I hope that you’re having a great November! We’re getting ready for Thanksgiving here in the United States, and there’s actually been a little rain out here in San Francisco this past week–a sure sign of the seasonal change!
There’s been a flurry of activity in the double bass world since I got back from Mexico a couple weeks ago. Here are some of the most interesting stories to come across my desk, and as always, feel free to email me at jason@contrabassconversations.com if you’ve got news to share!
Jeff Bradetich 60th Birthday Concert at Carnegie Hall
Tonight (November 17, 2017), Jeff Bradetich will perform a concert at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. Jeff’s Carnegie Hall debut concert took place in 1982, and it’s great to see him back again for this celebratory event.
Here’s the program for the concert (notice the premiere of a new work by my friend and colleague Andrés Martín):
- CORELLI Violin Sonata in D minor, Op.5 No.12, ‘La Folia’
- BEETHOVEN Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2
- BLOCH Schelomo
- JAKE HEGGIE “Si, son io” from Great Scott for Soprano, Double Bass, and Piano (arr. Jeffrey Bradetich and Anastasia Markina)
- ANDRÉS MARTIN Temperamental for Double Bass and Piano (World Premiere)
- And works by Gounod and Bottesini
By the way, Jeff’s excellent book Double Bass: The Ultimate Challenge is now available in ebook form!
Adam Booker hits a bear
This one made me stop scrolling when it came up in my Facebook news feed! I hope that both Adam and the bear are OK!
Adam’s a past podcast guest, by the way, and he has some great stories of his time with Milt Hinton (as does fellow bass player Kurt Morrow).
Memories from the XII Encuentro Latinoamericano de Contrabajos
Last week, I wrote up some of my favorite memories from Andrés Martín’s wonderful Latin American Double Bass Festival. It was such a pleasure to spend a week working with these inspiring musicians from different regions of Mexico.
Here’s a video with some highlights of the event:
Bavarian Bass Days
Claus Freudenstein‘s Bavarian Bass Days wrapped up earlier this month, and Hagai
Here’s a a video from the event–check out all those basses!
Look for interesting news soon on a cool collaborative project that Claus, Andrés Martín, Donovan Stokes, and I are launching early in 2018!
More News of the Week
- Watch COMPOSED Documentary online – great performance documentary (also check out my podcast with creators John and Katie!)
- Mark Dresser and I talk extended techniques, composing, and much more
- Top Tips to Learn Arpeggios on the Double Bass – a new video from Geoff Chalmers of discoverdoublebass.com
- New album from Hans Sturm and Jackie Allen
- Speed-dating a Strad: one week with Milstein’s ex – great story from Nathan Cole
- Decoding the puzzle of our lives with Jack Unzicker
- Gediminas Gelgotas recording session at Powerplay / Roman Patkoló (double bass)
- 11 Tips for Practicing Over the Holidays from Quantum Bass Center
- Gediminas Gelgotas – Sanctifaction / Roman Patkoló (doublebass)
- New bass built by LA luthier Ralph Alcala 2017 performed by Andres Martin – hat tip: Brandino
- how to study with Kurt Muroki
Colleges Guide
You probably noticed this earlier in the week, but just in case you missed it, we just launched the long-anticipated Double Bassist’s Guide to Colleges! This is a mammoth resource profiling several hundred United States collegiate double bass programs, with articles, comparison guides, reflections from students, teachers, and alumni, and much more!
This guide will continue to grow and develop over time, with future plans to expand it into a worldwide resource. Check it out here, and have a great weekend!
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