Contrabass Conversations

In addition to being an outstanding bassist, Mary Javian has an inspiring goal in life: to use music to create positive social change in communities.

We dig into her role as Chair of Career Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, what this institution offered in terms of career development when she was a student and how it has evolved over the years, what this work means to her, the importance of authentic community engagement, and much more.

Mary and I have played together in the Iris Orchestra several times over the years, and it was such a pleasure to finally have her on the podcast!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

• Kolstein Music
• Discover Double Bass
• Nick Lloyd Basses

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

The whole world is adjusting to new ways of interaction, and the world of music advocacy is no exception. Jessica Garand's Opportunity Music Project has been doing a particularly good job of adapting their El Sistema-style program to these current times, with their Sponsor a Student program and many other initiatives and offerings.

In today's episode, we chat with Jessica and OMP bass instructor Carlos Barriento about the work that this program does, what it has been like teaching online, the challenges and meaningful moments that online teaching has been bringing them, and much more. Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

• Kolstein Music
• Discover Double Bass
• Nick Lloyd Basses

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Drew Gress' biography reads like a who's who of the jazz world, including collaboration with Tim Berne, Ravi Coltrane, Uri Caine, John Hollenbeck, and countless others. He has appeared on over 140 recordings, 4 of which have received Grammy nominations.

In this conversation, which was prompted by Richard Ivy, a former student of Drew's, we discuss many topics, including:

• Drew's in-depth interview with Pablo Held and the many areas they explore
• similarities to jazz and birdwatching (a pastime of Drew's)
• spending time and working with Gary Peacock

Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

• Kolstein Music
• Discover Double Bass
• Nick Lloyd Basses

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Marcos Machado shows no signs of slowing down even during the pandemic! He recently joined the Discover Double Bass teaching team and released a course in the fall of 2019 titled Integral Technique.

photo credit: Discover Double Bass

This course is based on the extensive research and experimentation Marcos has done in fingerings through his epic work Tao of Bass. We spoke with Marcos about volume one of this series a few years ago, and he's gearing up to release volume two later this year.

This interview digs into Marcos' fingering journey, what's in store for volume two, and much more. Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

This podcast is brought to you by the International Online Bass Summit and the sponsors who are proudly involved with this event:

• Kolstein Music
• Discover Double Bass
• Nick Lloyd Basses - check out how to clean your fingerboard and strings without dropping your post here!

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

Miles Perkin is exploring fascinating musical territory with the double bass. Originally from Canada and now living in Berlin, he recently released a solo bass album called Subtones that mixes voice, bass, and extended techniques in unexpected and compelling ways.

In this conversation, recorded in March just before the pandemic fully shut down the globe, we talk about his background the Berlin experimental music scene, and much more. Enjoy, and be sure to follow Miles on Facebook and Instagram!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

I'd also like to thank the sponsors who have supported us over the months and years. If you'd like to help the bass community recover as quickly as possible, consider visiting their site and making a purchase:

• D'Addario Strings
• Upton Bass
• The Bass Violin Shop
• Steve Swan String Bass
• Kolstein Music
• A440 Violin Shop
• Modacity

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Susan Cahill has been finding all kinds of ways to keep herself inspired musically during the pandemic. She had finished filming an episode for the PBS Series Now Hear This prior to the lockdown, and she has been immersing herself in several music at-home projects.

We talk about these projects, how practicing other instruments fits into her musicianship, thoughts on small and large group performances going forward, and much more.

Enjoy, and check out her appearance on the podcast from 2017 here!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

I'd also like to thank the sponsors who have supported us over the months and years. If you'd like to help the bass community recover as quickly as possible, consider visiting their site and making a purchase:

• D'Addario Strings
• Upton Bass
• The Bass Violin Shop
• Steve Swan String Bass
• Kolstein Music
• A440 Violin Shop
• Modacity

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

We're featuring Czech double bass player Jaromír Honzák on the podcast today. Jaromír recently released an album called Hard To Understand, and like everyone else right now, he's finding new ways to cope with our current pandemic.

We talk about the jazz scene in Prague, the value of building a local scene, recording the latest album, and much more. Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

I'd also like to thank the sponsors who have supported us over the months and years. If you'd like to help the bass community recover as quickly as possible, consider visiting their site and making a purchase:

• D'Addario Strings
• Upton Bass
• The Bass Violin Shop
• Steve Swan String Bass
• Kolstein Music
• A440 Violin Shop
• Modacity

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Andrew Goins has been hard at work since the pandemic hit. He recently launched the Texas Double Bass Academy, which is dedicated to the online education of the pre-college double bass student, and he has been putting together a compelling offering with many of Texas' most renowned bass teachers.

This new organization will host the Texas Double Bass Academy Online Camp this June 1-4. This camp is made for students entering grades 9-12, and it is not limited to Texas residents.

The clinician lineup is incredible:

• George Amorim
• Andrew Goins
• Nick Scales
• Dennis Whittaker

Additional topic presenters include:

• Travis Baird
• Grace Lewis
• Mitch Moehring
• Jack Unzicker

Learn more on the Texas Double Bass Academy website, and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

I'd also like to thank the sponsors who have supported us over the months and years. If you'd like to help the bass community recover as quickly as possible, consider visiting their site and making a purchase:

• D'Addario Strings
• Upton Bass
• The Bass Violin Shop
• Steve Swan String Bass
• Kolstein Music
• A440 Violin Shop
• Modacity

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Ryan Roberts is a freelance bassist in Los Angeles and is the founder of The Bass Shed, which is focused on learning the language of music from legendary bassists and other instrumentalists.

We chat about many topics, including the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is affecting his work life, the impetus to start The Bass Shed and how he is incorporating it into his schedule, and much more.

Enjoy, and be sure to check out Ryan on YouTube, his site, and his podcast. Also, check out my appearance on his podcast here!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

I'd also like to thank the sponsors who have supported us over the months and years. If you'd like to help the bass community recover as quickly as possible, consider visiting their site and making a purchase:

• D'Addario Strings
• Upton Bass
• The Bass Violin Shop
• Steve Swan String Bass
• Kolstein Music
• A440 Violin Shop
• Modacity

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

We're chatting with past podcast guest Elisa Janson Jones today. I had the chance to spend some time in person with her during the NAMM Show in January 2020, and I was interested in learning about how she has been handling the current pandemic, with its many challenges and opportunities.

Elisa wears many hats: entrepreneur, author, educator, host of the Music Ed Mentor Podcast, and the founder of the International Music Education Summit.

We cover all kinds of online teaching topics in this helpful conversation, which Elisa also published on her podcast. Enjoy!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

I'd also like to thank the sponsors who have supported us over the months and years. If you'd like to help the bass community recover as quickly as possible, consider visiting their site and making a purchase:

• D'Addario Strings
• Upton Bass
• The Bass Violin Shop
• Steve Swan String Bass
• Kolstein Music
• A440 Violin Shop
• Modacity

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging