuana every summer. As a composer and arranger, he works with a wide language which ranges from contemporary techniques to tango and rock. His work has been performed and recorded by very successful orchestras, ensembles, and soloists in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Japan and the United States.