Contrabass Conversations

I had the opportunity to spend some time with Chuck Israels during my recent trip to Portland, Oregon. In fact, we even took a trip together to visit Seth Kimmel's shop in Eugene!

Both Chuck and Seth are past podcast guests, and I thought that a rebroadcast of my conversation with Chuck was in order. Chuck and I dig into a wide range of topics, including:

• meeting Charlie Mingus
• playing with Bill Evans
• Bill's use of rhythm
• the importance of having concrete and specific role models
• Balinese wood carving
• not creating your own artistic world without the traditions that preceded you
• the perils of the "parallel case"
• commonalities among how great artists approach their craft

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

A podcast listener recently suggested that I re-interview Colin Corner about how he has managed to win audition after audition. It turned out that I would be in Portland, Oregon for a couple weeks, and Colin and I sat down for a terrific deep-dive into auditioning, the role of a principal bassist, and much more.

Prior to his current positions of principal bass for the Oregon Symphony and Grant Park Symphony, Colin played principal bass for the Atlanta Symphony and the Rochester Philharmonic. He also held positions in the Minnesota Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, and Louisiana Philharmonic.

I originally interviewed Colin back in 2007 when he was playing in the Minnesota Orchestra, and I caught up with him briefly in 2009 after he'd moved into his role as principal bass of the Rochester Philharmonic. It was such a pleasure to dig into Colin's experiences over this past decade. There are a tremendous amount of valuable takeaways from this conversation!

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

A440 Violin Shop

An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440's commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

Henry Chen and I go way back. In fact, I remember meeting Henry at DePaul University over a decade ago!

At that point, he had not had much orchestral experience, but he was a fabulous solo player who won the concerto competition with the Bottesini Concerto.

Chicago was Henry's choice because of the orchestral training he knew he'd receive there. He spent his time studying with Chicago Symphony bassist Rob Kassinger and playing principal bass with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Fast-forward ten years, and Henry is now teaching at Soochow University School of Music in Jiangsu, China. We talk about Henry's journey from Chicago to China and the steps in between, what it's like teaching and performing in China, opportunities for bass players looking for an orchestra job, Henry's teaching style, and much more!

Links to check out:

• Henry's website
• Bottesini Concerto PDF and MP3 files (Cliff Colnot arrangement)
• Franck Sonata with Henry (mvt 1)
• Franck Sonata with Henry (mvt 4)

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Kaplan strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and are great for all kind os styles of music.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

Volkan Orhon was one of my early podcast guests, appearing along with fellow Bad Boyz of Double Bass members Anthony Stoops, David Murray, and Paul Sharpe.

I chatted with the Bad Boyz ten years ago (!), and I realized that I'd never actually sat down with Volkan one-on-one for the podcast.

We fix that today!

Volkan had established himself in a professional orchestra in his native country of Turkey. He had graduated from the Ankara State Conservatory with bass professor Tahir Sumer, and he was already a member of the Ankara Presidential Symphony Orchestra.

Volkan could have stayed in that position long-term. He took a leap, however, and moved to the United States to study with Gary Karr at The Hartt School of Music. Working with Gary and also with Diana Gannett, Volkan earned his Master's Degree and and Artist Diploma.

After Hartt, found himself in a "road warrior" freelance position, teaching adjunct at a few schools and driving all over the place playing gigs. I know that life well!

Volkan eventually got a tenure-track job at the University of Iowa and is in his sixteenth year of teaching at that institution. We talk about what it's like teaching at Iowa, plus:

• What has been most surprising about being in a full-time academic position.
• How working with Gary Karr shaped his concept of tone.
• The challenges of relocating to the United States.
• What he practices on a daily basis.
• Advice for students (and their parents!) thinking about embarking on a music career.

…and much more!

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

This year's Winter Olympics inspired podcast listener Steven Bingham to write in the following topic request:

"If I could suggest a future podcast topic, it would be "performance psychology" with a bassist or other musician who also is a subject matter expert, for example, a university teacher or researcher. Watching the Winter Olympics reminds me of what human beings are capable of achieving when their mind is made up and their body coached up to do it."

I put this question out on Facebook and got some great responses, so I decided to take these responses and roll them together with some performance psychology-related conversations from these past guests:

• Dr. Don Greene - Performance Coach
• Paul Ellison - Rice University
• Ian Hallas - Lyric Opera of Chicago
• David Allen Moore - Los Angeles Philharmonic and University of Southern California
• Andy Raciti - Northwestern University and Milwaukee Symphony
• Karl Fenner - Atlanta Symphony

These topics were also covered in my Winning the Audition book and podcast series.

Let me know if you have any other tops-specific episodes like this that you'd like to hear!

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Kaplan strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and are great for all kind os styles of music.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

Barry Green's creative output is filled with surprises and unexpected new directions. The last tie he was on the podcast, we were chatting with Barry and Jeff Bradetich about Anna's Promise.

An article from Barry just came out in the American String Teachers Association's journal. Titled "Chair Factor," this article is an examination of body energy in playing, and how posture can indicate good or bad body energy.

We dig into all sorts of fine points about this well-researched article. Anyone who isn't an ASTA member and didn't get the article in the magazine, can send Barry a private message on Facebook or write him at [email protected]. and he will be happy to send you a copy.

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Kaplan strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and are great for all kind os styles of music.

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

A440 Violin Shop

An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440's commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

I was first introduced to Erik Higgins by orchestra director and bassist Jonathan Lane. Jonathan passed along a mesmerizing video of Erik performing an improvised duet with clarinetist Kinan Azmeh.

This duet is based on a Syrian Folk tune and took place during a live performance with A Far Cry and the Silk Road Ensemble.

Like New Century Chamber Orchestra bassist Tony Manzo, Erik has carved out a fascinating career for himself as a chamber music bassist. In addition to performing in A Far Cry, Erik plays regularly with the Handel and Haydn Society, and remains active in the both the modern and period performance scenes locally, nationally and abroad.

He previously played in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (where bassist Alexandra Scott now plays), and he was on the "bass soloist" path in his younger years, having placed in competitions for the International Society of Bassists and American String Teachers Association.

Erik and I dig into all sorts of topics, like:

• why Erik left the "bass soloist" path
• what he finds musically fulfilling about chamber settings
• developing a passion for period performance
• how "being interested" is the key to so many things in life

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

James Oesi is truly blazing new trails for double bassists worldwide. Originally from South Africa, James spent several years studying in Russia before moving to the Netherlands.

Over the past decade, James has established a vibrant career for himself as a solo double bassist. He also founded and hosted the Dutch Double Bass Festival in 2017.

We dig into many meaty topics, like:

• How can you make a career as a double bass soloist? What are the roadblocks and pitfalls?
• How James' career has unfolded, and the surprises he has encountered along the way.
• Advice James would give his 19-year-old self.
• What James learned from Gary Karr.

…and much more! Be sure to follow along with James on his website and Facebook. He's doing great things for the double bass world and is a magnificent and fascinating soloist!

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

A440 Violin Shop

An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440's commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

This episode is one of those astoundingly complex projects that I love digging into!

We're featuring questions from double bass student Baylee Brown, which are answered by 27 noted double bass faculty members. This idea was suggested by University of Texas at Arlington bass faculty member Jack Unzicker, who help design and execute this project.

A big shout-out to Baylee, Jack, and all of the faculty who took their valuable time to answer these questions!

Here's the list of questions and the order in which they are covered:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages to attending a conservatory vs. a university?
2. How many schools should I audition for?
3. What are some common preparation mistakes that you see auditioning students making?
4. Besides the bass teacher, what other factors should I consider when comparing schools?
5. Other than Performance, Music Ed, and Jazz, what other options are available for undergrads?
6. How early should students start preparing for their college auditions?
7. I am interested in auditioning at six schools; is there any flexibility in audition requirements that could help lessen the amount of combined repertoire for all of the schools?
8. How can I keep from getting overwhelmed by the audition repertoire requirements from the different schools for which I'm auditioning?
9. How do I ask for a lesson with the teacher for whom I'm auditioning? Do I pay them/ask about payment?
10. I play the German bow; how important is it that I study with a German bow teacher?

Learn more about each of the faculty members and their programs through the links below:

• George Amorim - University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• Andrew Anderson - Roosevelt University
• Adam Booker - Appalachian State University
• Jeff Bradetich - University of North Texas
• Susan Cahill - University of Denver
• Timothy Cobb - Juilliard School of Music
• Paul Ellison - Rice University
• John Floeter - Northern Illinois University
• Diana Gannett - University of Michigan (emeritus)
• Kieran Hanlon - State University of New York at Fredonia
• Chris Hanulik - University of California, Los Angeles
• Caitlyn Kamminga - University of Trinidad and Tobago
• Douglas Mapp - Rowan University
• Gaelen McCormick - Nazareth College
• Leigh Mesh - Bard College
• Orin O'Brien - Manhattan School of Music
• Volkan Orhon - University of Iowa
• Scott Pingel - San Francisco Conservatory of Music
• Andrew Raciti - Northwestern University
• Brian Perry - Southern Methodist University
• Catalin Rotaru - Arizona State University
• Tracy Rowell - Oberlin College
• Donovan Stokes - Shenandoah University
• James VanDemark - Eastman School of Music
• Nicholas Walker - Ithaca College
• DaXun Zhang - University of Texas at Austin

Learn more about over 100 other United States college double bass programs in our colleges guide!

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

D'Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets..

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

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

The line-up for the 2018 TCU International Double Bass Festival (March 3-4, 2018) is like a who's who in the double bass world!

Founded and organized by Artistic Director and TCU Professor of Double Bass Yuan Lu, this fifth bi-annual festival is the largest such event for double bassists in North America.

Learn more about this event on their website, and be sure to like TCU on Facebook to follow along with their live coverage!

Featuring recitals, lectures, masterclasses, and clinics by the following renowned double bass artists and teachers (past podcast guests are linked to below):

• Gary Karr, World-Renowned Double Bass Virtuoso
• George Amorim, UT-Rio Grande Valley
• Jeff Bradetich, North Texas
• Michael Cameron, U. Illinois/Urbana-Champ.
• Timothy Cobb, Juilliard, NY Phil.
• Igor Eliseev, Stavanger Sym. Norway/Russia
• Paul Ellison, Rice University
• Blaise Ferrandino, TCU, composer & bassist
• William Gowen, Dallas Opera Orchestra
• Kyp Green, TCU, Jazz
• Shaoshi Jiang, Sichuan Conservatory
• Michael Klinghoffer, Jerusalem, Israel
• Yuan Xiong Lu, TCU
• Bing Luo, Shanghai Conservatory
• Szymon Marciniak, Polish Virtuoso/Germany
• Leigh Mesh, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
• Mark Morton, Texas Tech University
• David Murray, Butler University
• David Neubert, Austin Symphony
• Sandor Ostlund, Baylor University
• Brian Perry, Dallas Symphony, SMU
• Tim Pitts, Rice University
• Frank Proto, Bassist & Composer
• Nicholas Scales, West Texas A&M University
• John Schimek, Oklahoma City University
• Dan Styffe, Oslo Philharmonic, Norway
• Jack Unzicker, UT Arlington
• Jessica Valls, Southwestern University
• Shun Hua Zhu, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra