Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

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You’d think that it would be virtually impossible to forget your instrument when heading off for a concert, yet many musicians have found themselves halfway to a gig when their eyes suddenly widen and they whirl around in the car, breath catching in their throat, wondering if they really remembered to put their violin, [...]

 

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We’re featuring an interview with jazz bassist Rufus Reid on this week’s episode of Contrabass Conversations. This interview was conducted by guest host Win Hinkle, a former member of the Florida Symphony Orchestra (this orchestra dissolved in 1993) who also worked in Florida as a trombonist, electric bassist, and double bassist, including a lot [...]

We’ll be featuring an interview with and music from jazz bass legend Rufus Reid this week on Contrabass Conversations. I’m very stoked to get to be able to feature this great artist on the podcast! The list of notable double bass guests grows ever longer as we approach episode 100, and though we’ve definitely skewed [...]

It’s a great feeling to have completed and put out Road Warrior Without an Expense Account, my first book, earlier this year. It’s a considerable amount of work to publish a book; though I think I always knew this, going through the process personally really drives it home! If you are interested in where employment [...]

Here’s a fun little story that one of my more senior colleagues recently passed along to me:
Many years ago, the conductor Hans Werner Henze was rehearsing Stauss’ tone poem “Till Eugenspiegel” with the Chicago Symphony. There is a particularly snarly passage for the bassoons and violas in this piece–it’s the sort of thing that regularly [...]

As I’ve blogged several times in the past month, my summer so far has been spent playing chamber music in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin. This has been a blast, but after several weeks up north I’ve been itching to get back to Chicago, and I ducked mid-concert on July 3rd (I only played the first [...]

Adaptistration blogger and Inside the Arts mastermind Drew McManus recently put out a post about summer music festivals that really caught my eye. In this post (dated 6/27/08), Drew writes:
Unlike regular season positions, music festivals have an added bonus by offering their exclusive location as an added incentive to performance and travel pay. Add to [...]

 

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We’re featuring a conversation with double bassist and composer Weldon Anderson on this week’s episode of Contrabass Conversations. In this episode, we’re chatting about Weldon’s experiences as a Broadway musician with the innovative Squonk Opera, his perspectives on freelancing, and an interesting back-and-forth on the music business in general. Check out the first part of [...]

I like going out after concerts (who doesn’t?), but over the years I’ve grown weary of the stares and chuckles that I always get when I show up to a bar or restaurant in my tails and frilly shirt. I get enough wise comments from people just carrying my dang instrument around, so I try [...]

San Diego Symphony Principal Bassist Jeremy Kurtz forwarded some links to new videos of Edgar Meyer live in concert with mandolin player Chris Thile. These videos have been popping up on YouTube as this smokin’ duo tours the United States. If you get a chance, I’d highly recommend checking these guys out: