Contrabass Conversations

Today's episode features Lauren Pierce and Geoff Chalmers, both of whom have been doing some remarkable things online in the world of the bass. What's really cool is that these two have paired up to do a new web series called Ask Geoff and Lauren. In this episode, we talk about each of their respective sites and what they've been developing online. You can find Geoff online at discoverdoublebass.com and Lauren at laurenpiercebass.com and on her Facebook artist page at facebook.com/LaurenPierceBass. Enjoy!

Based in the UK, Geoff has performed on numerous gigs, shows, cruise ships, tours and recording sessions. He has a degree in jazz bass, as well as a postgraduate diploma in classical music. In addition to being a busy freelance bassist Geoff is also an experienced educator having taught bass at schools, colleges and universities, as well as to hundreds of private students.

In August 2013 Geoff founded Discover Double Bass with it's free lessons library covering a wide range of styles and techniques. The videos are now being viewed thousands of times each week and a new lesson is released every two weeks.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lauren began her musical studies at the age of seven on piano and voice. Later, she was introduced to the Double Bass and soon began lessons with the late Douglas Sommer, section bassist for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. While studying with Douglas Sommer, she continued her studies at the University of South Carolina under the tutelage of Dr. Craig Butterfield. During her studies at USC, Lauren was given the Presser Scholar Award, named a Magellan Scholar, and in 2010, performed a concerto with the University of South Carolina Symphony as the winner of that years USC Concerto Competition. After graduating from USC, Lauren moved to Denton, Texas to study the double bass with Jeffrey Bradetich. During this period, Lauren competed in the American String Teachers Association Competition and the International Society of Bassists Competition. In 2014, she was named coordinator of the Bradetich Summer Bass Camps.

It is our pleasure to bring you this interview with Paul Ellison. Paul is chair of strings and professor of double bass at Rice University, where he has taught for the past four decades. He is the former principal bass of the Houston Symphony, former president of the International Society of Bassists, and has had a significant impact on the double bass world. In this interview, we discuss Paul's early background, his encounters with François Rabbath, being a musical athlete on the bass, gut strings and the adoption of steel strings, the undergraduate experience at Rice University, and many other topics. Enjoy!

Performing solo and ensemble concerts as well as giving master classes on the double bass and period instruments on four continents, Paul Ellison is the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Double Bass and chair of strings at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, Visiting Artist-Faculty University of Southern California and guest tutor at the Yehudi Menuhin School, the Royal College of Music, and Bass Club, England. Current summer positions include principal bass at the Grand Teton Music Festival, faculty/performer at the Sarasota Music Festival and faculty/performer at Festival Domaine Forget, Quebec. Former students hold titled positions in major ensembles and institutions of higher learning on five continents. Previous positions include principal bass of Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Aspen Festival Orchestras (also faculty), professor of double bass and chair of strings at the University of Southern California, and president of the International Society of Bassists. Ellison was the first to receive both the diploma and teaching certificate from Institut International Rabbath, Paris.

We are featuring Blair Tindall on the podcast today. Blair is the author of the book Mozart in the Jungle, which explores the world of classical musicians in a very compelling narrative. Blair and I talk about life as a New York freelancer, her journey into a career as a writer, and we take a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the production of the TV series.

Mozart in the Jungle has been turned into a TV series on Amazon Video. The first season received two Golden Globe nominations (one for best comedy series and one for Gael Garcia Bernal for best actor) and the second season launches today! If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you can stream all episodes, and if you don't yet use Amazon Prime, you can start a free 30-day trial here.

About Shigeru:

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Shigeru Ishikawa is one of the foremost double bassists of his generation, both as a performer and a teacher. He is currently He is currently Solo Bass (ie. principal bass) of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. Shigeru previously served as the principal double bass (Solo Kontrabass) of the BernerSymphonieOrchester in Bern, Switzerland, which he started in 2006. His performance has been described as "irresistible charm" (Der Bund), "jewel of a crown" (Miami Herald), "deep-rumbling bravura with athletic, fleet-fingered virtuosity" (Sun Sentinel).

