1140: Isaac Trapkus on Rosin, Hidden Manuscripts, and Open-Source Music Tools

Isaac Trapkus is a bassist with the New York Philharmonic, rosin maker, and developer of Monkey Wrench DB—a tool that syncs sheet music PDFs with YouTube performances. He’s also the creator of a free urtext-style edition of the Koussevitzky Double Bass Concerto, based on a previously unknown personal score copy he discovered at the Library of Congress.

We cover a wide range of topics: Isaac’s years-long journey developing his handcrafted rosin (Winter), the unique acoustic challenges of the double bass that make rosin so stubbornly hard to get right, and his Library of Congress discovery of Koussevitzky’s clean personal score—complete with hidden measures taped over by the composer himself.

We also dig into AI’s expanding role in Isaac’s tech projects, the ethics of open-source music tools, and the tension between building things because you can versus building things that actually matter. Find Isaac’s Koussevitzky edition on IMSLP, explore Monkey Wrench DB at monkeywrenchdb.org, and check out his past podcast appearance here.

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Theme music by Eric Hochberg

1139: Building The Sub Pool with Thomas Zera

Bassist and arts administrator Thomas Zera joins us today to share what changed between our first chat years ago and now, including life in the Utah Symphony and the path that led to building his new project, The Sub Pool.

We dig into what The Sub Pool is, why orchestra sub lists so often “run dry,” and how a centralized, musician-friendly platform can help personnel managers find the right players, including for rarer instruments and big-repertoire needs. Tom also explains how the service is designed to be low-friction for musicians, what feedback has shaped the early feature set (including faster notifications), and what they’re building toward next. Learn more at The Sub Pool, reach Tom at tom@thesubpool.com, and check out his past podcast appearance here.

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Theme music by Eric Hochberg

1138: Seasons of Creativity with Casey Lipka

Casey Lipka is a Los Angeles–based singer, songwriter, bassist, and collaborator with a gift for building community around music. In this episode, Casey shares the winding path that brought her into jazz voice, bass, and a creative life that blends composing, performing, and heartfelt projects. Along the way, Casey talks about how coaching shaped her work supporting other artists, and why creating space for connection has become such a central part of what she does.

Jason and Casey dig into what it looks like to move through “seasons” of creativity, from album release mode to collaboration mode, and how routines like strength training and time in nature can support the physical and mental demands of making music. They also talk about the joy of live performance, the inspiration of Nina DeCesare’s recent Bach marathon, and Casey’s new Women in Music series featuring performance-plus-conversation collaborations.

Enjoy, and follow along with Casey and her great work on her website, YouTube, Instagram, and listen on Spotify or Apple Music.

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Theme music by Eric Hochberg

1137: Lloyd Goldstein celebration podcast

This episode with Johnny Hamil and friends is a celebration of the music of Lloyd Goldstein. Enjoy this, and be sure to join Johnny and company March 21st at 11am Central Time via Zoom. You can visit KC Bass Workshop for more information and details.

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Theme music by Eric Hochberg

1136: Finding Your Sound – Marlon Martinez on Craft, Groove, and Identity

In this episode, we’re joined by bassist, composer, and bandleader Marlon Martinez, the creative force behind the Marlonius Jazz Orchestra. We talk about growing up in a deeply musical family, moving through a serious classical conservatory track at Colburn, and the long arc of building a personal sound.

We dig into Marlon’s early encounters with Stanley Clarke, what it means to live in the “in-between” of jazz and classical worlds, and how rhythm (including Marlon’s time on drum set) shapes everything from groove to orchestration. We also get into Billy Strayhorn’s legacy, why Marlon is so drawn to Strayhorn’s voice, and what’s coming next for Marlon’s first full-length Marlonius Jazz Orchestra studio album. Follow Marlon on Instagram and check out The Strayhorn Sessions Vol. 1 on Spotify and Apple Music, plus more videos on YouTube.

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Theme music by Eric Hochberg