Dan Armstrong performs Jason Seed Bass Quartet… by himself!
Milwaukee-based composer Jason Seed regularly collaborates with Chicago Symphony bassist Dan Armstrong in the Jason Seed Elixir Ensemble. Dan describes this ensemble as a “jazz-rock-folk-classical-world-new music group” (whew!), and we’ve featured this group previously on the blog.
The following video features Dan Armstrong playing all four parts (overdubbed) to Jason Seed’s Bass Quartet, with images from the Chicago Symphony’s 2009 tour of Europe serving as visuals for the music. Enjoy, and be sure to check out the Jason Seed Elixir Ensemble on MySpace as well:
Experibass – combining violin, viola, cello and bass
Sound designer, composer and (now) instrument maker Diego Stocco has created a hybrid instrument by combining a violin, viola, cello, and bass into one instrument. What a cool idea! Here’s a video of Diego putting together the instrument and playing this amalgamation (he uses drum sticks, a bass drum pedal, and even a fork to play it!):
More information (including pictures) is available through the following link:
Experibass on the Behance Network
Dave Anderson Sonata No. 2 now available
Dave Anderson, who in addition to being an excellent composer and bassist (as well as a former Contrabass Conversations guest), has just published his Sonata No. 2 for Double Bass and Piano. This piece was written for Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bass Hal Robinson an was premiered at the 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention.
I’m a huge fan of Dave’s music–I’ve played his Capriccio No. 2 (YouTube link of me playing it) about…well, I’ve lost count. Dozens of times, at least. I’m also working on his Four Short Pieces, which I really enjoy playing, and I’m hoping to do his Seven Bass Duets on an upcoming recital. He is, in my opinion, one of the best composers writing for the bass today, and I highly encourage checking out his music.
Dave Anderson Sonata No. 2 (ordering link)
CBC 96: Kells Nollenberger and the Kaleidoscope Trio
We’re featuring two tracks from Contrabass Conversations contributor Kells Nollenberger and his new album with the Kaleidoscope Trio. Kells also has a podcast called The Jazz Exchange and guest hosted an interview with Steve Rodby for us in the past.
We’ll be hearing the first and last tracks from their new album Map to the Ocean, which is available as a free download on the Jazz Exchange website here. If you enjoy this music, please consider making a donation to the Kaleidoscope Trio, which you can do on the page where you download the album. This model of distribution is going to become more and more common in the coming years, and the way to ensure that artists like these continue to great new material is to give them some support, both with a little cash and by checking them out when they perform live.
Tracks performed:
- Horizon
- 19th Century Photograph
This episode is sponsored by The String Emporium
Bass composers -highlights from Contrabass Conversations
Where would we be without double bass composers? These four individuals have made great strides in promoting the double bass and innovating musically. We have more composers in our Contrabass Conversations archives–just dig through and see who else strikes your fancy:
Peter Askim 
Active as a composer, conductor and bassist, Peter Askim is the Music Director and Composer-in-Residence of the Idyllwild Arts Academy. He has been a member of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and served on the faculty of the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where he directed the Contemporary Music Ensemble and taught theory and composition.
Dave Anderson
Dave’s compositions span the gamut from solo double bass to full symphony orchestra, and his Concerto for Double Bass was commissioned and premiered by Hal Robinson and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a former board member of the International Society of Bassists, and his Capriccio No. 2 served as the required solo competition piece at the 1997 ISB convention.
Donovan Stokes
An active soloist, composer, and clinician Stokes is a specialist in the use of amplified and electronically manipulated double bass and performs regularly both as a soloist and a sideman in a variety of musical genres, venues and collaborations.
Bjorn Berkhout
Dr. Berkhout’s music has received attention at many national and international festivals including June in Buffalo, Music Ninety-Eight in Cincinnati, the New Music Symposium 2001 at the Domaine Forget in Canada, and the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt, Germany. His music has been recognized through many international awards and contests. In 2005 he was selected as one of six semifinalists for the prestigious Raymond and Beverly Sackler Music Composition Prize. In 2004 he was the winner of the Omaha Symphony Guild’s International Composition Contest for his work REM, a Lucid Dream Fantasy for solo cello and two chamber orchestras. His work Visual Sound, which had its premier in Amsterdam, was nominated for the Gaudeamus Prize 2000 and his work Zapstar was one of six works selected for the ALEA III 2003 International Composers Contest.
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