Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

After the first half of our 10th or 11th Nutcracker performance this season, the principal horn for the ballet company that I work for (sometimes with disastrous effects) came up to me with a knowing half-grin on his face. We had just finished playing the big ‘battle scene’ with the armed mice, probably [...]

You’ve just gotta love this profession. No matter how many roadblocks get tossed in their path, musicians always seem to find a way around them, taking things in stride and laughing about it later with each other over either coffee or beer (depending on the hour!). Whether it’s butchering the Messiah by whacking [...]

It’s early December and I am knee deep in Messiah season, pumping them out on a daily basis for ensembles all across Chicagoland. 
Messiah Messiah Messiah Messiah Messiah….I eat, drink, and breathe this piece morning, noon, and night this time of year.  Just what I think I’ve escaped, it pulls me back in with yet [...]

I was thinking recently about a funny and masterful prank pulled by the principal bass of a very high-quality orchestra while performing Mahler’s First Symphony several years ago.  Now, part of this piece utilizes offstage trumpets, and this particular prank revolved around these musicians.  Mahler was a big fan of the offstage instrumental sound, as [...]

Ever have a day that goes from bad to worse in a real hurry?  Well, I sure did a few years ago, and although I’ve now told this story in text and audio form, I just couldn’t resist putting it together as a video.  Actually, this is more like an animated slideshow than anything else, [...]

 

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This is the audio rendition of a tale that most regular blog readers have probably read the tale of my car explosion before–if you haven’t, you a follow along as you listen to this. This is a tale of a night that went from bad to worse in a big old hurry, and it is [...]

This is the video version of my recent Story Time with Contrabass Conversations episode about cabs. It’s…well…..sort of a video, anyway. Check it out and see. I have taken various photos and put them together in a kind of slideshow/documentary/video podcast episode. If you’re a podcast subscriber (and if you’re not, [...]

Welcome to Story Time with the Contrabass Conversations podcast! This new venture was inspired by the great podcast Digital Flotsam (along with a healthy dose of This American Life), and it features me narrating my story about fitting basses in cabs, along with topical songs, sound effects, and more.
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This topic was actually the very first personal narrative ever attempted here on the blog, a little less than a year ago. While I still enjoy this previous post (with pictures of the described drive), the topic of all-night commuting is such a painfully bizarre one that I thought it could stand to [...]

One of my colleagues recently won positions in three regional orchestras. This very talented individual began his college career as a biochemistry major, later switching his major to double bass performance. This highly intelligent and talented scientific mind then focused his energies on becoming the best double bass player he could possibly be, practicing long [...]