Making music with Eighth Blackbird

I’ve had the opportunity to perform with new music ensemble Eighth Blackbird with the IRIS Orchestra in Memphis, Tennessee, several years ago (former Contrabass Conversations guest Scott Best–my stand partner in this orchestra–went to school with the...

How “Not” to Play Hindemith?

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPzcsPVyVdM My student Dave Elbrecht pointed this out to me. Here’s what the video includes as commentary: A "how not to play" demonstration of the Hindemith Double Bass Sonata, 3rd movement. Don’t play it too...

Mad Men and reminiscences of an earlier era

Ahhh, Mad Men. My brother got me into the show over the summer of 2009. I don’t watch anything on actual live television (I don’t even remember how to switch our entertainment center over to live TV!), generally waiting until a season of a show has...

Music was bass player Spellman’s passion – JSOnline

Frank Almond, the Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony and one of my fellow Inside the Arts bloggers, sent me a link to this story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that exquisitely captures the way many bass players would like to be remembered at their wake:...

Moving to Hyde Park

Three years ago, my (now) wife and I got engaged and almost immediately afterward both decided to dump freelance music in favor of other career paths. I opted for music education (a transition well-documented here on the blog) and, after a few years spent slogging my...