Hi folks! I hope your August is progressing smoothly. I’m kicking back here in San Francisco and looking forward to heading down to Texas for the International Bradetich Competition in a couple of weeks.
Check out this press release from the University of North Texas for more details about the event, and check out last week’s blog post for videos of all 21 contestants in action.
Avoiding Burnout
I know that summer is when we’re supposed to be recharging our batteries for the upcoming season. But after weeks of traveling, teaching, and playing outdoor venues, it’s easy to feel burned out.
Can we really do it all and maintain a healthy balance? That’s what Geoff Chalmers and Lauren Pierce dig into in this episode of Ask Geoff and Lauren:
Check out my conversation with both of them to learn more about what they’re up to online!
Events
Bass Orchestra Army performs Thriller arrangement for Bass Works 2017
Here’s a great video of all the Bass Works folks performing Alex Jacobsen’s arrangement of Thriller:
Learn more about this event in my interview with Bass Works coordinator Wesley Thompson.
Congrats to Valparaiso bass teacher and former podcast guest Phillip Serna for his work at the Opus Chamber Music Camp!
Here’s a video commemorating the 15 year anniversary of this Naperville, Illinois camp:
Check out this video of Susan Cahill getting ready for Grande Orquesta Navarre’s shows this Sunday with Claude Sim.
I had a great chat with Sue for the podcast this past week. Look for this episode soon!
New Publications
David Heyes continues his wonderful series A History of the Double Bass in 100 Pieces
The latest post in this series covers V.F. Verrimst – Au Clair de la Lune Variations. I find these posts fascinating and educational. Bravo to David for putting this together!
Learn more about Recital Music, David’s passion for teaching, and his various projects in my interview with him. Also, check out this special episode where David turned the tables and interviewed me!
I put out a couple “best-of” podcasts revolving around two big topics:
Lots of great feedback already on both of these episodes!
You can get these podcasts delivered to you for free by subscribing to the podcast or downloading our free app for Android, Kindle, and iOS.
Adam Ben Ezra has a new transcription of his excellent piece ‘Flamenco’ for sale:
Check out my interview with Adam to learn about his remarkable and unique musical journey.
Fun stuff to click on:
- learn more about the “straight dope on angled endpins” from Quantum Bass Center
- What schools do you think of as “music education powerhouses?” Let us know!
- Davide Grespi plays the Bottesini Elegy
- Connect with us in our Contrabass Conversations Community Facebook Group! Lots of interesting conversations happening each week.
- Gary from Upton Bass discusses the difference between their Bohemian or UB Standard Double Basses
- follow along with Jacque Harper as he experiments with Emilio Guarino’s Chromatic Endpin
- Taras Volos performs a tribute to Ornette Coleman
Interviews coming next week:
- Matthew Waters – The Orchestral Dream is Dead
- Dennis Tobenski – composer and host of the Music Publishing Podcast
- Nick Mainella – host of the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson Podcast
Interviews coming soon:
- Gary Peacock – longtime bassist for Keith Jarrett
- Larry Grenadier – bassist for Brad Mehldau trio, Pet Metheny, many others
- Benedict Puglisi – Australian luthier – Christian McBride and Larry Grenadier play his basses!
- Caroline Emery – UK-based double bass teacher, author of Bow Works and Bass is Best!
- Elsen Price – Australian experimental, contemporary, and world music bassist
- Lucia Turino – bassist for The Devil Makes Three
- Marlene Rosenberg – Chicago-based jazz bassist, collaborator with Marian McPartland and many others
- Miles Brown – bassist for Alarm Will Sound
- Patrick Charton – innovative French luthier
- Susan Cahill – Colorado Symphony bassist and University of Denver faculty
- Todd Parks – bassist for Sam Bush and many others
- Caitlyn Kamminga – faculty at University of Trinidad and Tobago
- Zach Rowden – experimental bassist
Finally, check out Emilio Guarino using his Chromatic Endpin while on tour in Norway:
Have a great week, and be sure to email me and let me know if you’ve got any bass news to share!
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