Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

After putting out what may possibly be the worst (or best, depending on your perspective) classical music album cover of all time on a recent post, blog reader Chris pointed me to this fabulous list of top ten worst albums.  I’ll be blogging these from time to time, but be sure to check out [...]

After putting out what may possibly be the worst (or best, depending on your perspective) classical music album cover of all time on a recent post, blog reader Chris pointed me to this fabulous list of top ten worst albums.  I’ll be blogging these from time to time, but be sure to check out [...]

OK–now this is one for the history books. I’d love to have been a fly on the wall for the brainstorming session that produced this!
“Let’s see… Holst’s Planets… we need phasers, headdresses, underwear on the outside…”

I always try to inject a little levity on Fridays here on the blog. This video (which I originally discovered on a post from To The Point) is freakin’ amazing, with literally everything but the kitchen sink.
Finnish rock band The Leningrad Cowboys is joined by the Red Army Choir in this Soviet Era performance [...]

The Chicago Symphony doesn’t pre-screen audition candidates for their  orchestra, allowing anyone who sends a resume and deposit check to get an audition time.  While this is an extremely egalitarian approach to the audition process (anyone who wants a shot gets a shot at auditioning for the Chicago Symphony), it also makes for some amusing [...]

Chicago Symphony bassist and active blogger Michael Hovnanian just put out a post recounting a highly wacky gig that he played with other members of his orchestra.  This gig (on Good Friday) happened to land on the day of a freak snow storm here in Chicago, with the metro area receiving 6-12 inches of snow [...]

I blogger!  I no like sun!

This story is also available in a video version.
_____________
Ahhhh! Ahhhh!
My focus shattered, I looked up from my music and all around me. Where was that yelling coming from? We were just starting the second half of an orchestral pops concert in a vast arena-like theater out by the airport in metro Chicago, [...]

A colleague of mine passed along this entertaining (and true!) tale from a concert in a local per-service gig orchestra.  I know a lot of musicians who perform in this orchestra (which I’ll refrain from naming here), which makes it even funnier to me.
___________
A regional orchestra in metro Chicago was recently rehearsing a piece with [...]

When you think about it, isn’t it amazing that a group of musicians can ever play together in a symphonic setting? Honestly, having all those different instruments, from tuba to tympani, with all those methods of sound production, from blowing to plucking, situated across either a vast resonant expanse of stage or a subterranean [...]