He was the principal bassist of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra from 1997 to 2003 under the music directors of James Judd and Joseph Silverstein. Prior to that, he served as the guest principal bass with the New Japan Philharmonic in 1996 under Seiji Ozawa Music Director and was the principal bass of the New World Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas from 1993 to 1996. He has been also the member of Saito Kinen Orchestra (Seiji Ozawa, Music Director) since 1992 where he participated in numerous recordings on Philips and Decca label. Maestro Ozawa chose him as the solo bassist (Chamber Orchestra) of Saito Kinen Orchestra for Britten's War Requiem both in Japan and US tour in 2009 and 2010 and recorded on Decca label.

In addition to his orchestral activities, Shigeru Ishikawa regularly presents solo and chamber music performances. Since 1991 he has given numerous recitals both in Japan and USA , places including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Matsumoto, Sapporo, New York, Miami, Boca Raton, and has appeared in radio broadcast in both countries. In 2009, his Recital in Tokyo was broadcasted by NHK, Japan's national television network, and especially Franck's violin sonata performed on bass brought sensation throughout Japan. In U.S.A, he has released CD with Trio Tres Amigo with oboe and piano. He has also appeared as a soloist to perform concertos, such as Koussevitzky concerto with Lynn Philharmonic, Bottesini Tarantella with Renaissance Chamber Orchestra and BottesiniPassioneAmorosa with BernerSymphonieOrchester. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Berlin Quartet, IvryGitlis, members of Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bolomeo String Quartet.

As a winner of JAA music award in New York in 1991, he gave a New York debut recital in Carnegie Hall. He is also the prize winner of Bass94 International Doublebass Competition in 1994 in Avignon, France. In 1999, he was invited to give a recital at the International Society of Bassists Convention in the United States

He is also known as a supreme teacher with modern double bass technique. He served on the faculty of Boston Conservatory from 1996 to 1997 and after he came to Florida, he has taught at Harid Conservatory, Lynn University and Florida Atlantic University. He regularly gives master classes in the United States and Japan.

He received his Bachelor of Economics degree from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, and his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music in 1992.In addition, he has studied at Yale School of Music and Toho Gakuen School of Music. His primary bass instructors have been Eugene Levinson, Gary Karr, Edwin Barker and Shunsaku Tsutsumi.

Today we talk with Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist Brian Johnson, who has just released an app for iOS called Learn Double Bass. What a cool app! This app (currently free!) contains over 70 videos that clearly cover a specific bass topic. These videos range from the very first steps (tuning the bass, rosining the bow) to more advanced concepts like spiccato. In addition to these videos, the app contains a great number of helpful PDF resources.

Brian also teaches at California State University at Fullerton and at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, and he was a member of the Kansas City Symphony and Oregon Symphony prior to his current position with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It's great to see this kind of quality content from a professional orchestra player. I can see everyone from a beginning bassist to someone gearing up for orchestral auditions benefiting from this app, and I think that teachers in particular (both classroom and private) will find this immensely useful.

Check out the app here, and follow along with Learn Double Bass on Facebook and on Instagram. Brian is putting out some great practice tips on Instagram as well as some excellent bass shots.

We are featuring our complete interview with former Indiana University and University of Michigan double bass professor Lawrence Hurst on this week's Contrabass Conversations episode. This interview was broadcast in the early days of this show in three separate parts, and we are pleased to present the complete and uninterrupted interview on this week's show. This episode was co-hosted by John Grillo. Enjoy!

