Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

We’re continuing our feature on double bassist Volkan Orhon today with this performance from KSUI’s Know the Score program. Volkan performs Francois Rabbath’s composition Poucha Dass on this video. Francois is another former Contrabass Conversations guest. Check out his interviews and performances at contrabassconversations.com along with Volkan!

This brief video demonstrates the way that I record phone interviews along with my own voice, a method that is stable and produces a good audio product. This is harder than you might imagine! A lot of experimentation occurred before arriving at this setup, which may seem wacky but is actually quite [...]

Here’s another video from Bad Boyz of Bass member and Contrabass Conversations guest Volkan Orhon. Volkan includes the following information about this video:
This is a live performance of Richard Strauss’ Morgen for soprano, doublebass and piano. It was performed at the Benefit Concert for the September 11th Terrorist Attack Victims. Sara Metcalfe, soprano [...]

An arrangement of the Barber Adagio…for solo bass? Well, not exactly. This video features University of Iowa bass professor (and Contrabass Conversations guest) Volkan Orhon performing the solo part to the Barber Adagio along with recorded accompaniment.
Volkan writes:
This is a live performance of me playing the solo part along with the pre-recorded parts [...]

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Listen to a very tired Jason prattle on about the pros and cons of the freelance lifestyle in this video. Though I’m trying to keep the tone light, you can tell that the last few days have been nothing but driving, playing, driving, playing…

Doesn’t the expression on my face (below) make you curious what this video’s all about?  Check it out–notice how I put my hand up to shield my face as a car pulls into the spot next to me in the parking lot.  I guess that I didn’t want to look too crazy to the audience [...]

The bass world is small, and Contrabass Conversations is quickly helping to make it even smaller! We featured double bassist Anthony Stoops on the podcast last weekend (episode 67). Anthony is a wonderful bass soloist, teacher, orchestral player, and composer, as well as chairing the string department at the University of Oklahoma, and [...]

Here’s a short video of me discussing in the clearest terms possible what podcasting is and why it is cool. Stay tuned to the end of the video for my cat Dan being bad on top of the computer–he does this thing where he swats at the calendar and causes general mayhem while perched [...]

I chat on this video about an overly enthusiastic fan at a recent concert featuring Broadway singer Linda Eder.  Notice my cat Angel right behind my head–I was completely unaware of her there.

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I definitely identify with Laurel and Hardy in this sketch, playing my bass in the snow with little attention from people passing by, goofing around while simultaneously miserable in the winter weather. Add in a long drive to this ‘gig’ and you’ve captured my life to a T.