Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

Here is a video of highlights from my recent recital on Gary Karr’s former “Amati” bass:

This video has also been added to my podcast feed, so if you are subscribing it should be available to you the next time you check iTunes. You can also download the video by clicking here. (You [...]

Dale Cruse has decided to retire his excellent bass blog BIG BOTTOM. His blog has been a really excellent resource for electric and string bass players and it will be missed. I have enjoyed contributing to his blog over the past several months, and if Dale starts any new bass projects in [...]

Believe it or not, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago used to advertise in Time magazine. Here is an ad from 1998 featuring the bass section. I am the second player from the right. One of my favorite things about this picture is the obvious empty stool in the middle of [...]

I had an interesting Chicago Master Singers performing experience that I’d like to share. A couple of years ago I was hired by the Chicago Master Singers (see previous post) as the only instrumentalist for a couple of their concerts. The concert program was Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, a great piece for unaccompanied choir. [...]

Peter Ngan put together a great video recently using my recording of the first movement of the Eccles Sonata. I performed this piece in June this year on Gary Karr’s former 1611 “Amati” bass. It is a great juxtaposition of images and music, and it is very flattering that he would [...]

Check out this great clip from YouTube of a performance of the Super Mario Bros theme on an 11 string bass!

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Maurizio Ortolani e-mailed me today about a recent podcast from the NAC podcasts. The fabulous double bassist Joel Quarrington was interviewed this week on the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada. This is a great podcast interview that is an essential listen for any classical musician. I just found out about this [...]

All double bass players need a decent gig bag. Unlike the other members of the stringed instrument family, double bass players carry instruments in soft cases about 90% of the time. Having a durable, well-padded soft case is essential for any bass player.
As far as bass bags go, I definitely think that the [...]

Matthew Wengerd posted a great video of the Ray Brown trio playing Summertime. Ray, along with Jeff Hamilton on drums and Gene Harris on piano, really tear it up here. This is a great take on a classic tune. Check out his post here, and check out the video below:

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This post contains thoughts and observations about playing Gary Karr’s former double bass. Read the first part of my “Amati” bass story here.
 
When I first picked up the Amati bass from Aaron Reilly at the Guarneri House, I couldn’t wait to get it home and start working on my recital program. I pulled [...]