Lawrence Hurst began his musical studies on the piano accordion at the age of four. At 13, he started studying the double bass through the public school system of his hometown, Norfolk, Virginia. After serving two years with the Seventh Army Symphony, he started his professional career as principal bassist with the Dallas Symphony under Sir Georg Solti. He joined the music faculty at the University of Michigan School of Music in 1964. During his tenure at Michigan, he chaired the String Department and was Associate Dean and Director of the University Division of the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan. In 1986 he joined the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana Universtiy and was the chair of the String Department from 1987 until 2012. In 1967, he joined the summer faculty of the famed National Music Camp (now the Interlochen Arts Camp) and has taught there every summer since. His students can be found in orchestras and musical venues all over the world, including the orchestras of Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Atlanta, The Metropolitan Opera, St. Louis, and Milwaukee, to name a few. In 2005 he was given the American String Teacher's Association Artist/Teacher of the Year Award, and, in 2006, the International Society of Bassists (of which he is past president) gave him the Distinguished Teaching Award. In JUne, 2013, the ISB also awarded him the Distinguished Achievement Award. He retired from the Jacobs School of Music in June 2012, whereupon his former students initiated an endowment scholarship and medal for double bassists in his name.

We're featuring San Francisco Symphony Principal Double Bass and University of Michigan faculty member Scott Pingel on this week's show. In addition to holding down the principal bass chair for the San Francisco Symphony, Scott taught for several years at the San Francisco Conservatory, and he served as Principal Bass of the Charleston Symphony prior to his appointment in San Francisco.

This was really a great interview, and it was a pleasure to connect again with Scott (we played together for the Spoleto Festival over a decade ago). You'll learn a lot about how Scott approaches practicing for auditions, his interesting path to becoming a bass player, and the instruments and bows on which he has spent the last several years performing.

About Scott:

Scott Pingel began playing the double bass at age 17 because of a strong interest in jazz, Latin, and classical music. In 2004, at age 29, he became the principal bass of the San Francisco Symphony and was named by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the most prominent additions to the ensemble.

Previously, Pingel served as principal bass of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, performed with the Metropolitan Opera, the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, and served as guest principal with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Canada. His solo performances with ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and in recitals frequently consisting of his own arrangements, have been met with high critical acclaim. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with such luminaries as Yo-Yo Ma, Julia Fischer, Gilbert Kalish, Wu Han, Joseph Silverstein, Yefim Bronfman, and members of the esteemed Emerson, Miro, Pacifica, St. Lawrence, Danish, and Takacs Quartets. He can often be heard at the Music@Menlo and Music in the Vineyards festivals and on television and radio programs including NPR's Performance Today.

Formerly active as a jazz musician and electric bassist, Pingel worked with greats including Michael Brecker, Geoff Keezer, and James Williams, and performed in venues from Birdland in New York to Fasching in Stockholm. Pingel has taught masterclasses at prestigious institutions such as the Curtis Institute of Music, The Julliard School, Colburn School, Boston University, Manhattan School of Music, Shanghai Conservatory, Beijing Central Conservatory, and the New World Symphony. Pingel's primary instructors were James Clute, Peter Lloyd, and Timothy Cobb. He earned a BM degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a MM degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and spent two years as a fellow at the New World Symphony.

Outside of music, Pingel spent many years studying the ancient Korean martial art of Hwa Rang Do, in which he holds a black belt. He was an instructor at the Madison Academy of Hwa Rang Do and founded the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Hwa Rang Do/Tae Soo Do Program, which continues to this day. Pingel lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, Iris, and their daughters, Hannah and Sophia.

Vanhal complete performance with San Francisco Academy Orchestra

Scott's "dueling banjos" cadenza video

We're featuring an interview with bassist Larry Gray on this week's episode. Larry's multi-instrumental path has taken him through performance on guitar, flute, cello, and piano in addition to bass. Larry is in high demand as a jazz bassist in Chicago, performing regularly for decades at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase, and he teaches at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Enjoy!

Born on Chicago's south side, Larry Gray is considered by many to be one of jazz music's finest double bassists. His impressive versatility and uncommon musical curiosity keep him in demand as both a leader and sideman.

Larry began his musical studies at the age of five when his father brought home an accordion and introduced him to his first teacher. Invigorated by this study, Larry added the guitar to his arsenal and studied piano seriously for many years thereafter. It was not until he was in his twenties that he decided to switch to the double bass. Larry went on to study classical music extensively, eventually adding the cello to his long list of loved instruments. His principal teachers were Joseph Guastafeste, longtime principal bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and cellist Karl Fruh, a highly regarded soloist and teacher. Under Mr. Fruh's guidance, he received bachelors and masters degrees in cello performance from the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University.

Throughout his long and varied career, Larry has worked with numerous exceptional artists and jazz legends, including McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Danilo Perez, Branford Marsalis, Benny Green, Freddy Cole, Benny Golson, Steve Turre, George Coleman, Lee Konitz, Bobby Hutcherson, Sonny Fortune, Ira Sullivan, Junior Mance, David "Fathead" Newman, Willie Pickens, Ann Hampton Callaway, Charles McPherson, Antonio Hart, Jackie McLean, Sonny Stitt, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Al Cohn, Randy Brecker, Nicholas Payton, Kurt Elling, Eric Alexander, Phil Woods, Jon Faddis, Roscoe Mitchell, Von Freeman, Wilbur Campbell, Eddie Harris, and Les McCann. In addition, he has collaborated with guitarists Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, and Tal Farlow, as well trumpeters Donald Byrd, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and Tom Harrell, among others.

Larry continues to tour extensively, performing at jazz festivals and clubs around the globe, including the Umbria Jazz Festival, the Havana Jazz Festival, Rio Sao Paulo Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, ECM Festival in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, the Poznan Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, the Montreaux Detroit Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Hollywood Bowl, Village Vanguard, Blue Note (New York and Tokyo), Kennedy Center, and the Ravinia Festival, with such jazz luminaries as Marian McPartland, Clark Terry, Nancy Wilson, Frank Morgan, James Moody, Larry Coryell, Louis Bellson, Barry Harris, Dorothy Donegan, Monty Alexander, Frank Wess, Joe Williams, Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band, Kenny Drew Jr., and most recently, Ramsey Lewis.

As a classical musician, Larry played several seasons with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, including a year as principal bass. He worked on many occasions with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under master conductors Erich Leinsdorf, Rafeal Kubelik, Carlo Maria Guilini, and Sir George Solti. He also was the featured double bassist with Lyric Opera for the world premiere of the opera Amistad.

Larry is an arranger and composer whose work has been widely recognized as uniquely melodic and exceptionally refined. His discography includes 1,2, 3,..., on Chicago Sessions, the solo bass record, Gravity, One Look, and Solo + Quartet, all on Graywater Records, as well as the Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson collaborations Meant to Be and Simple Pleasures. He can also be heard on the Ramsey Lewis recordings Appassionata, Time Flies, and With One Voice, and the latest release, Songs From the Heart. Larry also arranged and produced the critically acclaimed CD, Django by Ferro.

Furthermore, Larry has recorded with Chet Baker, Curtis Fuller, Ira Sullivan, Lin Halliday, Willie Pickens, Nicholas Payton, Randy Brecker, Bunky Green, Bob Moses, Irish flute-whistle virtuoso Laurence Nugent, pop sensations Linda Eder, Dennis DeYoung, and Peter Cetera, and songwriter Michael Smith, among others. In addition, Larry is a first-call studio musician, and his playing can be heard on many commercial radio and television jingles and studio projects as well as the PBS television series, Legends of Jazz, where he can be seen performing alongside Jim Hall, Benny Golson, Chris Potter, Phil Woods, David Sanborn, Chris Botti, Clark Terry, and Roy Hargrove.

In addition, Larry's original composition for double bass and guitar, Five Movements, was commissioned and performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble at Symphony Center in Chicago. Most recently, Larry has composed two commissioned works for the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Tribute to the Bass Masters Suite was premiered at the Poznan Festival in Poland in 2008 to much acclaim. A second work, String Thing, was first presented in Chicago in October 2010 as part of the Jazz Institute of Chicago Jazz in Chicago series. Larry also completed a collaborative project with bassists Rufus Reid and Joseph Guastafeste that was premiered in March of 2011 in Chicago.

Larry Gray is also a dedicated teacher and is Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also served for many years on the faculties at DePaul University and Northern Illinois University. Active as a clinician at high school and colleges and festivals thought North America, he also coaches various instrumentalists in jazz techniques as well as music theory, sight-singing, and composition.

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Here's another popular episode from the Contrabass Conversations archives. If you haven't check this episode out before (or even if you have), you'll be in for a real treat as we explore the world of the double bass with Mr. Barker.

We're featuring Boston Symphony Principal Bassist Ed Barker on this week's Contrabass Conversations episode. Conducted by Contrabass Conversations co-host John Grillo, this episode features John chatting with Ed about his early years on the bass, his schooling and time spent in the Chicago Symphony prior to his appointment with the Boston Symphony, and in-depth look at articulation on the bass, and a discussion on practicing. We hope you enjoy this conversation with this modern master performer and teacher of the double bass!

Edwin Barker is recognized as one of the most gifted bassists on the American concert scene. Acknowledged as an accomplished solo and ensemble player, Mr. Barker has concertized in North America, Europe, and the Far East. Edwin Barker has performed and recorded with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, and with the contemporary music ensemble Collage, a Boston – based contemporary music ensemble, and is a frequent guest performer with the Boston Chamber Music Society. Mr. Barker gave the world premiere of James Yannatos' Concerto for Contrabass and Chamber Orchestra and of Theodore Antoniou's Concertino for Contrabass and Chamber Orchestra ; he was the featured soloist in the New England premiere of Gunther Schuller's Concerto for Double Bass and Chamber Orchestra, conducted by the composer with The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Barker graduated with honors from the New England Conservatory in 1976, where he studied double bass with Henry Portnoi. That same year, while a member of the Chicago Symphony, he was appointed at age 22 to the position of principal double bass of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His other double bass teachers included Peter Mercurio, Richard Stephan, Angelo LaMariana, and David Perleman.

Mr. Barker was invited to inaugurate the 100th anniversary season of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with a solo performance of the Koussevitzky Bass Concerto; other solo engagements have included appearances at Ozawa Hall (Tanglewood), Carnegie Recital Hall's "Sweet and Low" series, and at major universities and conferences throughout the world, as well as concerto performances with the Boston Classical Orchestra, the Athens State Orchestra (Greece) and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Boston and Europe. He was a featured premiere soloist with the Boston Symphony of John Harbison's Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra at Tanglewood's 2007 Festival of Contemporary Music. Mr. Barker is an Associate Professor at the Boston University College of Fine Arts where he teaches double bass, orchestral techniques, and chamber music. His other major teaching affiliations include the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Tanglewood Music Center, where he is Chairman of Instrumental and Orchestral Studies. Edwin Barker's solo CD recordings include Three Sonatas for Double Bass, on Boston Records, James Yannatos' Variations for Solo Contrabass, on Albany Records, and Concerti for Double Bass, on GM Recordings, which includes bass concerti by Gunther Schuller and Theodore Antoniou. Concerti for Contrabass also includes his highly praised performance of Tom Johnson's Failing , which was recorded live at Harvard University's Sanders Theater. Edwin Barker's latest solo offering on CD is a recently released performance of James Yannatos' Concerto for Contrabass with Collage. This episode originally aired on June 6, 2009. Enjoy!

This week's episode contains a recital I did about ten years ago on the Karr-Koussevitzky Double Bass. I was thrilled to have this opportunity and thought a lot about what sort of repertoire would be best suited for a recital like this. Eventually I settled on a traditional program that I thought tapped into some aspect of either Gary Karr or Koussevitzky. Lyric Opera of Chicago bassist Greg Sarchet was kind enough to set this event up for me at Northeastern Illinois University in their gorgeous recital hall.

You'll hear the following pieces on this recital:

• Eccles Sonata (complete)
• Koussevitzky Valse Miniature
• Gliere Intermezzo
• Hindemith Sonata
• Massenet Meditation from "Thais"

It's a live recital and has its share of mistakes for sure, but it's kind of cool to get a chance to hear that bass, and it was certainly a great opportunity for me to play on a piece of history. Enjoy--more interviews coming next week!

Amati recital program NEIU (PDF)