Contrabass Conversations

Latest Episodes:

706: Tom Walley on staying active during quarantine Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

Tom Walley has certainly been keeping busy during the quarantine, publishing a ton content on his Instagram and YouTube, including his arrangement of the Adagio from Mahler's 9th Symphony with his fellow London Philharmonic Orchestra section members.

Tom and I talk about this recording and his other quarantine projects, canceled tours, moving out of London for the time being, long-distance relationships, traveling with a bass, and even shaving his head! Enjoy, and be sure to say hi to Tom on Instagram.

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging
theme music by Eric Hochberg

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705: Hans Roelofsen and Rudolf Senn on bass duo adventures Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

I've been following along with the musical adventures of Hans Roelofsen and Rudolph Senn for years. They have toured the world as a bass duo, with 15 trips to the United States alone.

Throughout these trips, they have collected some fantastic stories. We dig into these stories, how they came to play as a duo, challenges of transcription, the implications of choosing a particular key for an arrangement, and much more. Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging
theme music by Eric Hochberg

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

704: Bill Rinehart and Jaime Slutzky on online learning Jun 11, 2020

Show notes

Bill Rinehart has been teaching jazz piano online for the past 13 years, and he has been working with Jaime Slutzky recently to redevelop certain aspects of his online offerings.

I've been obsessed with finding new ways to frame the private lesson experience for years, and the current pandemic has made music teachers across the globe rethink the one-on-one traditional private lesson experience.

Bill, Jaime, and I talk about a wide range of topics, including online learning platforms like Thinkific, Jaime's incubator program, the unique challenges and rewards that teaching an artistic pursuit like music in an online setting, and much more.

Enjoy, and be sure to also check out Jaime's excellent podcast Expand Online!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

703: Abo Gumroyan on taking chances Jun 08, 2020

Show notes

Abo Gumroyan truly is a musical chameleon. In addition to winning Grammys with the Pacific Mambo Orchestra, Abo has played with the San Francisco Symphony, played on countless sessions, worked on Las Vegas shows, and much more.

We dig into Abo's musical background, his time studying with Scott Pingel, Steve Tramontozzi, David Allen Moore, and many others, what it has been like adjusting to the pandemic, and much more.

Be sure to follow along with Abo on Instagram, and also check out this cool video that he put together for us demonstrating the gear he uses in his home studio!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

702: Mary Javian on career development Jun 04, 2020

Show notes

In addition to being an outstanding bassist, Mary Javian has an inspiring goal in life: to use music to create positive social change in communities.

We dig into her role as Chair of Career Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, what this institution offered in terms of career development when she was a student and how it has evolved over the years, what this work means to her, the importance of authentic community engagement, and much more.

Mary and I have played together in the Iris Orchestra several times over the years, and it was such a pleasure to finally have her on the podcast!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

701: Carlos Barriento and Opportunity Music Project Jun 01, 2020

Show notes

The whole world is adjusting to new ways of interaction, and the world of music advocacy is no exception. Jessica Garand's Opportunity Music Project has been doing a particularly good job of adapting their El Sistema-style program to these current times, with their Sponsor a Student program and many other initiatives and offerings.

In today's episode, we chat with Jessica and OMP bass instructor Carlos Barriento about the work that this program does, what it has been like teaching online, the challenges and meaningful moments that online teaching has been bringing them, and much more. Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

700: Drew Gress on jazz, birdwatching, and creativity May 28, 2020

Show notes

Drew Gress' biography reads like a who's who of the jazz world, including collaboration with Tim Berne, Ravi Coltrane, Uri Caine, John Hollenbeck, and countless others. He has appeared on over 140 recordings, 4 of which have received Grammy nominations.

In this conversation, which was prompted by Richard Ivy, a former student of Drew's, we discuss many topics, including:

Drew's in-depth interview with Pablo Held and the many areas they explore
similarities to jazz and birdwatching (a pastime of Drew's)
spending time and working with Gary Peacock

Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

699: Marcos Machado on Tao of Bass Volume 2 May 25, 2020

Show notes

Marcos Machado shows no signs of slowing down even during the pandemic! He recently joined the Discover Double Bass teaching team and released a course in the fall of 2019 titled Integral Technique.

photo credit: Discover Double Bass

This course is based on the extensive research and experimentation Marcos has done in fingerings through his epic work Tao of Bass. We spoke with Marcos about volume one of this series a few years ago, and he's gearing up to release volume two later this year.

This interview digs into Marcos' fingering journey, what's in store for volume two, and much more. Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

698: Miles Perkin on extended techniques May 21, 2020

Show notes

Miles Perkin is exploring fascinating musical territory with the double bass. Originally from Canada and now living in Berlin, he recently released a solo bass album called Subtones that mixes voice, bass, and extended techniques in unexpected and compelling ways.

In this conversation, recorded in March just before the pandemic fully shut down the globe, we talk about his background the Berlin experimental music scene, and much more. Enjoy, and be sure to follow Miles on Facebook and Instagram!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

I'd also like to thank the sponsors who have supported us over the months and years. If you'd like to help the bass community recover as quickly as possible, consider visiting their site and making a purchase:

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

697: Susan Cahill on staying inspired under quarantine May 18, 2020

Show notes

Susan Cahill has been finding all kinds of ways to keep herself inspired musically during the pandemic. She had finished filming an episode for the PBS Series Now Hear This prior to the lockdown, and she has been immersing herself in several music at-home projects.

We talk about these projects, how practicing other instruments fits into her musicianship, thoughts on small and large group performances going forward, and much more.

Enjoy, and check out her appearance on the podcast from 2017 here!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Contrabass Conversations production team:

Jason Heath, host
Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

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