Contrabass Conversations

Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony bassist Andrew Anderson teaches concepts, ideas, and techniques for this double bass in this multi-part series. Andy teaches at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony bassist Andrew Anderson teaches concepts, ideas, and techniques for this double bass in this multi-part series. Andy teaches at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Welcome to Story Time with the Contrabass Conversations podcast!  This new venture was inspired by the great podcast Digital Flotsam (along with a healthy dose of This American Life), and it features me narrating my story about fitting basses in cabs, along with topical songs, sound effects, and more.

Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony bassist Andrew Anderson teaches concepts, ideas, and techniques for this double bass in this multi-part series. Andy teaches at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.

This week's Contrabass Conversations episode features the conclusion of our interview with double bassist Michael Hovnanian. Click here to listen to Michael's previous episodes (CBC 24 and 29). Michael has been a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1989, and he serves as the president of Discordia Music (double bass music publisher). Michael also plays for the Gunnelpumpers, Chicago Bass Ensemble, Music of the Baroque, and the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra. He authors the popular CSO Bass Blog, and he has served on the faculty for Northwestern University and the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Michael was also my bass teacher for my undergraduate and graduate degrees at Northwestern, and it was really great to get a chance to do this interview. You will also get a chance to hear Michael play the Discordia Music edition of the Schubert Arpeggione Sonata on this episode.

After our interview with Michael, we'll be featuring two tunes from Chicago-area jazz bassist Mark Sonksen. Mark is the owner of Sonksen Strings, a double bass repair and retail shop located in Chicago. Enjoy!

Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony bassist Andrew Anderson teaches concepts, ideas, and techniques for this double bass in this multi-part series. Andy teaches at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.

In preparation for this weekend’s CBC episode featuring the final part of our Ranaan Meyer interview, we’re putting out this great video of Ranaan performing I’m Tryin’, one of his original compositions. Ranaan is the bassist for the excellent trio Time for Three, and after watching this video, I think you’ll see that Ranaan is a huge part of why this group has become so popular.

This week's Contrabass Conversations episode concludes our chat with Time for Three bassist Ranaan Meyer. CBC guest and co-host John Grillo joins us in this interview, and the three of us had a very engaging conversation. You can check out the first part of our interview plus CBC video episodes featuring Ranaan on his Contrabass Conversations page here, and visit Time for Three's website at www.tf3.com.

Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony bassist Andrew Anderson teaches concepts, ideas, and techniques for this double bass in this multi-part series. Andy teaches at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony bassist Andrew Anderson teaches concepts, ideas, and techniques for this double bass in this multi-part series. Andy teaches at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts.