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Departments:President's Corner.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. II .. .. .. II .. .. .. II .. 2
Letter To The Editor II .. II II ........ D .. D II II II 4
My Turn D .... II II D II .. II II .. II .. II II ...... II II .. 7
Child's Play II II .. II ...... II .. II .... II .. II 29
Hot Shots II .. .. .. .. II .. II .. II II .. II .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. II 31
International Bass Club DirectoryII II II .... 32
Bass Clubs.... II II .. II II II II .. II II II ...... II II .. II II .. II 33
Centerfold II II .. .. II II II .. II .. .. II .. .. II .. II .. II II .. II II 35
All That Jazz II II II .. AI II .. II II II II II a .. a II II II II 39
Body & Bass II .. II a rI II II ...... II .. R .. 47
The Latest Score II .. .. II II .. .. II .. II .. II .. II II .. 50
Sounding Board '" R OR .. '" AI .. OJ '" II ........ a 56
Luthier's Corner .... II .... OJ D " .. " II II .. 65
Young Bassist's Page D D " R .. 68
New Products .. a ........ " II II '" .. '" II II II 71
Features:The Path: Peter Warren's StoryII .... R II '" .. 11
Theodor Albin Findeisen (1881-1936)0 .. 17
Millennium Suite for Violin and
Double Bass.. .. .. .. .. .. II .. .. .. .. II .. '" /I .. II .. .. .. 22
Married to the Bass .. II .. II II .. II II " II OJ II AI 27
Spotlight Double Bass 2005 ., II .... " II 49
ABOUT THE ARTIST-----
ABOUT THE COVER ARTIST: This issue's cover artist is Sandra
Muzzy. She lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, where she indulges
her passion for painting and teaching watercolor. She is the past
president of the Minnesota Watercolor Society and has exhibited
her work widely. She was inspired to paint her daughter, Olivia
Rose, after sitting in on numerous bass lessons, rehearsals and
recitals. Sandra was captivated not only by the sound of the bass
but also its curvaceous lines and superhuman size. She has since
sketched many images of musicians, but basses and bass players
remain a favorite subject. Sandra was recently invited to sketch and
paint members of The Minnesota Orchestra, and her work has been
featured on two program covers for the orchestra. Sandra Muzzy
can be reached at (952)854-7677 or at giggles@pclink.com.
Volume 29, Number 1 1
Some years ago I performed in New York
City in a small alternative music venue. I did
my thing and after the gig one of my musician
fliends came up and said, "Wow, man, I really
enjoyed your show." I was, I must admit,
taken aback by "your show." It had been a
good number of years since I'd in
the US and r d missed this evolution
in the local lexicon. I thought that I'd a
concert. Hmm, what's going on here? In n1Y
obviously outdated vocabulary, a show was
entertainment and a concert was something
else. It had not been my intention to come to
New York to entertain my audience, to per
fonn a show. And this little incident got me
thinking about an the ways music is used in our culture, about live music versus '" ,,-, I,',' ,., 11.1 I
music and about the entertainment factor.
For young bassists today, with their hearts and ears full of music, it's a cOlnplicated world out
there. Learning about the music industry, the music business, with an its various levels, is a real
task. And then to situate oneself in that reality is also a very complex undertaking. Most of us start
out wanting to play for to live music. But too often there's not enough money
by our live activities to provide the material basics we need to live. In that
case, what's the solution? Obviously there are lnany possible solutions, and each of us has to
ure it out individually. Looking back at my 45 years of professional what I've dis
covered is that it doesn't really matter what kind of tnusic you Any kind of music can touch
and make them different. Our task, no matter the kind of lllusic we're is to
put our hearts into it, because it's our passion that comes over to our listeners and touches them.
Pre-recorded music is used in so many different ways: to unite us in group activities (sporting
events, parades, rallies, lnilitary events, religious ceremonies); us with an envi
ronillent to do our thing (parties, relaxation sessions); (in body and tnind healing);
stimulate (in and animals and on the work site); as sound (in the
home, in elevators and buildings, in stores, at the mall); as (in film" in video, in
theater); and to sen to our (CDs, tapes, DVDs). It can or replace live
mances. When the feeling and the sound are right, plants grow better ,md people feel better.
Playing for a microphone and a producer in a studio can seem like a cold but if we
put our hearts into it, it can really work. Those good vibrations can travel over electric current.
Perfolming fun tilne in an orchestra, recording jingles in a studio, playing nights a week
a bar or touring for lnonths on end with no off, these are aU very demanding careers. But
when we accept these jobs, we must 'work hard to deliver the goods, to send out our heatis, as
regularly as No lnatter whether we are sick, dissatisfied with the boss, unhappy about
the working conditions, or whatever negative forces may be at work around us, when it's time
to and none of that matters. Then only music matters, and we must give it our
best and put our hearts into it. Idealistic? absolutely. Um-ealistic? No. We must find the
strength to deliver the goods under almost any circumstances. And at the same time, life filay
often to have other for us than what we were counting Oll, or striving for.
that my desires or efforts haven't detennined the kind of music
over Iny That's always been decided by the telephone. But the wonderful musical adven
tures and encounters that I've had in IllY life have happened thanks to the sound that comes out
of my instrument. Nothing less, nothing lllore. And there seenlS to be a definite correlation
between how lnuch of me I can put into my sound and how often the phone lings. Be it enter
tainnlent, recording or through the latest results of nlY ongoing
search for every sound that lives in the bass, step one for me is to make sure that my head and
lny heart are functioning. If they are working conectly, then my body can do the job.
2 International Society of Bassists
Volume 29, Number 1 3
JoiUle Morton, EditorLETTER TO THE EDITOR
I am writing in response to Barre Phillips' President's Corner
column regarding the use of tuners [Bass World 2004 28, no. 2].
At the very beginning of the column, Mr. Phillips makes an
assumption that I would challenge. He says, "When I see a bassist
tune his instrument by eye rather than ear, I shake my head and
quiver, just a little." Well, I am one of those bassists who uses a
tuner, and I can assure Mr. Phillips that I use my eyes, my ears and
my brain when I tune and, indeed, throughout my entire practice
session! I would like to say that I love using a tuner, and explain
some of the reasons why.
First, I offer some background. I tuned using harmonics for
more than 25 years and only started using a tuner about five years
ago, though I now wish I'd gotten one sooner. I am an orchestral
player, so when I tune with my tuner, I am tuning to the same A
440 that the oboist uses. When the oboe gives me my "A," I check
my strings (using harmonics), and usually I am in tune. If not, I
only have to make minor adjustments. I am done tuning in no time
at all. Also, I like the fact that my strings are starting out at the
"same point" each time I tune. It's much easier to adjust my pitch
if I need to do so.
What I find the tuner most valuable for is generating pitches. I
have found from experience that if you play something enough
times, your ear will begin to accept it as in tune, even if it is not.
So I will practice a piece of music with the root, third, or fifth on
in the background. If I have a particularly difficult shift to prac
tice, I will set the tuner to the arrival note. Practicing this way has
really helped me to develop my sense of pitch and to play more in
tune. Another way to explain this concept would be to use the fol
lowing analogy. If I asked you to make a circle using only paper
and scissors, you could probably do a pretty good job. However,
if you held that circle up to one made using a compass, you'd see
all the places where you were a little off. Practicing with a tuner
keeps me "honest" in the practice room. This then makes it easi
er for me to match pitch in my section and to blend with the rest
of the orchestra.
Ultimately, time will determine whether tuners will become
accepted tools of the trade. Some bassists will find them helpful
and use them, and I say "bravo" to those bassists. And there will
also be bassists who don't find them helpful. To those bassists I
say "bravo" as well! Rather than opine that bassists who tune with
tuners are missing the boat, I would suggest that we are taking dif
ferent boats to the same dock.
Respectfully submitted,
Regina Barrett
Regina Barrett resides in Middletown, PAwith her husband
Patrick (who is not a musician) and their two dogs and one cat.
She plays with the Harrisburg and Reading Symphonies, free
lances, and teaches bass.
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4 International Society of Bassists
The Online Journal ofBass Research
www.ojbrllcom
The ISB's Online Journal of Bass Research (OJBR) is a scholarly electronic publication,accessible free of charge at www.ojbr.com.This refereed publication is published biannually as a means of fostering and communication original scholarly reseqarch pertaining to the history, development, function and features of the double bass andother related bowed bass instruments, their players and repertoires.
The ISS is pleased to announce the release of Volume 2, # 1, which presents ShanonZusman's critical review of the book, Studies in Italian Sacred and Instrumental Musicin the 17th Century (Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2003) by Stephen Bonta.for those researching the early history of stringed bass instruments, including theearliest incarnations of the violoncello, bass viol, and double bass, Sonta's more
than 35 years of research is among the most important and oft-cited. TheAshgate book is a collection of sixteen of Bonta's essays, ranging from his
first publication in the Journal of the American MusicologicalSociety (1967) to his most recent article from the symposium Sarocco Padano (2002).
Also still available is the OJBR's inaugural issue, Volume 1,#1, which presents Michael Greenberg's ground-breakingarticle, lIThe Perfect Storm: The Rise of the Double Bass inFrance 1701-1816."
Call For ManuscriptsOriginal manuscripts reflecting a high quality of scholarship are
invited for consideration from scholars and practitioners in a wide
variety of arenas and disciplines relevant to the double bass or
related instruments.. Topics may be presented from any number of
different perspectives or disciplines, such as historical musicolo
gy, performance practice, pedagogy, lutherie, iconography, biogra
phy, and/or analysis, and may deal with subjects stemming from
any period in the instrument's history up to the present. Further
guidelines are available at www"ojbr..com .. To submit an article,
or for more information, please contact the ISB
office at info@ISBworldoffice..com ..
View the website at wwwllojbrllcom"
Volume 29, Number 1 5
By
ChuckTraeger
AManual for Players. Makers. and Repairers
smaller regional orchestras that schedule a five- or six-concert series
each year, paying their musicians on a "per service" basis. These
ensembles may be just as competitive to get into, yet they rarelyoffer a true salary, let alone benefits. Academic positions follow a
similarpattem. Though most universities nowadays maintain a small
faculty core (with each member of that core teaching a multitude ofclasses), a larger number of positions in the music department are
often allocated to part-time faculty, who are paid tiny sums per hour(often much less than could be earned in the private studio) and who
are offered little or no job security, benefits or potential for advance
ment. These kinds of positions, then, are the more realistic job poten
tial for most competent, college graduate musicians.Welcome to the real world of making a living (or not) as a musi-
cian! Not is it difficult to find and obtain
work as a musician, but many of the jobs themselves will seem to
be stuck in a lower standard of music-making than one experiencedwhile in college. It is a sad fact that many qualified (and perhaps
even over-qualified) musicians may never find the kind of employ
ment for which they were trained. What I find especially worrisome
is the common mantra that "if you are not spending every singleminute possible of your time practicing, then you are wasting your
time." With the current job environment, this philosophy simply
doesn't always hold true. For even if one becomes a fabulous tech
nician on one's instrument, there is still no guarantee that there will
be someone else out there willing to pay a salary for that expertise.
Still, acknowledging the reality of the job market should not neces
sarily cause despair. The trick, in my opinion, is to acknowledge the
reality before it sets in. In actual fact, the current "free market"environment leaves the door open for a lot of personal options, if
one has the vision, courage and strength to find and forge an indi
vidual path. With this in mind, many musicians, both teachers and
students alike, are exploring creative solutions to earning a living.
orin the
;enltu
.- ....m
SSIB
By JoiUe Morton
A number of years ago, there was an excellent article called
"Careers for Cellists in the 21 st written by JonathanKramer and published in the ASTA (Autumn, 1992). In
this alticle, the author performed a very interesting test. He count
ed up a total of approximately 1,500 salaried, full-time jobs
for cellists in the US, the orchestral positions that paid$15,000 a year or more, plus all of the academic positions listed by
the Music Then he contrasted that with the
actual number of cello students who would be graduating from col-that year: at the time, there were 180 cello per-
fonnance at Indiana alone. Kramer con-cluded that: "Our and conservatory system is turning out
some of the world's finest cellists, sensitive artists with a command
of the instrument who beautifully. However, for those whowant to devote their lives to the art and at the same time earn a liv-
by it, the future is uncertain... How can
accommodate aU of those cellists?" Kramer have taken hisa step further that most of the full-time jobs
for cellists are and that it is a handful of posi-tions that even become available each year, not for graldwatlrlg
cellists, but also for who are out of school andun(~mololve(:1. and cellists who are to find better PO:SltIons.
It should be self-evident that this problem is not limited to cellists.f-\ 1I1E{ JIB!! 1 it is difficult to come up with accurate numbers, there is
a similar for musicians of all types,even fewer, on the instrument. For bassists,
jobs can be few and far between. Orchestras, after aU, a
mere handful of and may not post vacancies for years onend, until someone retires after a full lifetime with the ensemble. Not
are there few full-time chamber music and solopo~;lt1()ns for bassists, but many bassists as.......-._ emID1()Vees. whose and benefits are based on
the number of students teach. It is a sad fact that many quali-
fied, and even double bassists may never find
the kinds of salmied, mainstream for which they are trained.Double bass teachers and their students are, out of necessity, having
to be creative to find solutions to this pJl.'-''l..n.,,",JI..Ll.
But let's assume for a moment that one does find a vacancy, pass
the audition/interview with colors and land the job. Has any
one else out there noticed that most positions these days are not
"full-time" work? In his Kramer optimistically included
orchestral cello that paid as little as $15,000 a year. Can a
person survive on that salary, let alone support a family and
save for retirement? Many orchestras employ musicians only on a1)<11[-111111::: basis. The reality is that of the roughly fifty ICSOM
orchestras (these might be termed the "better" and "higher paid"
orchestras in the US), only one or two of them will post vacancies
for a particular instrument in any given year. Yet there are many
Volume 29, Number 1 7
J. B. Van Dentark,Soloist and Professorof the Double Bassevaluating 11isLoretlZO CarcassiMaster Copy Bassviolin prior to varnishmade expresslyforhi", by B. Kolstein.
B. KOLSTEIN MASTERMODEL BASS VIOLINCustom-made InstrumentsB. Kolstein is now accepting a limited number ofcommissioned orders on reproductions ofDontenicoMontagfUlna, G.B. Grancino, Lorenzo Carcassi,Vincenzo Panormo and other reproductions ofindividually owned master instruments. The BassViolins are madefrom thefinest seasoned Europeanwoods crafted with quality for the ultimate sound ifIa contenlporary instrument. .. all in accord with thegreat Italian master models as to tonal qualities,esthetics and dimensional cJzara.cteristics, totallyhand-crafted by B. KoIste;n.
AU instru,nents are fully restored bySamuel Kolstein & Son, Ltd. and bear our
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BASS VIOLINSFrancesco Goffriller, Venice, Italy c. 1730Giot'llnni Battista Rogier;, Brescia, Italy c. 1690Francisco Pressenda School, Ttlrin, c. 1820Pietro Meneghesso, Pado7)Q, Italy c. 1880Luigi Ft"rraroti, Tun,., Italy c. 1890Francesco Grancil1o, Milano, Italy c. 1700Gennaro Testore, Milan, Italy c. 1760Vi'lcenzo Iorio, Naples, Italy c. 1840Charles Nicholas Garzd, Ptlris, Frattce c. 1869I,,,,,es Broum, Huddersfield, England c. 1850Gabriel Jacquet, Paris, Fra11ce c. 1870Giouanni Baptista Gabrielli, Florence, Italy c. 1737ThiboU:vule-La:1ny, Paris c. 1860 (ex. Major Holley)Domenico Bus/ut, Venice, Italy c. 1750Pierre Borbon, Brussels, Belgium c. 1670Kolsteion Orchestral Bass ViolinKoistein Gnlnde l'anornlo Model BassBernard Simon Fendt Maggini copiesDante M. Gabute Italian Bass Violins, under the
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that asking "Would you like fries withthat" or "Is that a single or a doubleespresso?" requires no skills whatsoever!In all seriousness, I feel that no matterhow great the player, there is a real benefit from taking time to explore the manysides of one's personality, and findingways to use all of those sides to make adecent living. In this way, you serve yourown needs, while at the same time becoming more likely to find a niche in the professional musical world where you canbecome financially and creatively stable.
JoeUe Morton received her undergradu
ate degree from the Curtis Institute of
Music and Masters and Doctoral degrees
fro In the University of Southern
California, and studied double bass with
Joel Quarrington, John Gowen, Tom
Martin, Roger Scott, Ludwig Streicher,
Frantisek Posta and Paul EUison. She now
plays on period instruntents, and is active
ly sought after as a chantber nlusician,
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their own (complex) tax returns. Theseskills are not luxuries; they are necessities.
In the process of acquiring these skills,bassists may actually become more marketable and economically self-sufficient.During the periods when they are unable tofind "desirable" work as a bassist there issomething to fall back on. I have manyfriends who are excellent musicians whohave "tided themselves through the roughperiods" working as secretaries or doingcomputer programming, etc. to help paythe rent while they free-lance, or to helppay for the airfare and practice time to getto their next big audition. I am yet anotherkind of example, since I was classicallytrained and always expected to be anorchestral bass player. But I enjoy writing,and somewhere during my studies Ibecame fascinated by early music, with itsemphasis on chamber music and musichistory and informal pre-concert lecturing.Contrary to my original career plan, I nowfind myself editing a magazine, giving lectures at conventions and coaching all kindsof chamber music. I still love double bassplaying, but the career that "found me"(and that came as a byproduct of some ofmy other skills and interests) is extremelysatisfying and rewarding. Italso makes my life a lot easier financially and permitsme the freedolll to really relish my performance opportunities when they comealong.
Although learning otherskills might cost bassistssome time they might otherwise be spending in thepractice studio, I feel thatthis time is well spent, andvery often carries over inunexpected ways to one'splaying. Certainly, thehours I spend at the computer do nothing to help mybass playing technique. Onthe other hand, I gain a lotof insights into music making during the hours I enjoy"being myself' and" feeling good about myself,"since they all contribute towhat I have to expressthrough my music. Forthose unwilling to devotetime to cultivating marketable skills, remember
Like Jonathan Kramer, I am strongly infavor of adopting a broader education formusicians in general. This isn't to say thatmusicians shouldn't practice as much!They just need to supplement study oftheir particular instrument or specialtywith study of other subjects of theirchoice. In many cases, the broader amusician's skills, the more marketablethey become. This is particularly true inthe case of university-level teaching.Even if an applicant holds a doctoraldegree, many colleges cannot afford tohire, or are unwilling to pay a living wageto someone who is only able to teach asingle subject area. Truthfully, it is more"cost effective" for colleges to hire someone who is qualified and willing to teacha variety of subjects. At first blush, whilemost performing musicians might beappalled at this concept, other subjectareas with which they are likely to havesome degree of familiarity, if not proficiency, thanks to their general musicaltraining might include music history, theory, composition, ethnomusicology, performance practice, chamber music and/orconducting (choir or orchestra). Thesesubject areas then, might supplant abassist's ability to teach in their own special performance area. Bassists who haveskills in multiple academic areas willclearly have an edge over the ones whoonly play the bass.
At the very minimum, all bassistsshould make an effort to master somebasic "survival skills." It is a frequent surprise to me how many musicians I havemet are loathe to type and use the computer, who are ignorant of how to write abusiness letter, how to conduct themselves professionally on the telephone,how to balance their accounts, or evencompile deductions for their income taxreturns, etc. These skills are necessary forcoping with life in general, but they arealso the way we represent ourselves professionally, when applying for and maintaining jobs! In order to get an audition orinterview, for example, one has to knowhow to type a resume and cover letter. Asa professional performer, one will bespeaking with contractors and personnelmanagers to work out the details ofemployment, not to mention the interaction between one's students and/or audience. As responsible members of societyfirst and self-employed professionals second, musicians also have to know how tobalance their own checkbooks and file
Volume 29, Number 1 9
SEll 1798
Harold Robinson
M'r. Robinson uses the Original Flexocor v\.,......... lLAW' for "'''''...... hf'llC+'t'''"l1
playing and prefers the Permanent Solo for worksperformed at scordatura tuning.
Pirastro Double B• • Chrorncor _ ~""''''''"IlA~
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e-mail: info@plrastros(;om
P t
The Path:r Warren's St ry
By Chris Kosky
The life of a musician is often veryinteresting, if not easy. The places we go,
the people we meet, where we end up from
whence we began-the path. The paththat, if we're lucky, gets us to our voice,and beyond...
In 1969, four double bassists went into a
New York recording studio and beganimprovising freely. Unwritten and unspo
ken - with unplanned appearances by othermusicians-Bass Is was born. The album
made music history, as well as earning a
five-star rating from Down Beat magazine,but the real triumph is the music. Peter
Warren brought this bass quartet to the stu
dio that day, but what brought Warren to thebass and to his voice?
Peter Warren
Born in New York to Czech immigrants,
Peter began his musical journey on the violin.His grandfather was a Gypsy violinist, his
father played bass, and so Warren was exposedat a very early age to classical, Gypsy and folk
music styles. The family's move to Long
Island landed Warren at Hempstead HighSchool, which boasted the nation's best sym
phony orchestra. Guest conductors and soloists
were a staple of this public school's outstand
ing music program. While at Hempstead HighWarren, like many fourteen year-old boys,
began to grow, and because of his big hands,"the violin wasn't doing it for me." So he
switched to cello and progressed rapidly,
becoming the protege of Josef Emonts, former
fIrst cellist of the NY Philharmonic underToscanini. Of this time in his life Warren says,
"I was having trouble in school, I was into
music and nothingelse." A simple state
ment, but also perhaps a
fust indication of thepath he was taking.
Recognizing Warren's
talent, the head of theHempstead H.S. music
department arranged fora scholarship, enablingthe young cellist to take
private lessons at
Juilliard with Luigi
Silva. Warren thrived in
this environment andeven played a recital inCarnegie Recital Hall,
though he admits, "I
always took liberties
when I played..."
Around this time,
the draft reared its uglyhead, so Warren did
what many young men
with musical talent atthat time were doing
he auditioned for the
service symphonyorchestras. He won a
olidarity
The last tour that Warren took to
Europe before returning to the U.S. was
to Poland. The tour was government
sponsored, and the band bused between
performance sites. Because they were
busing, Warren says they had a lot of
interaction with the Polish people. The
solidarity movement was going on at
the time, and Warren was moved by the
plight of the people-the extreme gov
ernmental control, the poverty, and the
rampant alcoholism, particularly among
the young. He recalls, "I heard a few
folk melodies that were familiar to me,
that were kind of like I remembered
from my grandfather, and so on the
plane home, I wrote out this folk
melody, and...I'm the only American
the plane...we're flying back to New
York...and these people had managed
to somehow get sponsorship and visas
and money to get to America. For me it
was what it must have been like for my
dad when he came over on the boat and
they saw the Statue of Liberty. And as
we came into JFK [airport], we had to
make several passes and I said to the
people, 'that's America right down
there,' and they all rushed to one side of
the plane and the plane lurched!
Volume 29, Number 1 11
[laughs] [And I thought,] this is the new
world for them; it's amazing! I was so
touched by it that when I got back I said
I have to make a statement."
Warren had a house band gig at a
club called 55 Grand Street, where he
played with guitarists Mike Stem and
John Scofield (sometimes together),
drummer Victor Lewis, and others.
(Interestingly, Jaco Pastorius would fre
quent the session and sit in.) This gig
provided ample opportunity for musical
experimentation, so when a chance to
record came, Warren took these musi-
cians into the studio in hopes of fulfill
ing his latest musical vision. Warren
tells a story behind the title cut: "Only a
hom riff was written out. We got ten
minutes into it, and I stopped them and
said, 'Look, we have to talk. This is
what this music is, imagine this: imag
ine you're Polish and you've never
been to the big city before, and you go
to the big city to get a job, and you find
out that there's no work. And if there is
work, you can't make any money. And
you decide with your friends to rebel
against it. So this is like a siege, like a
war, and it's a war between these peas
ants and the bureaucracy that's ruling
the country. And at the end is this joy
ous happiness that your efforts have
come out right.' " Scofield was key in
the whole thing, "so I said to think of
Gypsies and balalaikas [imitates
tremoloing balalaika]-and he got it,
and that was it! One take! Boom!"
12 International Society of Bassists
spot in the Air Force and was promptlyshipped to Lackland AFB in San Antonio,Texas for basic military training. Under theheading of "we can laugh about it now," hiscello, as personal property, was subject toinspection! Due to manning shortages, andbecause he had the requisite educationallevel, the Air Force made Warren an officer.However, instead of being sent to the AirForce orchestra in Washington, D.C., hesays, " they sent me to a drum and buglecorps in Cheyenne, Wyoming in six feet ofsnow! and I didn't know... drums andbugles I was a cellist!" The path of amusician often curves, loops, and zigzags,and at this point in time, crazy as it seemed,Peter Warren was only getting started....
After his stint in the Air Force, Warrenlanded a job in the Atlanta Symphony, andhere we see two very important milestoneson his path: one was the beginning notionof his musical conception or vision, theentirety of which wouldn't come for a fewmore years. As he puts it, " ... to be honest,in the orchestra, although I loved the soundof it all and the teamwork involved, I stuckout. I really stuck out, because I wasn'ttrained for that, I was trained to be a soloist.I disagreed with the frrst cellist's bowingsand his phrasing, and it was a constant battle." The other Atlanta milestone was hisintroduction to bass playing. A clarinetist inthe orchestra who also played saxophoneconvinced Warren that he could make somemoney in the off-season by playing bass indance bands. "And my opinion at that time[was] that ...bass players were somethinglower than cellists, we kind of looked ournose down at these guys. So I wrapped myfingers with tape ... I didn't know anythingabout chord changes ... [but] I could read ofcourse. I went on the road with a band[laughing] called 'Dean Hudson and His,Moon Over Miami,' and we toured all overthe south. I had bleeding, blistering fingers ...at that time there weren't any metalstrings, and I had borrowed a Kay bass[with] the action this high on it and it wastearing me up. I was terrible! I was really alousy bass player. But, I was making somemoney during the off-season."
After two seasons with the Atlanta symphony, Warren's path took him throughDallas and on to Las Vegas, with the goal oflanding a job in one of the pit bands, whichat the time had the highest pay scale in thecountry. He figured he would have a goodchance at landing one of these gigs becausehe played both cello and bass. After therequired six-month waiting period, Warren
Peter Warren in the studio, 1998.
was hired as a cellist in a band at theFlamingo Hotel, where he met EllaFitzgerald's bass player, Frank DeLaRosa."DeLaRosa really turned me around. Hesaid to me, 'You have to make up yourmind what you're going to do ... if you'regoing to play the bass ...you have to getyourself a real instrument. '"
Warren took DeLaRosa's advice to heaJ.1and went to Los Angeles where he tradedone of his cellos for a bass. While in theshop that day, Warren noticed another bassplayer trying out bows and offered the manhis advice as to which bow was the best.Warren introduced himself, and the gentleman responded, "My name is ChuckIsraels." Israels told Warren that he wasplaying with Bill Evans at the famous westcoast club Shelly's Manne-Hole thatevening, but at this point Warren was sonew to jazz that he did not even know whoBill Evans was! So that evening he went tothe club and said, "wow!" Bill Evans' triohad blown his mind. Back in Las VegasWarren began to listen to more jazz~ at thattime many great bands went through there.He took some lessons from FrankDeLaRosa and began to feel comfortableplaying the bass. When the Tommy DorseyBand came to Vegas, they needed a bassplayer and Warren ,vas looking to get backeast, so he joined the band and played withit until it went back to New York.
Back in New York and off the Dorseyband, Warren took a few lessons with ChuckIsraels and jumped into the life of a freelance
-, \
Warren says, this was the 1960s, and many
of the musicians were experimenting with
different styles of music, different instru
ments, and the music of other cultures.
"It was at that time [c. 1966-67] that I
started to experiment with the basses.
Playing with two basses, then three. Glen
Moore stayed with us for awhile. And Glen
and I played a lot together. With David
Izenzon (Ornette Coleman's bass player), we
formed the New York Bass Revolution-a
group that sometimes had as many as ten
bassists in it. We used to playa game, we'd
take numbers and put them in a hat, and
everybody would take a number, but they
wouldn't tell the other person what number
they had. So the idea of the game was that
the number one bass player solos first and
the other three accompany, then when num
ber 1 was through, number two would play,
but there was no music. So the intention
was we had to listen and not get in the way,
because as you add bass players, it can get
pretty muddy. Now I have some tapes
where it just did not work; it just came out
mud, absolute mud! Especially when we
had a multitude of bass players."
In 1969 Warren booked some late
evening studio time and went with his jam
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drummer Barry Altschul, who played with
Paul Bley and Gary Peacock. Warren says,
"That loft became like a meeting place for
musicians just coming to New York, any
time somebody wanted to play, the loft was
there. We played 24/7, we just played all the
time, we could play up until the wee hours
of the morning, nobody
bothered us, nobody
disturbed us. I met
when they frrst came to
town, Dave Holland,
John McLaugWin, the
Brecker Brothers, the
loft is where they came.
nickname used
to be 'The Phone
Book,' wanted to
find any musician any
where in the world,
had his number.
[Barry] would just
invite people, he
wouldn't even tell me,
he'd say, 'come on by,
you can stay,' because
we had room, guys
could stay overnight."
Warren played elec
tric bass for a while
with guitarist Danny
Kalb's band Blues
Project II. Kalb, he
says laughing, "had the
reputation of being the
fastest guitar player
around- and also the
loudest!" But, as
jazz bassist. "[I wasn't] making very much
money, [I was] playing in trios.. down
to the union floor on when
had open call and I would take anything Icould get. ..but all the time 1 was leaning
towards that's what I wanted to play. I
had some kind that came out into
this. I realized after listening to some great
bass this is sedous stuff and if1want
to make a career of this I have to put as much
energy into it as I did as a cellist. At that time,
there was a I mean guys hung
out, it was possible to hang out, it didn't cost
any money, guys were anxious to meet other
guys, there was a real going on,
there were to go all the time."
Through connections Warren
landed a job in singer Dionne Warwick's
fIrst band, a job he for three years.
his tenure with Warwick he traveled
all over the world, but he
remembers a six-week tour (the Schlitz Jazz
Tour) that came out of a Jazz
Festival appearance. Warwick was the
headliner, but a few great artists
were also on the bill, and WaITen said, "I get
out on the road and I hear Thelonious Monk
for the first time and 1 heard Burton
for the first time, I met and hung out with
Miroslav Vitous, Larry Coryell, Steve
Swallow... all these great guys, and I said,
'1 can't this music anymore. I've got to
move on. It's time to move on.' And 1 was
really a lot of money at the time,
but it was time to leave, to pursue playing
the bass for real."
After leaving Warwick's band, Warren
got a loft apartment and a roommate, jazz
(l to r) Joachim Kahn, Philip Catherine, Jean Luc Ponty, Peter Warren and Oliver Johnson in the early '70s.
Volume 29, Number 1 13
NO SATTERIES, NO PRE-AMP
some types of free jazz playing that's not the
idea- the idea is not to blend. I guess
because of my background I wanted it to fit
together somehow. And Bass Is is a very
good example of that, because at some place
in each one of those pieces it blends togeth
er. Everybody gets on the same wavelength."
Shortly after the Bass Is session, Warren
and his (now) wife went to Europe.
Originally Europe was going to be a stop
over on the way to India to find a guru. But
while in Italy, Warren heard, and was so
moved by, a group called The Trio, which he
says "was the band in Europe at the time."
Barre Phillips, saxophonist John Surman
and drummer Stu Martin were The Trio, and
he followed them to Belgium, where they
were living. "As soon as I got to Belgium,"
recalls Warren, "and started to hang out with
the guys, they got me my fIrst gig, and it was
the Baden-Baden Free Jazz Festival. And
there was Dave [Holland]; Johnny Diani,
great African bass player; Steve Lacy; Don
Cherry. Steve Lacy did a thing with PM
radio, he'd put on this static, let's play with
this, right? [laughs] So for me, I was never
subjected to any of that stuff before, and
yeah, I liked it." At this point Stu Martin
said to him, "You don't need a guru, you
need to play music!" So that is what he did
in Europe for the next five years.
During this time Warren got to know
Barre Phillips, "I had heard Barre in New
York, of course. I knew who he was, but I
had never met him. [He is] a very special
guy who really helped me immensely, and
not only with gigs and stuff, but as a men
tor. Just listening to his stuff when he
would play alone in his house was inspir
ing because you'd say, 'Wow, OK, I can do
that. The bass can do that? Wow ... ,,,
Warren stills plays an Otto Rubner bass (c.
1950) that was given to him by Barre dur
ing that stay in Europe.
Barre's influence on Peter Warren was
great, but after returning to New York and
joining Jack DeJohnette's band, Warren
found what he calls the biggest influence on
his bass playing. "I was very fortunate to play
with Jack DeJohnette. I think I learned more
in the times that I spent with him than in my
lifetime about what a bass player is really
[for], what is your job, what are you supposed
to do, what is your responsibility. And you
have a responsibility. If you're going to be
playing with other people, there's a responsi
bility as a bass player that you have to
assume. I always say get with a drummer. Ifthis is the kind of music you want to play."
[smiling] "Let him think he's the boss, that's
says, "I've got the tapes somewhere... that
was interesting as well," however, when the
album was released, only the acoustic mater
ial was used. At one point in the session, other
musicians dropped by and joined in, includ
ing pianist Chick Corea, saxophonist John
Surman, and drummer Stu Martin. Warren's
roommate Barry Altschul also snuck in dur
ing Subra Har, an Indian-influenced piece,
and began tapping on the side of Warren's
bass as if he were playing tabla!
Warren remembers this session, "We just
listened to each other. The whole idea of free
music is to listen. That old thing about less is
more is absolutely true. We had to make music
and stay out of each other's way and every
thing was going to be fIrst-take, roar as it is, if
it's out of tune, it's out of tune. The whole idea
was to make it work, play this music and make
it work. And many times it failed, but the times
that it worked it was so special! That record
not only got a five-star review in Down Beat,
but bass players were listening to it! And some
of them were saying 'these guys can't play,'
but other guys recognized that there was some
thing going on here."
"There are several free jazz players who
really do play noise, but I could never figure
that out, at some place it must cohere. But in
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Jamie Faunt and Glen Moore, and drummer
Steve Hauss. The intent was to record their
free playing-one side of the record (LP) was
going to be acoustic basses, and the other side
electric. Of the electric bass material Warren
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Peter Warren with Jack Dejohnette
14 International Society of Bassists
OK. Let him think he's in control. What I
learned from Jack: time is like a flying wedge
that's always going fOlWard. If you listen
when Dave Holland plays time, he's so on top
of the beat, yet he's not rushing. And it's that
on top thing that propels it fOlWard. Playing
with drummers and really listening to what
they're doing is where you learn that. And I
played hours and hours with Jack alone, just
the bass and the drums."
Warren also says, "Jack DeJohnette
[coined] the phrase multi-directional music,
which I think really puts a nail on it, in that
we are a product of all the things we've
heard, and so somewhere in the music that
would come out." Warren played in
DeJohnette's bands on and off from the
mid-1970s through the early 1980s, and
then worked with guitarists Mike Stem and
John Scofield, among many others. With
Scofield, DeJohnette, trombonist Ray
Anderson and saxophonist John Purcell,
Warren recorded, Solidarity (see sidebar).
So where is WatTen on his serpentine path
now? He currently lives in New York City
with his wife, TV Producer Arlene Shennan,
and their two cats. While recovering from a
bad fall several years ago, Wan'en said he had
"had time to think. I've had so many rewards
with music, I have to give it back somehow,
the best way I can. As bassists, when we get to
a certain level, we're obligated to pass on
whatever we've learned to the next set of bass
players. We have a term called 'the cats,' well,
the cats of my generation are all passing away.
I'd like to give this information that I have.
I'm a great coach. I like workshops. I like
interaction, I fmd that a lot of musicians today,
because the technique comes so quickly
they're somehow missing something. There's
a growing process that perhaps is missing."
"I've been fortunate enough, I've had
such great karma musically, in that I did
the cello thing and took that to where it
was going to go, I did the pop music thing,
the rock thing and took those to where they
were going to go, and then I went into the
bass and took that to where it was going to
go, and stayed there. So I'm a happy
camper with what has happened in my life.
And I've always been a student. I feel if
you are a master, then you have a real
obligation, [laughing] and who wants that?
The evolution of bass playing for me, was
the classical influence, because I was a cel
list first, and the idea to make everything
sound beautiful when you can is it. The
bass is a voice that's come into its own. I
think what happens is we become people
pleasers; we want to play what people
want to hear, and sometimes that limits
you from playing your own voice... I
think, for me, I've been fortunate enough
to have been associated with people who
let me play my own voice."
Peter Warren Partial Discography:
Under his own name:Bass Is (Enja)
Solidarity (Jappo)
As a sideman:Tin Can Alley (ECM)
Special Edition (ECM)
Cosmic Chicken (Fantasy)
13 and 3/4 (Watt)
Trinity (Enja)
Spontaneous (Enja)
This Way Out (MPS)
Interchange (MPS)
Going To The Rainbow (MPS)
Open Strings (MPS)
Donna Lee (America)
Twet (Polski)
Vibrations (Enja)
Live From Donaueshingen (Phillips)
Volume 29, Number 1 15
16 International Society of Bassists
II h deed $
the best od, £JI!.£~~~10#.JI!,JI!.~.JI!,
o @ ®
ISlt e sItet e
a elsese
Theodor Albin Findeisen(1881-1936)
Portrait ofFindeisen, now located in the Gewandhaus Orchestra archives,kindly provided by Hans-Rainer lung. This is a copy ofa portrait that hungin the double bass room of the Leipzig conservatory for many years, asconfirmed by Arno Milller. (It was still there when Preben Fahn¢e visitedthe conservatory with the late Gewandhaus bassist Konrad Siebach inLeipzig in 1989.)
By Ture Damhus and Preben
Fahnee
It is our impression that many double
bassists today do not know of the latel9thearly 20th century German bassist Theodor
Albin Findeisen, who was a Gewandhaus
Orchestra double bassist, chamber virtuoso,
composer, and the creator of a complete line
of study material for the double bassextending to the highest level of virtuosity.
His uniquely thorough and creative methodbooks and technical studies deserve recog
nition in wider circles, as do his other com
positions and his interesting opinions as
aired in the articles in Der Kontrabass (anewsletter for the German Double Bassists'
Association, published from 1929-1930).
Not much seems to be known about thelife of Findeisen, though he studied the dou
ble bass at the Konigliches Konservatorium
der Musik in Leipzig l with J. O. Schwabefrom 1904-1906. Schwabe was clearly fond
of his pupil, since he inscribed Findeisen'sgraduation diploma with the words:
"Herr F. participated in my teaching on aregular basis, is very talented and was my
most hard-working student. His technique
on the double bass is excellent, and to his
clean intonation he adds a beautiful, fulltone. He played solo pieces twice at theinstitute soirees with great success."
In 1922, Findeisen became a bass pro
fessor at this conservatory himself and he
also held a position as a member of theesteemed Gewandhaus Orchestra (in
Leipzig) from 1907-19362• He died quite
suddenly on March 3, 19363•
Other than this very limited biographical
information, we have not found much mention of Findeisen in history books; he is
mentioned only in passing by AlfredPlanyavsky (1970, 1984) and Paul Brun
(1989, 2000) for the variant of the German
bow frog named after him, and for a couple
of the statements published in Der Lehrer
des Kontrabafi-spieles (his method book).
However, in our attempt to uncover
more information about this elusivebassist, we have had the pleasure of corre
sponding with two of Findeisen's former
students: Arno MUller and
Erich Hartmann2• Hartmann
has been a double bassist in
the Berlin Philharmonic andis a composer of numerous
pieces involving the double
bass. MUller describesFindeisen as a kind-hearted
man and a successful peda
gogue. Hartmann agrees,
adding that he was seriousand tolerated no laziness.
And lessons were always
interesting, for Findeisen
would improvise accompaniments at the piano whilestudents played.
In Findeisen's days,
European double bass play
ing was influenced by three
quite clearly defined and different traditions: Italian,
French and German-Czechschools. The latter of these
may be said to have had
three hubs, in Prague,Vienna and Leipzig. As a
teacher, Findeisen initially
used the Simandl Methodand he also edited the
Storch-Hrabe etudes. As
already mentioned, he was astudent of the Leipzig con
servatory and later taught
there himself. Thus, he wasclearly influenced from all
three parts of the GermanCzech school.
In spite of having access to materialsfrom a variety of schools, Findeisen musthave desired more teaching materials and a
different approach to bass playing in gener
al, for over the course of his career, he composed an impressive series of tutors underthe heading Der Lehrer des Kontrabafi
spieles, 25 technical studies and a numberof regular solo pieces for the bass. A systematic list of these is provided in the sum
mary at the end of the article . Note that notall opus numbers are represented in this list
ing; we have been unable to determine whatall the remaining numbers cover.
Undoubtedly, pedagogical material wasFindeisen's most important contribution to
the bass world. Because so few of hismaterials are known to players these days,we therefore concentrate our article on a
discussion of two of his major works in
this area.
Der Lehrer des KontrabaBspieles
The Lehrer des Kontrabafi-spieles
method book is in five parts, and along withthe technical studies introduced below, it is
almost certainly Findeisen's most impressive contribution to the bass literature.
Intended to "reform" bass pedagogy,
Findeisen was very ambitious and envisaged
I
Volume 29, Number I 17
Findeisen sgraduation diploma from the Leipzig conservatory, courtesy ofHans-Rainer lung.
Kontrabass, in which nobody was spared,neither the "hectic coffee fiddlers and otherso-called artists with their overtly trembling vibrato ," nor the orchestral conductors who ask for vibrato from a bass section in situations where he felt they shouldunderstand that this may compromise afocused tone quality and clean intonation.Other interesting aspects to Findeisen'sapproach are his strong aversion to openstrings and his warnings against usingextensions (the four fingers system)because of the strain it puts on the handand the intonation problems that ensue (ofcourse, instruments and strings were different then).
Findeisen's language is colorful, sometimes harsh. When the preface to Der
Lehrer was printed in No. 4 of Der
Kontrabass, Findeisen declared: "Thismethod is dedicated to all bassists withdeteriorated hand positions, poor bowmanagement and lack of knowledge ofpositions (95% of all bassists)"!
The first volume of Der Lehrer mentioned both Italian, French and Germanbow grips. Unusual today, the French gripis shown in a photograph where the thumbis placed on the bottom planar surface ofthe frog. Findeisen explains that he advocates the German grip, based on manyyears of experience with both French andGerman grips and careful analysis of theanatomical implications of both ways ofholding the bow. In a separate article inDer Kontrabass, however, Findeisenargues even more forcefully and passionately in favor of the German bow grip,using language that implies it is almost themoral duty of any good German bassist toplay the German way! His passionate article on this subject came as a reply to anarticle by the composer and former bassistHans Hermann, who also after having alsotried both ways of playing was entirely infavor of the French grip.
The 25 Technical Studies
that the books would accompany bassiststhroughout their careers (apparently assuming that was not the fate of earlier methods).In the preface, he stresses the following twoaspects as the most important ones distinguishing his method from its predecessors:
1) Teaching a clear sense of positions onthe fingerboard. (There are fingeringshere and there in the books, but moreoften just indications of positions.)
18 International Society of Bassists
Findeisen by the way advocates anenergetic technique for the left hand.
2) Playing with an explicit strategy forbow division (how much bow to useand which parts of the bow).
In the method, Findeisen also givesdetailed suggestions for how to practicevibrato and when to apply it. Vibrato wasevidently a pet-peeve for him, since he alsopublished an article on that subject in Der
In the preface to his publication of the25 Technical Studies [in the original printing of the studies, where-remarkablyan English translation was also provided;though no preface is included in the modem International Music Company reprint],Findeisen describes the developmenttowards more technically demandingorchestral parts that necessitate the creation of new study material for bassists toperfect their technical command of the
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instrument. His technical studies are thusintended to enable the bassist to "mastereven the most difficult parts of modernorchestral literature" .
Each technical study is composed as a16-bar theme (A-B fonnat, 8 bars each) followed by variations or improvisations onthe theme, however, keeping the rhythmand styIe of the original theme. The studiesgrow longer and longer over the course ofthe series, ending at a length of 3 to 4 pages.Along the way, various meters are explored:3/4,4/4,9/8,12/8 and Findeisen also fulfillshis goal of exercising all keys, including Dbmajor, P# major, etc.
Musically and technically, these studiesare very accomplished. In contrast to manyother technical studies, one never becomesbored while practicing the ones byFindeisen. This is in accord withFindeisen's own proclamation in the preface to Der Lehrer that we must get awayfrom "idle running" when practicing onthe bass.
Some of the advice by Findeisenin the preface may be outdated in that itwas influenced the state of the art withrespect to particularly the gut or metalwound gut strings of the time. For exam-
he advises players to tune the bass insolo tuning: F#-B-E-A in order to producea "more forthcoming and less tiring soundfor the ear than the original tuning ," but toensure the player can handle the string tension physically. He again also cautions thatthe use of extensions in the left handshould only be used by "advanced playerswith a big hand," otherwise they causeproblems playing in tune.
Cmasing remarks
With his method, his teaching and hiswork as a performer, Findeisen contributedtremendously to the development of theGerman double bass tradition. His influence would undoubtedly have been muchbroader if it hadn't been for his untimelydeath and the war (WWII) , which interrupted the distribution of his music andmethod books.
Our search has not, unfortunately, beenable to yield a full inventory of all ofFindeisen's music. If others were willingto complete the catalogue of his worksand work towards republishing all that isout of print, it would be a most worthwhile enterprise. It would also be interesting to create a discography of
Findeisen's music~ we only have references to a couple of recordings.Notes
1) Today called the Hochscule fur
Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn
Bartholdy." We would like to thankChristine Peich and Maren Goltz fromthe conservatory's library for their assistance with research on Findeisen in theirarchive.
2) Findeisen auditioned for the 'second position as principal double bassist'in1906, together with A. Starke and M.Schulz~ Starke won the position, but leftthe orchestra in 1907 and Findeisenreplaced him without re-auditioning.Hans-Rainer lung has provided us withsome interesting excerpts from the correspondence in the orchestral administration entailed by these events. lung is aviolinist in the Gewandhaus Orchestrawho is currently working through various official archives containing information about the orchestra (which datesback to 1743 and has employed aboutone thousand musicians since then!).The private archive of the orchestraunfortunately was lost in a fire during
the Second World War. Claudius Bohmof the present-day Gewandhaus archivekindly introduced us to lung. It was lungwho then led us on to Arno Milller, whoagain pointed to Erich Hartmann as auseful source.
3) Hartmann has sent us copies ofthe touching newspaper notices aboutFindeisen's death sent in by his wifeand children, by the conservatory andby his orchestra colleagues. His alltoo early passing was clearly felt as agenuine loss.
Po Brun: A history of the double bass [published by the author in English translation,1989]Po Bran: A New History ofthe Double Bass
[Paul Bmn Productions, 2000].Ao Planyavsky: Geschichte des Kontrabasses
[Hans Schneider, 1970].Mo Grodne..: Comprehensive catalog of
music, books, recordings and videos for the
double bass [4th edition, 2000, volume l~
Grodner Publications]. This catalog registered
all the lnusic below except the first concerto.
ANDREW STETSON
2932 Montana Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45211
513-661-6224
astetson@cinternet.net
www.basscellar.com
Volume 29, Number 1 19
Highlights of Findeisen's ProductionAs well as providing a list of Findeisen's compositions and arti
cles, we have tried where possible to list the names of the modem
publishers for these editions, so that interested readers may obtain
copies of the works. Some of the music is classified as out of print
or is only registered as published by C.F. Schmidt, Heilbronn (a
publishing house which does not exist under this name anymore).
Teaching materialsDer Lehrer des KontrabafJ-spieles-eine Grundschule fur die
hohere Lagen-, Bogen- und Fingertechnik.Basic method book for the higher positions, bowing and finger
techniques; 5 volumes, each approx. 50 pages. Published by F.
Hofmeister, HotbeimfTaunus and Leipzig; fIrst volume copyright
C. Merseburger, Leizig, 1930, last volume, 1938; later, in English
by International Music Company, New York, and by M. Baron,
New York, as Complete Method. Findeisen did not live to oversee
the publication of the two last volumes; this task was undertaken by
his orchestra colleague of 30 years, Max Schulz.
25 Grosse technische Studien fur KontrabajJ durch aileTonearten zur Einfuhrung in die moderne Rythmik, Harmonikund Vorlragsweise, opus 14.
25 technical studies, in 4 volumes, originally published by C.F.
Schmidt, Heilbronn, later republished (except for the prefaces) by
International Music Company, New York.
Konzert-Etiiden fur KontrabajJ20 studies for double bass by Storch and Hrabe, edited and pub
lished by Findeisen; later published as 57 Studies for String Bass, by
International Music Company, New York.. Emanuel Storch was a fme
bassist of the Prague school who played in the Gewandhaus Orchestra
from 1859-76. He brought these studies by his teacher, Josef Hrabe.
Solo pieces (double bass with piano)Nixenreigen-Fantasie, opus 9 [Nymphs' Round Dance
Fantasy], published by C.F. Schmidt, Heilbronn.
Accompanied by a poem by Ludwig Ankenbrand (whom we now
nothing else about) and a nice picture of a bassist playing in the wood
surrounded by nymphs. A copy of this picture was painted by A.
Miihleisen in 1943 and presented by Findeisen's successor Max
Schulz to his former student Arno Muller as a wedding gift. The orig
inal was an oil painting by a painter by the name of Mirwald. The
order of creation of the poem by Ankenbrand, ·the fantasy by
Findeisen and the painting is not known to us or to Muller, who com
mented that it could well have been a collaboration with the painter;
Findeisen was a man with a good sense of humor. The copy painting
was donated by Arno Muller to the Danish Double Bass Society.
Karnevalszene, opus 12, published by C.F. Schmidt, Heilbronn.
Konzert No.1, opus 15 [with piano accompaniment; but orches
tra parts were available upon request to Findeisen himself], pub
lished by C.F. Schmidt, Heilbronn.
Elegie (Am Grabe des Freundes), opus 19, published by C.F.
Schmidt, Heilbronn.
Konzert No.2, opus 25 [in 1 movement], published by C.F.
Schmidt, Heilbronn and Leipzig.
Note: In a talk given at the bass convention in Mittenwald in
1991 ("Die Bedeutung der Prager Schule fUr die Padagogik des
Kontrabass-spiels"), M. Gajdos indicated that there are three con
certos by Findeisen. But we have not been able to obtain any addi
tional information on a third concerto.
Double bass and violinRomantische Suite, opus 10, published by CF. Schmidt, Heilbronn
[Grodner (2000) also mentions a version for piano and double bass.]
JS.Bach: 10Inventionen [arranged for double bass and violin,
with fmgerings, by Findeisen], published by CF. Schmidt, Heilbronn.
This music was kindly provided to us by Erich Hartmann.
Miscellaneous CompositionsQuartettsuite fur 4 Ceili oder Kontrabiisse, opus 26, published
by C. Merseburger, Leipzig.
Kadenz zum Simandlkonzert, opus 34, published by C.F. Schmidt.
Articles l )
Das Vibrato2)
Eine Reform der Padagogik des KontrabaBspiels3)
Deutsche oder franzosische Bogenfiihrung (2 articles)Mein werk 'Der Lehrer des KontrabaBspiels' 4)
1) All articles in Der Kontrabass, a newsletter for the German
Double Bassists' Association; only 5 issues published in all, in
the years 1929-1930.
2) Also appeared in Heft IV of Der Lehrer des KontrabafJ-spieles.
3) An introduction to Der Lehrer des KontrabafJ-spieles, which
was offered at a favorable subscription price to the association
ine~bers in no. 3 of Der Kontrabass (November 1929).
4) lightly revised version of the preface to Der Lehrer.
Ture Damhus is a chemist by train
ing (and serving as such in his daily
job), and an enthusiastic bass amateur.
He co-edited Bastidende (the magazine
of the Danish Double Bass Society)
with Preben Fahnr/Je for 12 years and
has also served as international repre
sentative on the ISB board of directors.
20 International Society of Bassists
Preben Fahnr/Je is a professional bassist
and guitar player in classical music as well
as jazz. He holds a degree in musical edu
cation from the Royal Conservatory in
Copenhagen and has taught several gener
ations of Danish double bassists and elec
tric bass players. He has published teach
ing materials for the double bass and the
electric bass, most recently The Nordic
Bass with Henrik Bjr/Jrn Rasmussen
[Edition Wilhelm Hansen, 2003}.
tu and
THIS BIG NEW BOOK IS THE BASS BIBLE THE FIRST DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TOBASS REPAIR, ADJUSTMENT & SOUND.
By
_.&.£.11>.4"-'.1 .... Traeger bassist, luthier & author.l'"'viJIU\....-'-'·V""--u bass repairer, proprietor of the Bass Shop in NYCfor many years
With David Bro\vnefland William lvlerchant
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Maker, repairer, bassist. Editor MVA Journal
When Peter Wilson (violin) and Aaron Clay (double bass) fonneda duo in 1997, repertoire for violin and double bass was scarce.
Following a 1998 appearance on the Millennium Stage at theKennedy Center in Washington, DC, Clay was inspired by the fast
approaching Y2K to compose MILLENNIUM: Suite for Violinand Double Bass (from their CD Bridging the Gap, reviewed onpage 64.) The score and parts for "MILLENNIUM" are availableat www.bridgingthegaponline.com. The third movement, Escape
from History, is reprinted with permission of the composer.
Aaron Clay(b. 1967)
MILLENNIUMSuitefor Violin and Double Bass
III. Escape frOID History
~ 11 Presto con moto 112
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©1998 CLAYTYME MUSIC©2005 Printed in the USA by PeterWilsonMusic
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22 International Society of Bassists
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24 International Society of Bassists
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Volume 29, Number I 25
Married to the BassBy Robin Meloy Goldsby
In her memoir Piano Girl: Lessons inLife, Music, and the Perfect BlueHawaiian, Robin Meloy Goldsby (© 2005
Backbeat Books [www.backbeatbooks .comJ.Excerpted by permission.) recounts the tri
als and triumphs ofher 30 years as a work
ing musician. Along the way, she devotes a
chapter to the joys of being married to a
bass player. In Robin scase, that happens to
be solo artist and WDR Big Band bassist
John Goldsby.
Okay, Ladies, listen up. Bass players
make great husbands. There is no scientific
data to support my claim. But having
worked my way through the rhythm section,
the technicians, and a handful of brass, reed,
and string players, I'm a qualified judge.
First, consider this. A man who plays an
upright bass is strong. He lugs the instrument
around, carries it up steps, slides it in and out
ofcars, and maneuvers it through large crowds
of people. Ifyou marry a bass player you'll be
getting a physically fit husband. Okay, there is
the occasional back problem. This crops up
two or three times a year-usually when you
want him to move your grandmother's walnut
armoire or need him to stand on a ladder and
drill a hole in the ceiling. But you can cope
with such minor inconveniences by calling a
muscular clarinet player who is handy with a
power drill. Good luck finding one. Here's the
thing: When your bass player is pain-free, he's
as strong as a bull. He has to be in order to
make the gig. And he might even throw you
over his shoulder and carry you over the
threshold every so often, just because he can.
Next, ponder the shape of the upright
bass. It's shaped like a woman. A bass play
er knows about bumps and curves - he even
likes them. He has dedicated his life to
coaxing beautiful music out of voluptuous
contours. He'll do the same for you. Just
don't marry a stick-bass player, unless you
look like Kate Moss or intend to spend the
rest of your life eating lettuce.
Examine the bass player's hands, espe
cially when he's playing a particularly fast
passage. Now imagine what those fingers
can do to you. Enough said.
A great bassist is an ensemble player, a
team member who executes, with confidence,
a vital role in any band with the strength of his
groove, the steadiness of his rhythm, and the
imaginative logic of his harmonic lines. This
doesn't just apply to the bassist's music. It also
applies to his outlook on life. A bass-player
husband will be loyal, true, and interesting,
and will help you emerge from life's chal
lenges looking and sounding better than you
ever imagined. Ifyou're in a bad mood, don't
worry. He'll change keys. On the other hand,
if you marry a pianist, he'll try and arrange
everything and then tell you what your dispo
sition should be. Ifyou marry a guitarist, he'll
try to get ahead of you by analyzing your tem
perament in double-time. If you marry a
drummer, it won't matter what kind of mood
you're in because he'll just forge ahead with
his own thing. A bass player follows along,
supports you, and makes you think that every
thing is okay, even when the world is crashing
down around you.
There are some minor drawbacks. You
need to have a house with empty comers,
especially if your husband owns more than
one upright bass. I know, you have that
newly reupholstered Louis XV chair that
would look fabulous in the comer by the
window. Forget it-that's where the bass has
to go. You can come to terms with these triv
ial decorating disappointments by reflecting
on the sculpture-like quality of the instru
ment. Even when it's silent, it's a work of art.
If you have children- and you will
because bass players make great fathers
your most frequently uttered phrase will be
"WATCH THE BASS!" You willieam how
to interject this phrase into every conversa
tion you have with your children. For
instance: "Hello, sweetie, watch the bass, did
you have a nice day at kindergarten? We're
having rice and broccoli for lunch, watch the
bass, do you want milk or water to drink?"
You will be doomed to a life of station
wagons, minivans, and SUVs. You might
harbor a secret fantasy of zooming around
town in a Mazda MX5 convertible, but this
will never happen unless you go through a
big messy divorce, give your bass-player
husband custody of the children, and marry
a violinist, which would be no fun at all.
Better to accept the hatchback as an integral
part of your existence and get on with it.
Any trip you make with your family and
the bass will be a pageant that requires
Robin Goldsby
detailed organization and nerves of steel. In
addition to your two children (one of whom
probably wants to be a drummer-heaven
help you), you will commence your journey
with suitcases, bass, bass trunk, backpacks,
amp, car seats, strollers, and diaper bag.
Your husband, weighted down with an
enormous backpack and a bass trunk the
size of a sub-zero refrigerator, will leave
you to deal with everything else. As you try
to walk inconspicuously through the airpolt
terminal, people will point and stare.
First Spectator: "They look the Slovenian
Traveling Circus!"
Second Spectator: "Hey buddy, you
should have played the flute!"
Things like that. You will learn how to
say ha, ha, ha, stick your nose in the air, and
pretend that you are traveling with a big
star, which of course he is, to you.
Your bass-player husband will know the
hip chord changes to just about every song
ever written in the history of music. This is
a good thing. Just don't ask him to sing the
melody. He might be able to play the
melody, but he won't sing it-he'll sing the
bass line. And, if you happen to play the
piano, as I do, don't expect him to just sit
there silently and appreciate what you are
playing without making a few suggestions
for better changes and voicings. He'll never
give up on trying to improve your playing.
But that's why you married him in the fIrst
place. He accepts what you do, but he push
es you to do it better.
If you marry the bass player, you marry
the bass. Buy one, get one free. Your hus
band will be passionate about his music,
which will grant you the freedom to be pas
sionate about the things you do. You might
not worship the bass as much as he does, but
you' lliove the bass player more every day.
Volume 29, Number 1 27
CHILD'S PLAY Virginia Dixon, Editor
The Bulgarian School of Bass Playing
hours per week of chamber music per
forming sonatas or other ensembles, as
well as orchestra, history of the double
bass, methodology of teaching bass and
pedagogy, where the senior students actu
ally teach the young students from music
school. Perhaps the most valuable part of
the program is the two hours of double
bass lessons per week. One lesson is
devoted to scales and arpeggios in three
octaves, technical skills, orchestra
excerpts, etudes, and suites by Bach. The
second one is for performing pieces and
concertos with piano accompaniment. In
this way the students can prepare for their
upcoming exams, concerts, and competi
tions. For more than 30 years, Krastyo
Kavlakov worked as the class accompa
nist. He has been succeeded by Bogdan
Stanev. Each year, the string department
admits six new students of double bass. Inthe past, foreign students have been
accepted as well, with past students com
ing from Finland, Greece, South Korea
and the Unites States. The course of study
is divided into two semesters, and in June
By Petya Bagovska
In the center of the Bulgarian city of
Sofia, at 94 Evlogi Georgiev, a street lined
with beautiful chestnut trees, you will find
the State Academy of Music, known by the
name Pancho Vladigerov.
With nostalgia, I well remember my stu
dent days, when on my way to lectures,
music could be heard everywhere through
the wide-open windows. I was so happy to
go to my double bass lessons. Without even
noticing it, I would make the climb to the
fourth floor where my professor Todor
Toshev taught. An outstanding musician,
pedagogue and person, Professor Toshev
established a Bulgarian school of bass play
ing and was renowned throughout the
world. His musical teaching was unforget
table, imbued with much passion, and
humor. During lessons, Prof. Toshev would
stand nearby following with full concentra
tion every note and movement of our hands.
We were used to multitasking as we played
and listened to his voice at the same time,
giving us advice. After my own lesson, I
would linger extra hours to listen to my
friends and colleagues.
The essentials I learned from Professor
Toshev are twofold: the responsibility of
my work as a pedagogue, and the impor
tance of developing good habits and posi
tioning in the student from the beginning.
Holding the bass and the bow and playing
with good muscular pressure with no ten
sion in the hands is a solid basis on which
to create technical skills, strong sound, and
endurance. Prof. Toshev knew how to per
suade you to love the double bass and to
motivate you to do your most creative
work. Thanks to him and Bulgaria's very
fine musical traditions, many of us have
since proven ourselves at national and
international competitions.
Seven of Bulgaria's largest cities have
specialized music schools with excellent
professional pedagogues on their faculties.
Basic music education runs from first
grade through a high school diploma, with
an examination that includes solfege and
individual instrumental performance.
During the period from 1963 to 1980,
music schools offered early
education on double bass, and
at that time, small-sized double
basses were manufactured in
the Bulgarian factory,
Kremona. Children between
the ages of 9 and 12 years
played these instruments; many
of them were also members of
a renowned children's orches
tra, the Philharmony Pioner.
Double bass is now only
offered to kids starting at 12
to14 years old, by which time
music students learn all
required subjects as well as tak
ing applied music lessons. At
the end of seventh grade,
examinations for high school
are held and those accepted are
able to continue their studies
with two hour-long double bass
lessons per week, in addition to
two hours of chamber music Petya Bagovska
and four hour sessions for
orchestra plus all the regular
classes, foreign language and mandatory
piano. At the end of each school year, stu
dents take an exam requiring scales, arpeg
gios, etudes, cello suites by Bach, as well
as other solo pieces and concertos. After
high school the best ones apply to the State
Academy of Music.
In Bulgaria, in addition to the State
Academy, there are also two regional folk
lore schools and a national academy of
folk music and dance where one can study
double bass. Anticipating and encouraging
the pre-college music education in
Bulgaria, there are competitions for instru
mentalists in three age groups: 7 to 14
years old, 14 to 19, and 19 to 35. A very
popular competition is the Svetoslav
Obretenov, where Bulgarian music is pro
grammed. Over the years, this has helped
to encourage composers to produce
numerous new pieces. The most popular
Bulgarian composers who have written for
the bass are Emil Tabakov, Lazar Nikolov,
Boris Karadimchev and Michael Pekov.
The State Academy's double bass pro
gram requires all students to have two
Volume 29, Number 1 29
Petya Bagovska assisting a student
all students take double bass exams. Themost common bow hold is French, but theGerman system is also represented.
After graduation, studentsmay go on to earn Mastersdegrees and the very best continue for Ph.Ds. During theircourse of study, bassists participate in the class meetings, concerts, and international youthorchestras. Many of them findsolo opportunities with the professional Academy SymphonyOrchestra performing concertiby Dittersdorf, Bottesini,Koussevitzky, and others.Professors Nikolay Nikolov andGeorgi Velkov have been teaching double bass at the Academyfor many years.
As a pedagogue, I alwayslook for new things with whichto intrigue my students. Out ofthis searching arises my desireto write bass studies, articles,arrangements for double bassand my work to found differentensembles with four to eightbasses. As their mentor, I try to
include music from the Baroque throughjazz eras. Performing together reaps excellent results, plus it is great motivation to
work, and establishes a productive atmosphere. Playing in ensembles is a highlyenriching experience. In 2000, my studentsand I performed as a bass quartet at theInternational Jazz Festival, in Bansko,Bulgaria. In the State Academy of Musicwe also have a bass club where we areorganizing interesting events, concerts andmaster classes. To achieve excellent resultsin our work as pedagogues, I believe it isnecessary to have passion, high professionalism, an individual approach to everystudent, but most of all, dedication andlove.
Petya Bagovska, PhD., is associate pro
fessor ofdouble bass at the State Academy
ofMusic in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her website is
www.bagovska.comlbass.
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30 International Society of Bassists
1-1 • .,.. S 1-1 • .,.. S
Bert Witzel, Principal Bass,The louisville Orchestra
Bert Witzel began playing bass in high
school when he attended the Baltimore
School for the Arts. He was then accepted to
the Curtis Institute of Music where he stud
ied with Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer.
During his time at Curtis, Bert was an active
freelance bassist in the Philadelphia area,
performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra
and the Philly Pops, among others.
"I don't have a whole lot of experience
taking auditions (this being my third audi
tion) , so I don't think one has to have a
whole lot of experience [in order to suc
ceed]. What it really comes down to is how
mature a player you are, and how much you
have prepared. The mindset that I bring to
auditions is not to worry about whether or
not I will win the audition, or whether the
committee will like my playing, or whether
or not I'm going to mess up this passage or
that passage, but to simply try to play the
best that I can.
Jeff Turner, Editor
"My preparation for auditions has consist
ed of practicing around 4 or 5 hours a day, 6
days a week. I had mock auditions once or
twice a week a month before the audition. In
my practicing, I concentrate on the weakest
excerpts at fust, while maintaining the other
excerpts. Then as it gets closer to the audition
I practice all of them equally. I always prepare
as much as I can, because when I get to the
audition, I never sound as good as on my best
day at home. It is hard to do an audition
because it is a new environment. You've
never played in the hall, you sonletimes have
very little time to warm up, and you only get
five minutes to play in certain rounds. I
always try to go for musicality in my playing,
along with good, solid technique. You can
have an edge by playing musically and show
ing the committee that you are a mature musi
cian. Make a musical statement with your
excerpts and solos: follow dynamics, use
tasteful vibrato, come up with an idea of how
you want the music to go, etc. When you have
figured out what you want to do, practice it
over and over so that you are prepared." Bert Witzel
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Volume 29, Number 1 31
INTERNATIONAL BASS CLUB DIRECTORY
Felix PetitACADEMIA NACIONAL DECONTRABAJISTASConservatorio de Musica Simon BolivarEI Paraiso, Caracas 1010VenezuelaTel/fax +212-481-1441felix_petit@hotmail.com
Esra Gul AtalayANADOLU BASS CLUBAnadolu University State ConservatoryEskisehir, Turkey 26470+222 335 05 80/6228Fax +222 335 31 04e-mail:egul@anadolu.edu.trwww.basscIub.anadolu.edu.tr
Thierry BarbeASSOCIATION DES BASSISTS ETCONTREBASSISTE DE FRANCE22 rue de Champagne94700 Maisons-Alfort, Francewww.contrebasse.com
Sonia RayASSOCIACAO BRASILEIRA DECONTRABAIXISTASEscola de Musica e Artes Cenicas da UFGCampus II - Samambaia - Sala 205Tele/fax +55-62-224-4264soniaray@cultura.com.br
Mark BernatBASS CLUB OF GEORGIAP.O. Box 49045Atlanta, GA 30359mkbemat@yahoo.com
Alana Dawes, PresidentKatie McLachlan, Contact/SecretaryBASSLINK AUSTRALIAPO Box 130Belair, South Australia 5052+61 88278 2016basslink@bassworks.com.au
David HeyesBRITISH & INTERNATIONALDOUBLE BASS FORUMP.O. Box 151Aldershot, Hants GU12 7YQUnited Kingdomdavid.heyes@lineone.net
Petya BagovskaBULGARIAN BASS CLUBHipodroma BI. 140, A, 12 FlatSofia BUG-1612Bulgaria+359/88-753-358p_bagovska@hotmail.comwww.bagovska.com/bass
Sandra Grigorova-BojkovaBULGARIAN DOUBLE BASS ASSOCIATIONj.k. "Bakston," bI. 17, vh.2, ap.30Sofia, Bulgaria 1618ines@pc-link.net
Wei Bao ZhengCHINESE SOCIETY OF BASSISTSFlat 504, No.7 Fuxingmen South St.Beijing 100045, ChinaTel/Fax +86 09 79 92weibaozh@a-1.neLcn
Miloslav JelinekCZECH SOCIETY OF BASSISTSKomenskeho nam. 860200BmoCzech Republic+420 5 43 24 28 05spol-kontrabas@volny.czwww.volny.cz/spol-kontrabas
32 International Society of Bassists
Ture DamhusAndreas Bennetzen, ChairDANISH DOUBLE BASS SOCIETYLivjaegergade 43, st. tv.Koebenhavn OE 2100Denmark+45 35 26 49 83Fax +45 44 42 42 33turedamhus@tiscali.dkwww.bass-society.dk
David MUlTayINDIANA BASS CLUBButler University - Music Dept.4600 SunsetIndianapolis, IN 46220dmulTay@butler.edu
Miika AsuntaFINNISH SOCIETY OF BASSISTSHelsinginkatu 42 A 2900530 HelsinkiFinland+358-45-6777842Miika.Asunta@saunalahtiJi
Gerrit HamacherGERMAN SOCIETY OF BASSISTSwww.geba-online.de
Cheryl Ann BrentHOUSTON BASS CLUBc/o Rice UniversityShepherd School of Music6100 S. Main St. MS 5321Houston TX 77005-1892
Karoly SamHUNGARIAN BASSISTS SOCIETYZrinyi u. 26Budapest, Hungary H-I028+36 1397 1821Fax +36 62 11226
Klaus SchroffKONTRABASS-CLUBDEUTSCHLANDRoermonderstrasse 289Aachen, Germany D-52072Phone and fax +49 241 515 18 17www.lownote-musikverlag-schluff.de
Chang-ho Kim, PresidentKOREAN KONTRABASS ASSOCIATIONP.O. Box 434,Seocho-Gu,137-604Seoul, Korea+82-16-726-3721kim5686@hanmail.netsohn0808@hotmail.comwww.kontrabass.com
Nobuaki SaikawaKYUSHU BASS CLUB2-23-24 TsutsumiJonan,Fukuoka814-0151 JapanTel/fax +81-92-873-7355bomb@box.email.ne.jp
Zoran PavloskiMACEDONIAN DOUBLE BASS ASSOCIATIONul. Naroden front 5-1-13Skopje, 1000Macedoniatel +38 970 388 284zoki@dr.com
Peter TambroniTHE MANNHEIM BASS CLUBWestdale Elementary SchoolMannheim School District #8399 W. Diversey AveNorthlake, IL 60164tambroni@hotmail.com
Jim FergusonNASHVILLE BASS CLUB210 Mayfair Rd.Nashville, TN 37205615/297-7453Fax 615/463-8747jim@jimfergusonmusic.com
Barry GreenNORTHERN CALIFORNIABASS CLUB430 Crestridge PI.Santa Rosa CA 95409barry@innergameofmusic.comwww.innergameofmusic.com
Irena OlkiewiczPOLISH DOUBLE BASS SOCIETYRynek 4/8WrocIaw 50-107PolandTele/fax +4871 32203330lkiew3@poczta.onet.plwww.doublebass.bel.pl
Florian PertzbomPORTUGUESE DOUBLEBASSSOCIETYEscola Superior de Musica e das ArtesRua de Alegria 504Oporto 4000Portugal+3512580774Fax +351 1 528513
RICHARD DAVIS FOUNDATIONFOR YOUNG BASSISTS, INC.902 West Shore Dr.Madison, WI 53715608/255-6666Fax 608/255-5524rdavis1 @facstaff.wisc.eduwww.globaldialog.com/-rdavis
Paul ErhardROCKY MOUNTAIN BASS CLUB3655 Emerson Ave.Boulder CO 80303303/492-4918Fax 303/492-5619
Ken HustadSAN LUIS OBISPO BASS CLUB470 Arcadia Ave.MOlTO Bay, CA 93442805/772-1477www.bassisLcom/bassi.htm
David HumphreySASKATCHEWAN BASS CLUB1516 Lome Ave.Saskatoon, SK S7H 1YlCanada
Jennifer SharpSCOTTISH BASS TRUST6 West GarletonHaddingtonEH413SLTele/fax +44 1620 82 25 32mail@satv.co.uk
Martin SimpsonSOUTH AFRICAN BASS CLUBPO Box 785189Sandton, South Mrica 2146msimpson@joy.co.zawww.Bassplayers.co.za
Josep QueI' Agusti, PresidentMrs. Matias Lopez, General ManagerSPANISH DOUBLE BASS SOCIETYTClMontgo n° 1- 2°_3a
Figueres, Spain 17600jose_quer@hotmail.com
Lynn Lovell, PresidentWESTERN NEW ENGLANDDOUBLE BASS SOCIETYc/o Downtown Sounds21 Pleasant St.Northampton, MA 01060415/586-6538lnluvl@crocker.comwww.wnedbs.org
BASS CLUBS Jennifer Sharp, Editor
I've just got back from Bass Encountersin Vienna and am reluctant to put pen topaper, or finger to keyboard, for fear thatanalysing what made it work so well willdispel the wonderful cloud of audio andvisual images which has been floatingaround my brain these last few daysHowever, needs must. ..
Why was the third Bass Encounters inAustria such a huge success? In my opinion, two things contributed in a major way.First and foremost was the sponsor,Thomastik Infeld. We all know the importance of sponsors. Sometimes our localgovernment agencies are not enough (eventhough Lynn Lovell tells me that their grantis usually enough for the Western NewEngland Bass Club to break even). DavidMurray had D'Addario Strings and LemurMusic to help him out at a recent masterclass in Indiana, and whilst MiloslavJelinek and the Czech Bass Society havehelp with accommodation from the JanacekAcademy they are already are on the lookout for sponsors for their next event in2006, as are we in Scotland. Though wereadily acknowledge that we need the sponsors' money, do we really appreciate theother aspects that a sponsor can bring, andthe two-way process of sponsoring? WayneDarling and Helmut Frank seemed to bewell aware of these things and because theywere both totally involved in the process oforganizing and executing Bass Encounters,it worked extremely well.
Thomastik Infeld and Wayne Darlinghave a happy and fulfilling relationship,which is exactly how it should be. Theyunderstand each other's needs and bothgive to each other. On this particular occasion, not only did the sponsor lecture us onstring science (which incidentally was apopular highlight of the three days), butthey also entertained their friends and colleagues. How they did this leads me to thesecond contributor to success, the venue.This was a well known and popular nightspot in the centre of the city which meantthat a) Peter Infeld, the owner of theThomastik Infeld company, could takealong some guests each evening and b) amore generalist jazz audience was entertained not only by solo jazz bassists butalso introduced to the classical repertoireand other styles of music. This would seemto me to be a bass event requirement. Iexpect that we at the Scottish Bass Trustare like everyone else in the bass world;we want to provide opportunities for players and at the same time we want to promote the bass. We certainly can't promote
Czech bassists playing in the streets ofBrno
Final Bow
our performers without first (or simultaneously) promoting the instrument. But howwe choose to do this can vary a great deal,from the Czech bassists playing in thestreet in Brno (see photo), to playing allconcerts in a popular night spot as happened in Vienna. It was odd to see drinksbeing served during a performance of theHertl Sonata, but heartening to see thatDuncan McTier received as warm a reception in the jazz club as did Niels-Henning0rsted Pederson, for example.
I mentioned two things contributed tothe recent success of the Viennese BassEncounters, but in fact there were three,since the performers were among the bestavailable and were full of friendly adviceand tips. It's hard to quantify the benefitsto up and coming bass players of beingable to hear'greats' like Rufus Reid at firsthand, talking about his life and band expe-
riences and demonstrating his unique techniques. Attendees could also learn howKristin Korb developed her styIe ofsinging whilst playing bass; how CircusBassisimus developed their quartet andhow the intricacies of Arabic scales give adistinctive sound to the music of sextetBasic Instinct. Miroslav Vitous presentedan inspiring master class and NielsHenning 0rsted Pederson showed us allhow to perfect the three fingered pizzicatotechnique - easier said than done!
Each evening presented a mix of styles.Duncan McTier rallied from a recent backinjury to play some of his own arrangements including Bridge's Spring Song andFaure's Apres une Reve, accompanied byRebecca Woolcock. The Ami, Niels andWayne trio was a knockout yet again, playing some of Ami Egilsson's compositionsand supported by the inimitable drummer
Volume 29, Number 1 33
John Hollenbeck and the peerless Austrianpianist Fritz Pauer, who seemed to be athome with every musician on stage.Concert two began with Basic Instinct, followed by Miroslav Vitous, complete withthe computerised string section of theCzech Philharmonic and ended withKristin Korb, again accompanied by FrizPauer and John Hollenbeck which sent usall away singing. On the final evening,Dieter and Wolfgang Muthspiel set arattling pace with all guns to be followed by Ban'e Phillips. Everyone whohas heard Barre play can imagine thescene: BalTe walked onto the stage withonly his bass, no amplification in sight,and stared at the audience. Then heallowed his bass to speak, gently at first, inorder to draw attention. Within a very fewminutes, everyone was enthralled. Rufusrounded off the again with Fritzand John, putting into practice what he hadpreached during the day and providing awonderful finale to a wonderful tlu'ee days.
Three ingredients for success? No, no!There were yet more! How can I thedelicious Sacher Torte (a local Clnt:J'f'1<:llh;r
chocolate cake) and the Blaufrankisch (aplumy rich red wine grown nearby andtasted with Kristin Korb, Chloe Cutts andRalph Krahmer in a small wine bar off the
34 International Society of Bassists
Fussganger). And what about the Austrianversion of our British boiled beef and carrots, shared with that stalwart of the bassmaking fraternity, Horst Grunert, whorushed out of the restaurant in the middleof his dinner to assist when Ami Egilsson'sbridge collapsed, minutes before his performance. A sharing of culture as well asthe music is, I believe, of great importance.And that's another great thing about travelling to meet colleagues in other countries, to share their music and their livesfor a brief moment. There are lots ofoppo11unities to attend Bass Club eventsgoing on around the world. Check out theISB web site for more of these(www.ISBworldoffice.com). but for starters:
ell The Western New England Double BassSociety organized an Off the Deep Endshow on Sunday April 10th, 2005 andlater in the summer will offer a jazz lecture by an area bassist Lynn Lovell saysthat their productions "typically shakestanding-room-only crowds and areappealing to both young and old." Theyplay music from movie themes tofolk, pop, and the classical traditions andthe group features plenty of variety andsome humorous theatrics to elevate thespirit. Sounds like fun for everybody!
$ Also in April, BassWorks Australia, inassociation with the Australian YouthOrchestra, presented their Third NationalDouble Bass Workshop. The weekincluded recitals, master classes, lessons,ensembles, teacher training and bassmaking. For more information, go towww.bassworks.com.au .
o Then there's the Bottesini Festival inValencia, Spain, in May 2005, which featured lectures, master classes and performances of the music of GiovanniBottesini. But if you can't get to Spain,Josep QueI' from the Spainish Bass Clubis getting out and about, so there is achance to experience Catalan andSpanish music in New York and inKalamazoo in June.
ll} Also in June 2005 the Bass Club ofGeorgia had a workshop and competitionin Decatur. For further information contact mkbernat@yahoo.com.
@ The 4th Ludwig Streicher Double BassFestival took place at Santiago deCompostela, Spain, in July, featuringsolo, chamber music, orchestral, jazz,theory classes, concerts and more. Formore information go to www.ludwigstreicher-festival.org.
@ Miloslav Jelinek and Czech Society ofBassists are organizing the 6th CzechDouble Bass Convention in Bmo thisSeptember, acknowledging help withrooms from the Janacek Academy ofMusic and Performing Arts. If you can'tmake it this year, they are already looking for funds for 2006.
@ And then the Danish Double BassSociety will be hosting Bassissimo inOctober, at the Carl Nielsen Academy ofMusic in Odense, the city of the famousDanish fairytale writer Hans ChristianAndersen. They have invited composersto celebrate the works of H.C. Andersenwith new compositions for solo bass andbass ensembles. We are invited to checkout http://www.bass-society.dk for moreinformation as it becomes available.
So if you're not already involved withyour local bass club, do consider lending ahand! Over a final glass of local beer afterBass Encounters, Wayne did comment thathis students had been invaluable in helpingto keep the event rolling. Having enoughhelpers is a luxury which often goesunmentioned.
A final thought: If you have a bass cluband haven't heard from me recently, then Iam having problems with your emailaddress, so please get in touch. I'm alwaysopen to comments and suggestions for thispage. If you'd like to write somethingyourself, please send it to me for inclusion.
CENTERFOLD Steven Reiley, Editor
The Karr-Koussevitzky Double Bass
www.JeffBollbach.com516 867-1395 • 359 Miller Ave. • Freeport, NY 11520
JEFF BOLLBACH, LUTHIER, INC.BASS REPAIR & RESTORATION
104.7 cm48.5 cm33.5 cm62.8 cm105.5 cm (or41.5 inches)
After the examination by the ISB panel wascomplete, the instrument was shown to Dr. HenriD. Grissino-Mayer ofKnoxville, TN. Dr. Mayeris a noted dendrochronologist in the Departmentof Geography at the University of Tennessee inKnoxville, who also graciously donated his timeto analyze the Karr-Koussevitzky bass. He studied the growth rings in the spruce used to makethe top of the bass, and his study of the age andperiod of the historical growth of the tree coincided with the findings of the panel.
I personally want to thank Gary KaIT forthis tremendous gift to the ISB, as well asthe other members of the panel of expertswho generously donated their time and travel to such a W011hy and historic effort.
Measurements for the Karr-Koussevitskydouble bass:
Body Length:Upper Bout:Center Bout:Lower Bout:String Length:
bouts have been modified, in order to developthe lovely and distinctive sloped-shoulder, soloshape that now helps define this fine instrument. Since the original shape has been altered(by reduction in the upper and lower bouts),the panel determined a newer back had beenmade to accommodate the redesigned shape.This work appears French, dating to the mid1800s. The four-piece purfling used in thereduction ofthe top was present throughout theentire back, including the "C" bout area.
In the process of reducing the instrument insize, a new end block and new neck block wereinstalled. The lower ribs (original to the bass)were shortened at the endpin and new ribs weremade for the upper bouts out of similar mapleto that ofthe back. The neck and scroll are additions to the instrument, which Gary Karr him
self commissioned. These are beautiful workmanship, and worthy of such a fine instrument.The varnish is a deep reddish orange on the top,lower ribs and C-bout ribs and a slightly moregolden orange color on the upper ribs and back.
In 2004, world renowned bassist GaryKarr, the founding father of the ISB, made avery special gift by donating his prized double bass to the ISB. As it is perhaps the bestknown bass in existence, Gary's supreme actof generosity brings prestige to the organization he founded, and also makes available toyoung bassists (the potential Gary Karrs ofthe future) an opportunity to see and performon one of the great instruments in the world.
With this gift, Gary has presented the ISBan instrument of extreme value. It is noteworthy for its direct link to the famed SergeKoussevitsky and also to the members ofnumerous audiences around the world, whohave been blessed to hear the great Gary Karrinterpret the vast solo and chamber musicrepertoire that he has helped develop for thedouble bass. This is the bass upon whichGary built his career, playing many premiereperformances and making recordings thathave inspired bassists of all ages for decades.
To help document the origins and pedigreeof the instrument, a panel of three internationally recognized experts, dealers and appraisersgraciously donated their time and expertise:David Gage ofNew York City, Don Robeltsonof Albuquerque, NM, and Steven Reiley ofGrand Rapids, MI. On the ISB's behalf, DustinWilliams of Nashville, TN, assisted.
After studying the instrument over anintensive two-day period, the panel determined the gamba-shaped instrument isprobably of French origin, c.1800. The following is a description of the bass.
The top is made from two pieces ofspruce of narrow growth in the center moving to medium width growth in the flanks.The lower bouts have wings added fromsimilar spruce. The back is made from twopieces of maple marked with a faint narrowfigure ascending from the center joint. Theribs of the lower and middle bouts are ofmaple with a more defined figure and theupper bouts are similar to that of the back.
Throughout the course of studying theinstrument, the panel discovered the top, lowerribs and C-bout ribs exhibit similar varnish andaging of the wood. Original three-piece purfling exists in the center bouts of the top andslight movement outward in the upper andlower comers. From the comers upward andlower comers downward were new four-piecepurfling, indicating that the upper and lower
Volume 29, Number 1 35
36 International Society of Bassists
The left side of this photo is from the top c-bout area. The rightside ofthe photo is from the c-bout area on the back ofthe bass.No doubt the purfling is the original that runs out above theupper corners and below the lower corners (not pictured here).The right side of the photo clearly shows the two outer blackstrips, and two very unusual inner white strips. This four-piecepurjling is inset in the entire back and is also visible in the topwhere the original purjling runs out just above the upper c-botltcorners and just below the lower c-bout corners.
The upper corner c-bout area from the top shows a portion of theoriginal purjling at the corner running toward the outer edge, and thenew four-piece purfling continuing in a normal placement. The original purjling running toward the edge is a clear indication that thisbass was cut down in size at the upper and lower extremities. Thefour-piece purjling on the back being the same as the new purjling onthe top indicates that the back was purjled by the same person whodid the size alteration. These facts, combined with the varnish colordifferences (the back and upper ribs have a more yellow-brown tint;the c-bouts, lower ribs and top have a more red-brown tint), indicatethat the top, c-bouts and lower ribs are from one bass and the upperribs and back are from another bass. Instruments that have beenaltered in size and shape are rarely cut down at the c-bouts.
PHOTOS BY JUSTIN ROBERTSON
Volume 29, Number 1 37
Ray Brown HArt of The Bass" VideosFour chances to see and hear Ray Brown again as he shares savvy tips and makes music with fellow bass greats Milt Hinton, John Clayton, Francois Rabbath and his own Triple Treat Trio withpianist Monty Alexander and guitarist Herb Ellis. Every bassist and studio will want these hard-tofind videos in their libraries (VHS format only, color, 30 minutes except Vol 4., which is 60 minuteslong.)
__ Vol 1 Featuring Milt Hinton__ Vol 2 Featuring John Clayton__ Vol 3 Featuring Francois Rabbath__ Vol 4 "An Evening with Triple Treat" featuring Ray Brown,
Monty Alexander and Herb Ellis
$20 each. Add $5 shipping and handling for one video, $7 for two videos, $8 for three or morevideos. Send order to IS8, 13140 Goit Rd, Suite 320, LB 120, Dallas, TX 75240.
TOTAL ENCLOSEDCheck in U.S. funds enclosed _ MasterCard, Visa, AmEx Card
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38 International Society of Bassists
ALL THAT .JAZZJeff Campbell, Editor
The ..Jazz Bass Player as Accol11panist
Am7 07 Gm7 C7 Fm7
tion' of secondary dominant chord (D7 inthe key of Eb major) by playing a high P#a tenth above the bass note. With this one'high note,' Ray's line accurately guidesthe ear through the harmonic sequencetoward the cadence in Eb Major. As simple as this may seem, the use of a largeinterval between the bass note (D) and themajor third (F#) is significant to the listener's perception of the harmonic movement of the piece. And while a well placedhigh-pitched third does not guaranteecomplete harmonic definition, in this caseit is a very powerful and articulate notechoice that very clearly indicates preciseharmonic motion.
In a ballad styIe, Ray uses economicalbass accompaniment to guide the harmonic direction of Duke Ellington's composition Solitude (ex. 2).
Note the way in which Ray uses chromatic notes to accentuate the ascendingmotion of the harmony from the Gbmaj7chord in bar one to the Bbm7 in bar two.To help define the Ab7 sound in bar three,he uses an inverted triad with chromaticpassing tones moving into bar four. At theend of bar four, the use of both the notesAband D serve to propel the harmonic
movement towards the Db7 chord in bar5. Also notice the use the whole-tonescale fragment in the fifth bar that colorsthe sound of the Db7 chord.
Gm7Cm7Gm7Cm7
I'm an Old Cow Hand
G~aj7
Solitude
Though any list will unintentionally be noncomprehensive, I have chosen a few examples that uniquely illustrate the bass' role asan accompanying instrument in jazz. Also, aspart of this discussion, it is interesting to notethe way bass players have expanded theirtechnique and conception of their function toaccommodate the changes and advancements in jazz music over the past 50 years.To illustrate this, I will discuss six recordings(in chronological order) that feature the bassaccompaniment of Ray Brown, WilburWare, Charlie Haden, Sonny Dallas, JimmyGarrison, Ron Carter, and George Mraz.
Ray BrownThere are several piano-less recordings
from the late 1950s that feature the bassplayer as the primary accompanist. Most ofthe bass playing from this period featuresthe walking bass line as the primary modeof accompaniment. As discussed above,Ray Brown's performance on the SonnyRollins' Way Out West (1957) record is anexcellent example of both creative andfunctional bass playing.
As an example, consider Ray Brown'swalking bass line on I'm an Old CowHand (ex. 1).
Notice the use of chord tones and theproximity of range within the first fourmeasures. Then in the fifth measure Rayfocuses harmonic attention on the 'func-
When I was in high school, my fathergave me a Sonny Rollins record called, Way
Out West. I was excited to hear the albumbecause it featured one of my favoritebassists, Ray Brown. Though I loved Ray'splaying (along with Shelly Manne's drumming) I had a hard time relating to the musicbecause there was no chordal instrument inthe group. Even though Ray's bass lineswere clearly defined, I found it hard for myears to track along with each of the tunesbecause at that point in my musical development, I was dependant on a the guitar orpiano to 'flesh out' the harmonies. Sadly, Iput the record on the shelf where it sat formore years than I care to admit.
Years later, I found myself playing in aprofessional situation without a chordalinstrument. I discovered that I truly enjoyedthe open feeling associated with this type ofinstrumentation and realized that as abassist, I had a certain amount of latitude tohelp shape the overall harmonic content ofthe group. It was then that I dusted off myold Sonny Rollins record and with moremature ears, gained a new appreciation forwhat I was not able to grasp as a youngermusician. Perhaps most significant was therealization that the bass player is perfectlycapable of providing significant harmonicdefinition without playing every note inevery chord. This is not to say Ray himselfwould have played differently with theinclusion of a chordal instrument. Instead,to point out that his lines were so well crafted that the addition of a piano or guitarwould do little to enhance the overall perception of the harmonic movement of themusic. Of course, it is important to recognize Sonny Rollins' role in providing amazingly clear melodic/harmonic material sothat, in combination with Ray Brown's bassparts, this two-voice texture is sufficient torealize the most essential harmonic andmelodic elements of each piece.
As I learned to appreciate the sound ofthe piano-less trio of Sonny Rollins, RayBrown, and Shelly Manne, I became curious about how other bass playersapproached this type of playing.Fortunately, there are some wonderfulrecordings of groups using the same format.
Volume 29, Number 1 39
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G7
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CharUe HadenAs jazz music has evolved, so too has its
rhythmic and harmonic language.Consequently, jazz and improvising musicians have always been interested in developing and expanding the vocabulary of themusic. This was certainly the case in 1959when saxophonist Ornette Coleman produced his recording, The Shape of Jazz to
COlne with Charlie Haden on bass, DonCherry on trumpet, and Billy Higgins ondrums. In this group, Charlie Haden'saccompanying responsibilities were not nec-
G7
G7
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Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
cymbal beat. (In many ways his soundreminds me of a modern, 1950s JimmyBlanton.) In addition to great walking basslines, Ware creates interesting 2-beataccompaniment during the statement ofthe various melodies on the record. As anexample, consider his opening line onSoftly as in a Morning Sunrise (ex. 3).
Note the various ways he chooses bassnote for each of the Ab7 chords. Also,notice the use of contrasting articulationfor each of the repeated B-flat notes inmeasure 7.
Wilbur WareIn November of the same year as the
record above, Sonny Rollins made anotherseminal piano-less recording: A Night at
the Village Vanguard with bassist WilburWare and drummer Elvin Jones. This liverecording features the group playing standard material such as I've Got You Under
My Skin, A Night In Tunisia, Softly as in a
Morning Sunrise, Old Devil Moon and I'll
Remember April. As the primary harmonicprovider, Ware plays very clear walkingbass lines that allow Sonny Rollins toexplore and develop a myriad of melodicpaths. At musically opportune moments,Ware introduces conversational but nonobtrusive commentary without intelTupting the forward motion of his walking basslines. These short bursts of annotationfunction much like a pianist inteljecting achord into the texture of the rhythm section support of a soloist. On several of theup-temp tunes, Ware plays walking-linesolos that reveal subtle variations in quarter note lengths. This variety in note lengthhelps to propel bass line along but withoutfeeling dated. Throughout the recording,Ware's sound is big, fat, punchy, and buoyant, blending perfectly with Elvin Jones'
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Volume 29, Number 1 41
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standards such as Beatrice, Friday the
Thirteenth, Isotope, and Cheryl, as wellas the popular standards Stella by
Starlight and All the Things You Are.
Throughout all fourteen tracks, Cartercreates bass lines and bass parts that gofar beyond functional playing. Instead, heuses a keen sense of counterpoint andconversational playing that orchestrate aharmonic support system for Henderson'singenious improvisational explorations.Of particular interest is the manner inwhich Carter improvises bass lines on theThelonius Monk composition, Friday the
Thirteenth. The harmonic rhythm is basedon a repeated two-measure structure withthe following chords changes:
George MrazAnother type of accompaniment
explored by jazz bassists is the use ofdouble stops to create a chordal backdrop.This is often seen in slow tempo ballads.While double stops are not new to doublebass technique, their application has beenbecome much more 'user-friendly' withthe steel strings and lower string action.Consider the manner in which bassistGeorge Mraz provides both beautiful andfunctional accompaniment on Blue in
Green from Rich Perry's 1998 recordingDoxy (ex. 4). During Perry's initial statement of the theme, Mraz uses doublestops to articulate the bass motion in thelower voice and harmonic counterpoint inthe upper voice. He does this by finding asingle chord tone in conjunction with
Over this simple set of changes, Carterspins out eight minutes and seven seconds-worth of creative and harmonicallyclear bass lines that amazingly are neverrepeated. In other words, he conceives ofseemingly endless ways to navigatethrough this very simple descending setof dominant chords. Carter's constantlyfresh and resourceful bass accompaniment is the perfect 'hand-in-glove' fit forJoe Henderson's never-ending melodicinventiveness. And while all three musicians improvise within a very adventurous and creative spirit, the music is firmly rooted in the hard swinging and emotionally charged tradition of jazz. In addition, this recording serves as a classicexample of Ron Carter's signature basssound, complete w'ith amazing sustainand clarity.
essarily to provide harmonic definition,but rather, to create instantaneous counterpoint in support of the free improvisational vocabulary of Omette Coleman andDon Cherry. Most of the bass accompaniment is realized though non-tonal (butvery melodic) walking bass lines. In addition, Charlie Haden uses drones, pedalnotes, and ostinato-like figures to supportthe open and free nature of the music.This important recording serves as a significant example of new thought aboutthe improvisational language of jazz. AndCharlie Haden's bass playing throughoutillustrates that the role of the bass wasexpanding beyond its traditional, utilitarian responsibilities. An important aspectof Haden's bass playing captured on thisrecording is his fully sustained gut-stringtone, especially in the lower register ofthe instrument, pointing towards thefuture of the jazz bass sound that was tocome later with the introduction of steelstrings.
Sonny DallasIn 1961, Verve records captured a live
date with Lee Konitz on alto saxophone/leader, Sonny Dallas on bass, and ElvinJones on drums. In the tradition of pianistLennie Tristano, Konitz's invents improvised melodies that are spontaneous,organic, and void of cliche. Konitz creates complex melodies based on the harmonic rhythms of standards such as You'd
Be So Nice To Come Home To, I'll
Remember April, All of Me, and I
Remember You. Dallas supports Konitz'smusical concept by creating brilliantlyarticulate walking lines that provideexceptional harmonic clarity. Also,Dallas' rhythmic vocabulary is quite loyalto strict quarter notes, avoiding the use ofexcess extraneous rhythmic decoration.With such stable harmonic and rhythmicbass accompaniment, Konitz is free tocreate melodic lines that instinctivelyweave in and out of the conventional,symmetrical phrase structure of the tunes.Many jazz critics and fans alike considerthis to be among Lee Konitz's bestrecorded documents of his definitive andunique improvisational styIe.
During the 1960s, the syntax andvocabulary of jazz music expanded toinclude a greater variety of rhythmic, formal, and harmonic constructs. Theexploratory music the John ColtraneQuartet, the adventurous nature of theMiles Davis Quintet, and the conversa-
tional spirit of the Bill Evans Trio all represent examples of the expanding improvisational styles being investigated byjazz musicians during this period.Bassists such as Ron Carter, ScottLaFaro, Jimmy Garrison, and RichardDavis, to name a few, were developingnew ways of producing functional andcreative bass parts that supported thesenew ways of thinking.
Jimmy GarrisonAn excellent document of this new
type of playing is found in the bassaccompaniment of Jimmy Garrison on the1968 recording Puttin' It Together. Thisrecord, led by drummer Elvin Jones alongwith Joe Farrell playing tenor/sopranosaxophones, alto flute, and piccolo features a body of spirited and adventurousrepertoire composed by the members ofthe trio. Having been members ofColtrane's seminal quartet, both Jonesand Garrison had developed a strongmusical empathy that is clearly expressedthroughout the recording. To support theopen and daring feeling of the music,Garrison uses ostinato patterns, walkinglines, fingered strums, double stops, andarco to accompany the multi-woodwindtalents of Joe Farrell. Often, Garrison variegates the regularity of his walking lineswith contrapuntal dialog in a three-wayconversation with Farrell and Jones. Theopen nature of the music suggestsGarrison's harmonic definition be moreimplied than stated, with emphasis on anorganic, non-restrictive feeling throughout. It is interesting to compareGarrison's tone on this trio record withthat heard on many of the Coltrane quartet recordings. By this point, Garrison,along with many other jazz bassists, hadconverted to steel strings and his bass isrecorded using the pickup sound associated with the early transducer types manufactured by companies such as Polytoneand Barcus-Berry. (Another interestingrecording documenting the 'new' steelstring sound is Four! Joe Henderson
Verve 314 523 657-2 with Paul Chambersplaying bass.)
Ron CarterRon Carter masterfully demonstrates
'the jazz bassist as an accompanist' on therecording Joe Henderson - The State of
the Tenor - Live at the Village Vanguard
with Al Foster on drums. Recorded in1985, this double CD set contains jazz
G7 F7 Eb7 D7
Volume 29, Number 1 43
Blue in Green
each bass note, providing only the mostcrucial harmonic information. As thepiece unfolds, Mraz continues to exploremany different pitch combinations thatguide his band mates (as well as the listener) through the ten-measure harmonicrhythm of the piece. With modem setupand steel strings, Mraz's full sustainingbass sound provides sufficient, yet leanharmonic 'bandwidth' to suggest eachchord change. Consider the first ten measures of Mraz's bass accompaniment.
As the notation illustrates, Mraz utilizes upper and lower voices to create hisbass part with each voice working simultaneously along its own path to 'advance'the harmony from one measure to the
next. Also of note is the manner in whichMraz expresses the chord of E7#9 in theeighth bar of the piece. He begins withthe open E - which rings through theduration of the entire measure. Fromthere, he plays a stopped high-G# amajor-tenth above. He then plays a harmonic high D (the flat seventh) expressing an E7 chord. Finally, he plays a highharmonic G (the sharp ninth) to fullyarticulate the E7#9 sound.
ConclusionIn the recordings discussed above, each
bassist designed specific ways to supportthe harmonic and rhythmic content ofeach of the various musical situations. As
a student and fan of jazz bass playing,this type of 'bare-bones' format fascinates me because it allows a direct viewinto each bass player's modus operandiregarding their role as an accompanist.Also, it is interesting to observe how eachbassist negotiates the different harmonic,rhythmic, and textural possibilities specific to the musicians with whom they areworking and the stylistic boundaries ofeach musical situation. And while the discussion has focused on the bass accompaniment for each of these recordings, credit must be given to the respective saxophonists and drummers who round outeach trio. There are a number of thesetypes of 'horn trio' recordings that represent a large and varied stylistic range. Ihave included a brief discography belowfor further consideration and study. Thisis by no means a complete list, but ratherjust a sample. Thanks to my studentsRyan Kotler and Alex Tabaka for exposing me to many of these recordings. Andthanks especially to my drumming father,Bob Campbell for giving me that greatSonny Rollins record all those years ago!Sorry it took me so long to catch on.
TITLE (LABEL) SAXOPHONE BASS DRUMS
At theVillage Vanguard (Blue Note 99795) Sonny Rollins Wilbur Ware Elvin JonesAdobe (Sunnyside 1137) Tony Malaby Drew Gress Paul MotianBeautiful Love (SteepleChase 31360) Rich Perry Jay Anderson Victor LewisBlack and Tan Fantasy (Ascent ASC 1001) Lou Tabackin John Heard BillYHigginsDance (ECM 1108) Charles Brackeen David Izenzon Paul MotianDoxy (SteepleChase 31473) Rich Perry George Mraz Billy HartFly (Savoy Records) Mark Turner Larry Grenadeir Jeff BallardGolden Circle (Blue Note 4224) Ornette Coleman David Izenzon Charles MoffettHeroes (Nagel-Heyer 2041) onald Harrison Ron Carter Billy CobhamLive at the Kerava Jazz Festival (Ayler 28) David Murray Henry Grimes Hamid DrakeMotion (Verve V6 -8399) Lee Konitz Sonny Dallas Elvin JonesNear Earth (Origin 82429) Hans Teuber Jeff Johnson Tad BrittonOld School (M.A. Recordings M058A) Peter Epstein Scott Colley Peter ErskinePutin' It Together (Blue Note 84282) Joe Farrell Jimmy Garrison Elvin JonesThe Empty Foxhole (Blue Note 4246) Ornette Coleman Charlie Haden Denardo ColemanThe Shape of Jazz To Come (Atlantic 1317-2) Ornette Coleman Charlie Haden BillYHigginsThe State of the Tenor (Blue Note 28879) Joe Henderson Ron Carter Al FosterThis Place (SteepleChase 31443) Chris Potter Scotty Colley Bill StewartTrio Fascination (Blue Note 33114) Joe Lavano Dave Holland Elvin JonesTrio Jeepy, (Columbia CK 44199) Branford Marsalis Milt Hinton Jeff WattsTriology (Warner Brothers 45731-2) Kenny Garrett Kiyoshi Kitagawa Brian BladeTriplicate (ECM 1373) Steve Coleman Dave Holland Jack DeJonetteUpdate 3.3 (Label Bleu 6530) F.Jeanneau Henri Texier Daniel HumairVerbs of Will (Radio Legs RL-O11) Tony Malaby Mark Helias Tom RaineyWay Out East (Red Records 176) Steve Grossman Joony Booth Joe ChambersWay Out West (Contemporary 337-2) Sonny Rollins Ray Brown Shelly Manne
44 International Society of Bassists
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This Millenium Edition includes more transcriptions from recorded solos,original compositions arranged as duets, and new etudes. Information isgiven dealing with practical, ureal life" situations for traveling and recording. More answers to frequently asked questions about strings, amps,pickups, and microphones are included.
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In THE EVOLVING BASSIST DVD you will learn bass-line construction, lefthand technique, right hand pizzicato technique, and how to get friendly withthe piano. You will apply these concepts playing classic jazz standards suchas uHave You Met Miss Jones," Embraceable You,tt "The Song is You," Rufus'own composition, lilt's the Nights I Like." Blues changes, major and minor,rhythm changes, modal music, and more will be demonstrated. The DVDcontains printable PDF lead sheets and transcribed bass-lines taken from thebook for you to follow. This video will stand alone, but studied along with thebook! musicianship as a jazz bassist will excel and you,
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Serenade; Koussevitzky - Chanson Triste orchestral tuning (please specify your choice).. Bottesini - Concerto No.1, Reverie (t) • Makes practicing more enjoyable and productive.. Bottesini - Concerto NO.2 in B minor (t) • Develop intonation, phrasing and ensemble skills4) Bottesini - Concerto in FI minor (t) • USED BY BASSISTS WORLDWIDE.. Brahms - Sonata in Em • All works performed from standard editions.. Capuzzi - Concerto in F .. Priced at $15.95 per CO, $19.95 per MIDI disk and $12.95 per tape• Cimador - Concerto in G piUS $3.00 shipping for the first item, $0.50 each additional item• Dittersdorf - Concerto in E (t) ($4.00/$1.00 outside Continental US)• Dragonetti - Concerto in A (t) • New York State residents please add 8 1/40A. sales tax., Eccles - Sonata in' Gm • Visa and MasterCard accepted.. GUere ... Four Pieces (t).. Franck ... S,onata in A-GalUard - Sonata in G.. Handel - Sonata in Cm.. Hindemith ... Sonata (t)• KoYssevitzky ... Concerto, Ope 3 (t)• Maroello Sonata in Em• Marcello Sonata in G• Schubert - Arpeggione Sonata (t)• Telemann ... Sonata in Am.. Vanhal - Concerto in E (t)(Also available in C)1\ Vivaldi Sonata No. 3 in Am.. Vivaldi Sonata No.4 in B flat
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- Medal for Workmanship -- Medal for Tone -
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PollmannBusseto
46 International Society of Bassists
BODV .. BASSLinda M. Gilbert, D.M.A., R.Y.T., Editor
Relieving Tension in the Forearms
Example la
Volume 29, Number 1 47
Example 2a
Example 2b
Example 2c
The muscles of the forearms include two main groups commonly referred to as wrist flexors and wrist extensors. Severalspecific muscles make up these groups. These muscles bend andstretch the wrists and assist in finger movement. When theybecome overworked, tightness,weakness and fatigue may occur.Wrist flexors are the muscles onthe underside of the forearm~ wristextensors are the muscles on thetop of the forearm.
As always, remember to proceedwith the following stretches slowlyand with awareness. At no timeshould you experience pain.Consult with a medical professional if you are at all concerned priorto proceeding with the stretches.
Wrist Flexors StretchCheck to see that your posture is
healthy and in alignment.Throughout the stretch, keep yourshoulder down.
Begin by rotating your right armout so that the underside of yourforearnl is facing up. Bend yourelbow, bringing it to your side. Keepyour forearm either parallel to thefloor or angling toward the floor~ ifthe arm is bent too much, the effectof the stretch is greatly diminished.Place your left hand on the palm ofyour right hand, contacting both thepalm itself and the fingers. (Takecare that your left hand is not restingonly on the fingers, as this can causeoverstretching.) Maintain this actionfor several breaths. (la) After sometime, slowly straighten your rightelbow. (1b) Check to see that theforearm is either parallel to orangling toward the floor. Maintainthis action for several breaths. (Asyou straighten the elbow, you maynotice an increase in the sensation ofstretching. By straightening theelbow, an additional muscle is beingaddressed. Part of the wrist flexorgroup crosses the elbow joint to theupper arm~ another part exists onlyin the forearm without crossing tothe upper arm.) Slowly release fromthe stretch and gently shake outyour arm.
Tension in the forearms can come from many sources: using acomputer, exercising (including sports such as golf, tennis,weight training), gardening, cooking, and playing the bass, toname a few. Clearly, muscle tension in the forearms is nearlyimpossible to avoid. However, there are ways to minimize itsaccumulation, and to relieve it once it is present. This article willbriefly review the fundamental aspects of posture (ways to minimize tension's accumulation) and present a few stretches torelieve tension in the forearms.
As discussed in previous columns, the importance of a healthyposture cannot be overlooked. Healthy posture creates an environment for the body to function as it was designed to, with minimal effort. When the body is out of alignment, different musclestry to compensate for the imbalance. When this occurs, somemuscles are overworked in their efforts to 'pull' the body backinto alignment.
One might not initially think that the muscles of the forearmscould be susceptible to this since they are relatively 'distant'from the torso. However, when the spine is out of alignment,
muscles in the back,neck and shoulderswork harder than necessary to keep the bodyupright. As the musclesin the back, neck andshoulders work harder,a greater amount ofstrain is then transferred to the forearms.So while some forearmtension will occur fromphysical activities suchas those mentionedabove, some forearmtension can occur whenthe body is in a state ofimbalance. Optimalmuscle health occurswhen the body is inalignment~ optimalhealth occurs when thebody is in balance.
While there are several stretches to relievetension in the forearms,we will focus on threeprimary stretches. Someof you may be familiarwith them. Subtletieswill be examined inorder to provide an evengreater awareness andbenefit of the nature ofeach stretch.
Example lb
Wrist Extensors StretchCheck to see that your posture is healthy
and in alignment. Throughout the stretch, keepyour shoulder down.
Tum your right arm over so that the top ofthe forearm is facing up. Bend your elbow,bringing it to your side. Keep your forearmeither parallel to the floor or angling towardthe floor. As with the previous stretch, if thearm is bent too much, the effect of the stretchis greatly diminished. Place your left hand onthe back of your right hand, contacting boththe back of the hand and the fingers. Maintainthis action for several breaths. (2a) After sometime, slowly straighten your right elbow. (2b)Check to see that the shoulder is still down,and that the forearm is either parallel to orangling toward the floor. Maintain this actionfor several breaths. After some time, you mayalso slowly rotate your arm inward; the handwill move away from the body. (2c) Thisaction intensifies the stretch for the musclesthat cross the elbow to the upper arm. Slowlyrelease from the stretch and gently shake outyour arm.
Repeat both the Wrist Flexors Stretch and theWrist Extensors Stretch on the opposite side.
Wrist Flexors!Nerve StretchCheck to see that your posture is healthy
and in alignment. Throughout the stretch, keepyour shoulders down. In this stretch, the sensation may feel slightly more intense. Takecare not to move too quickly or too far to avoidoverstretching. Move slowly to be sure youcan distinguish between the intensity of thestretch and pain. Remember that at no time
should you experience pain. If you do, slowlycome out of the stretch.
Press your palms together. Straighten yourfingers. If possible, slowly lower your palmsso that your forearms are parallel to the floor.There may be a tendency for the palms to separate and/or for the fingers to bend. If possible,keep the heels of the palms together andstraighten the fingers. (3a) For some of you,this may be plenty. (3b) If so, maintain thisaction for several breaths and then release,gently shaking out your arms. To continue,keep your palms pressing together and yourfingers straight. With the forearms still parallelto the floor, slowly push to the right with yourleft hand, a very small amount. (3c) There willnot be much actual movement here, but youwill feel an intensifying of the stretch withminimal movement. Maintain this action forseveral breaths and then slowly return to center. From here, check once more to see thatyour palms are pressing together and your fingers are straight. With the forearms parallel tothe floor and your shoulders down, slowlypush to the left with your right hand. Maintainthis action for several breaths and then slowlyreturn to center. Gradually release from thestretch and gently shake out your arms.
Take several deep breaths and relax.
These stretches, while designed to focus onthe forearm muscles, also affect the wrists and
hands. In future columns, more specific
stretches and exercises will be presented forthe wrists and hands.
With thanks to bassist Donald Howey, mem
ber of the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
Example 3a
Example 3b
Example 3c
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48 International Society of Bassists
Spotlight Double Bass 2005
If Mozart were getting his start in today's
crowded marketplace, there's no doubt he'd
be looking to the Internet as a tool to help
build his career. One such digital "patron"
for today's would-be Wolfgangs is
Accessible Contemporary Music, a
Chicago-based, non-profit organization
founded by Seth Boustead. ACM promotes
the performance and understanding of
music by living composers, many of whom
are not yet well known, through concerts,
recordings and community outreach.
Each week members of ACM and profes
sional guest musicians from the Chicago
area meet and conduct a prepared reading of
a new piece of music, and post the recording
onto its website (www.acmusic.org) as audio
streaming. Composers send their music to
ACM specifically for this project, called
Weekly Readings. Parts are handed out to
players at least two weeks before the reading
session and there is a short rehearsal before
the recording equipment is turned on. While
pieces in all styles are considered, those that
require a conductor or extensive preparation
do not become part of Weekly Readings,
although they may still be considered for
performance on a live ACM concert.
.SB Partners with AccessibleContemporary Music
This summer, the ISB has teamed up with
ACM to present Spotlight Double Bass, a
collaboration of the International Society of
Bassists and Accessible Contemporary
Music featuring music written for the double
bass, either as a solo or in ensemble. Seven
professional and graduate student bassists
from the Chicago area will record flfteen
pieces featuring the bass between July and
August 15, 2005. The recordings will be
posted on the audio section of www.acmu-
sic.org, and the recordings will be pho
tographed or represented artistically by
Chicago photographers and artists. The fIrst
audio is scheduled to be posted on July 1.Featured performers for Spotlight
Double Bassist include bassists Jeremy
Attanaseo, Petya Bagovska, John Elmquist,
Christopher Flores, Peter Lawson, Roland
Moyer and Patrick Williams, pianists Seth
Boustead and Kara Kesselring, and flutist
Laura Koepele-Tenges. Composers whose
works will be read are Emanuela Ballio,
Seth Boustead, Giampaolo Bracali, John
Elmquist, Frederic Glesser, Michael John
Mollo, Patrick Neher, Behzad Ranjbaran,
Greg Steinke, Luca Vanneschi, Daniel
Walker and Christopher Wicks.
Please visit www.acmusic.org/sdb.htm!
often throughout this summer to listen to
fresh new repertoire as read in a "virtual
salon" setting by leading musicians of
Chicago's contemporary music scene. Ifyou
are a con1poser and you are interested in
having a piece read by ACM, go to
www.acmusic.org, or contact Seth Boustead
at 773/227-4858 or sethbou@yahoo.com.
@)sp
John Michael Smith, Luthier
Repair, restoration, set-up &adjustmentofdouble basses and hows
Bow rebairing 1\ Fingered CextensionsStrings, instruments and accessoriesCavallaro instrument and case covers
By appointment2190 CarterAvenue, St. Pau~ MN55108
TelelFax (651) 647-1148jsmith7@infi·net
Volume 29, Number 1 49
THE LATEST SCOREPle.se submit music for possi
ble review in • future issue of
B.ss World to ISB, 13140 Coit
Rd., Suite 320, LB 120, D.II.s,
TX 76240.
This..is.llanS$tur111.'§lastcolulnn!g.nTheLatestScore. Hans becomes ISB president
elect at· the 2005 conventionandprogranz
chair for the 2007 convention . Hans .has
been writing insightful reviews of new
music/or the ISB for six amazing years, and
we will miss his dedicated and thorough
work. Our new editor for The LatestScore
will be Robert Black, look for more about
him in the next issue.
The title of the position I've beld for the
last six years, New Music EdItor, is slightly
deceiving. 'While everything reviewetfin. this
column is newly released for public .con
sumption, the truth of the matter is that there
is aSI1luch old wine presented in new bottles
as there are new works. In celebration of 300
years of fme double bass vintages, I have
chosen four selections from recent submis
sions, each representing a different century of
music making. From the .17th Century, Two
Sonatas for Two Violas (or Gambas), Double
Bass, and Continuo by Daniel Speer, edited
by Alfred Planyavsky. Representing the18th
Century, one .of gr~atmovements)o:fthe
€lassical Period,the AdagioMQ¥ement from
the Mozart Clarinet Concerto transcribedfor
double bass.and··piano. The 19th Century
selection is a transcription of Dvorak's Opus
75, the Romantic Pieces. And finally, an
innovative instructional treatise for that most
personally creative 20th Century genre, Mike
Downes' TheJazz Bass Line Book.
Two Sonatensatze2 ViQlen(Bratschen oder Gamben)
und Violone (Kontrabass)Daniel Speer (1636-1707)
Edited by Alfred Planyavsky
Pedagogical Series
Low Note MusikverIag Schroff
Heinrichsallee 36
D-52062
Aachel1, Germany
www.lownote-musikverlag-schruff.de
Theqerman composer Daniel Speer is
perhaps .. better known as a music theorist
than acomposer. Born in 1636, he traveled
frequently, finding work as a church musi-
50 International Society of Bassists
Hans Sturm, Editor
cianandteacher.in .several cities includingStuttgart,GQppingen .. anqthen· Leonberg,
where his Musicalisches ABC was pub
lished. His most famous treatise,
Grundrichtigen Unterricht der lnusikalis
chen Kunst oder vierfaches musikalisches
Kleeblatt, was published in 1687. Serving
as an instructional manual for playing con
temporary instruments, the work features
examples of music for wind, string and key
board instruments and details period prac
tices. Included in the manuscript are sever
al complete sonatas he used to demonstrate
style, most notably chamber works for three
andfour trombones that have become sta
pies of the repertoire.
Planyavsky's preface to the Sonatensatze
is at 0llcea historic investigation and argu
meIltfQf using the double bass instead of the
more widely accepted cello. As a historic
document, the edition features facsimile
examples from· Speer's original score, the
Praetorius Syntaglna .musicum from 1619,
and a picture of the Merten Webetharoque
six-string double bass violone from 1597.
Planyavsky contends that the work is one of
the earliest ttio sonatas, featuring two melod
ic voices above a bass instrument and
accompanying continuo keyboard. He cites a
variety of sources that suggest that the dou
ble bass violone is acceptable in a trio sonata
setting including quotes from Michael
Praetorius, "The great bass violin isbec6m
ing and lightens up the harrnonieswith its
lovely sound" and Heinrich Schutz, who felt
that the double bass violone was well suited
for trio sonatas as "the most comfortable,
elegant, and best instrument, a particular
honour (sic) to music." Nevertheless, the edi
tion includes optional parts for both a six
string violone (tuned G1, C, F, A, d, g1, writ
ten as a cello score) and contrabass (tuned
lEI ,AI, D,G,notated an octave higher).
Thesonatas are virtually identical in length,
style, and form. Both are quite brief· single
movements, fewer than thirty>bars in leIlgth,
feature a light buoyant line, and are written in
an AAB form. Yet there are distinct differ
ences in content. The galloping unison rhyth
mic figure in the upper voices of the A sec
tions in Sonata I, an eighth note followed two
sixteenth notes, contrasts with the contrapun
tal writing in the A sections of Sonata IT. Here
contrapuntal figures progressively shrink
from two bars of repeated eighth notes down
to two beats of ornamental sixteenth notes by
the end of the section. The B sections of both
sonatas move from duple to triple meter.
Sonata I features a six-measure interlude that
opens up the texture with half notes and rests
on the fIrst beat before introducing the new
triple meter. Eight bars ofa homophonic quar
ter-note chorale then leads into a graceful pas
sage of eighth note counterpoint for four bars
before returning to the chorale in the fmal
three-bar cadence. The B section in Sonata IT
begins in triple meter at the outset with a four
measure homophonic chorale. Scalar six
teenth-note counterpoint between the upper
voices carries the piece to its conclusion.
Asone would expect, itis the upper viola
parts that have the primary moving material.
Thatbeing said, playing the kontrabass in the
higher octave gives the part a more melodic
quality, a character heightened when the con
tinuo line moves. to unexpected harmonic
areas, such as chromatic leading tones and
s~condary dominants. Planyavsky suggests
that the work may be performed without
keyboard accompaniment, further featuring
the bass continuo line against the darker
sonorities ·of the .viola. As one of the earliest
examples of the trio sonata form, the Speer
Sonatensatze gives a bassist a chance to per
form two gems of historic significance that
have been virtually untouched for 300 years.
- Review by Hans Sturnl
Adagio (from .theClarinet
Concerto)W.A.Mozart
Arranged by Norman Ludwin
Ludwin Music
3618 <Sazador St.
Los Angeles, CA 90065
www.ludwinmusic.com
Mozart composed his Clarinet Concerto
(K.622) for Anton Stadler in 1791. Stadler
was the principal clarinetist in .the Viennese
Court Orchestra and the clarinetist for whom
Mozart originally intended the Clarinet
Quintet (K.581) and 'Kegelstatt' Trio
(K.498). The concerto was one of his fmal
works, composed only months before his
death. Interestingly, the work was originally
written for a unique instrument developed by
Stadler, one similar to the bassett horn, which
extended the lower range of the clarinet by a
major third by adding an additional tube and
several keys. As with many double
bass orchestral passages, debates
remain over the range of the piece
and how clarinetists should execute
the lower pitches. It is also interest
ing to note that Mozart enhances
the darker quality of Stadler's clar
inet in his orchestration by omitting
the brighter sound of oboes and
trumpets. Critic B .T. Babgy
address this point and in so doing
also echoes others that have com
mented on the particular beauty of
this late work:
"The orchestral colors give the
concerto as a whole a specially
warm, intimate tone, luminous in
the Adagio, and make the expres
sive, gently curving melodies par
ticularly affecting. Mozart may not
have meant the Clarinet Concerto to
be his swansong, but it has a subtle
beauty of sound, a ripe abundance
of melody, and a compassionate
tenderness of feeling that make it as
moving a testimony to his genius as
anything he ever wrote."
In this transcription Norman
Ludwin has been creative in tailor
ing the piece for the bass and offer
ing the performer a few options. As
with most of his solo editions, Mr.Ludwin has included two piano
scores, allowing the bassist to play
the work in either orchestra or solo
tuning. Furthermore, while the
movement is wonderfully lyrical, it
features occasional passages fraught
with extraordinary technical chal
lenges. In an effort to address playa
bility issues while enabling a bassist
to enjoy a successful interpretation,
two double bass parts are also
enclosed. The fIrst is faithful to
Mozart's original with only a few
alterations. In three instances thirty
second note runs have been rewrit
ten as sixteenth note triplets and
octave transpositions were made in
a two bar passage to avoid awkward
leaps. The second bass version has
undergone more substantial editing,
but remains a viable alternative. In
this version several of the ornaments
and runs are further simplified, how
ever the original range and melodic
material remain virtually identical.
Written in triple meter, the form
of the Adagio isABAC, where theA
sections are a beautiful and decep-
tively simple melody. The range of
the theme is an octave, from the d on
the G-string up to the d harmonic.
The melody begins with two arch
ing two-bar questions in moving
eighth notes, followed by a four-bar
response at a piano dynamic. This
entire phrase is repeated in forte.
Returning to piano, two two-bar
descending motifs appear, the sec
ond a step higher than the fIrSt. A
third descending motif appears
higher yet, but then spins out into a
four-bar phrase that introduces six
teenth notes. Like the opening
phrases, this too is repeated at a forte
dynamic.
Unlike the A sections, both the B
and C sections are highly orna
mented both rhythmically and
melodically. Sextuplets and thirty
second notes are dressed up with
chromatic accidentals as passing
tones and ornaments. While these
contrasting sections are not varia
tions, the basic phrase structure
remains very similar to the A sec
tions; two or three two-bar phrases
are followed by an answering four
bar phrase. Furthermore, while the
fleet moving gestures occurring in
mid-phrase may traverse the rangeof a seventh or more in both direc
tions before finally coming to rest,
the interval between the fIrst and
last note of each phrase is rarely
larger than a fourth and frequently
no more than a step. The simple
phrase rhythm and limited range of
first and last phrase notes rein
forces the lyric qualities of the
movement even with the increas
ing rhythmic and chromatic com
plexity of the solo line.
The music of the Classical
Period is deceptively difficult.
Featuring simple and direct
melodies composed in balanced
phrase structures, music from this
period needs to appear effortless to
the listener. The Adagio from
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is
arguably one of the greatest move
ments of the period and conse
quently Mr. Ludwin's transcription
provides us with a substantial and
beautiful challenge, to breathe life
into the graceful, arching phrases
as effortlessly as a clarinet.
- Review by Hans Sturm
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Volume 29, Number 1 51
an
the
friends. The composer violin-
ist Karel Ondricek at the of the
Romantic Pieces in Prague in 1887.
Incidentally, the trio version of the
work, Terzetto in C (Op. 74), was
released much later for publication.
Each of the four short has a dis-tinct character yet all have an 111"l,rl.ol·h,1Inn-
Czech flavor. The first
Moderato, is a pure
Written in two-bar motifs, theA section is r-....11r"'ln·''lc,::.,rl n1t'lrY'l.Q1""1h:,
half notes where of
a third are answered downward octave
Int;ersoe:rsed with one and two beat
The B section
introduces more adventurous harn1onies,
lnelodic chromaticism, and a wider more
The
lnaestoso, is an
Written in three varied
with a coda, the
with fortisshno broken chords that alternate
with
lines. The second section ·with bro
ken chords, but now lines of fleet Inov-
sixteenth notes are introduced.
the chords appear in the third sec-
tion followed a section of
teenths, now in a furious series of broken
octaves. The chords appear for a final time,
the coda,
teenths float away
itive, but in an
each bar into three beats of 3/8 each, the
solo part is silent at the of each
fIrst and second beat, instead aI rmil v ··s~( ~( nu I note up into the second
Chamber Festival, Dvorak wrote to his
publisher, Simrock: "Just - I am
writing small bagatelles for two violins and
viola. I enjoy the work as much as I do
when I write a but what do
you say to this? are intended
for amateurs, but didn't Beethoven and
Schumann sometimes express themselves
with modest means?"
However the violin pal1 was the
technical abilities of the young amateur.
Dvorak rewrote the work for solo violin
and piano as the Four Romantic Pieces (Op.
75) and then the somewhat easi-
er (Op. for his amateur
Romantic 75Antonin Dvorak
Arranged by Norman Ludwin
Ludwin Music
3618 Cazador St.
Los CA 90065
www.ludwinmusic.com
Dvorak conceived the Four
Romantic Pieces as a trio for two violins
and viola while in a house
in with an amateur violinist, Josef
KTuis, and his teacher, Jan Pelikan.
A.CI:;orGllllg to IVlonslnan, author of
the program notes to the 1996 Tucson
52 International Society of Bassists
By the sanle author
Gabriel MarieP.I. TchaikovskyFrederic ChopinFrederic Chopin
Henry PurcellConstantin DimitrescuJules MassenetP.I. Tchaikovsky
Yoan GoilavThe Double Bass
A Philosophy ofPlayinghistory • pedagogy • technique
Bilingual edition English-French(DO 456, 65.00$)
Concert Pieces for the Double Bass(with piano)
Volume I (DO 442, 24.00$)• Aria., Danse paysanne., Elegie• Aria-Lensky
Volume II (DO 448, 24.00$).. La Cinquantaine• Valse sentimentale-Etude n° 7• Valse
For detailed i1l:(ormation see:www.dobermaneditions.com
d~ DOBERMAN-YPPAN
P.O. Box 2021 Saint-Nicolas, QC, 07A 4X5 CanadaTel: 1 (418) 831-1304 Fax: 1 (418) 836-3645
E-mail: dobennan.yppan@videotron.ca
For a limited timeoffer a 15% reduction on each of the three
to ISB members
H ••• a rich study which reveals itselfto be a je}vel ofil1:[ormatio11
concerning per.fornzance practice. "
Professor Alfred Planyavsky, Vienna
H ••• C 'est Ie livre du siecle traitant de la contrebasse, Ie plus completet Ie plus d 'actualite, que tout contrebassiste devrait possedercomlne livre de chevet. "
Professeur Jean-Marc Rollez, Conservatoire de Paris
HThe transcriptions in both volun1es are intelligently andbeaut~fitllyrendered in a ~vay that serves both the double bassand the 1nusic. Piano parts in both orchestral and solo tuningare included, 'which are easy to read, con?fortably spaced and havesensible page turns. "
Paul Sharpe, Double Bassist No. 23, SUlnmer 2003
chords. Downes does not rehash the
chord/scale graphs that appear else
where and invite wholesale memo
rization, but instead he begins by
asking the student to consider two
types of walking lines at the outset:
chordal bass lines and scalar bass
lines and their respective variations
including inversions, voice leading,
and various chromatic passing
tones. In the following chapters he
asks students to consider melody,
harmony, and rhythm in bass lines,
and touches on specific ideas such
as motivic walking, sequences, tri
tone substitutions, pedals, drops,
and anticipations to name but a few.
Several of these points are illustrat
ed with eight or more bars as played
by Paul Chambers, such as alternate
changes and syncopations.
The heart of The Jazz Bass Line
Book lies in the middle chapters con
cerning the blues and rhythm
changes. Downes has transcribed
performances of eight historically
significant bassists playing two cho
ruses of the blues and one chorus of
rhythm changes. The transcriptions
are presented in two ways, as indi
vidual transcriptions (play view) and
then stacked side by side as an eight
voice score (comparison view). This
is fascinating from both a pedagogi
cal perspective, how different
bassists treat the same basic materi
al, but also an historic perspective.
The blues performances date from
Pops Foster in 1929 to Charlie
Haden in 1988 and the rhythm
changes performances from Doug
Watkins in 1958 to Ray Brown in
1990, although the most modem
stylistically is the 1981 performance
of Miroslav Vitous. Comparisons
and conclusions are left for the read
er to make. The balance of the text
covers stylistic variations (playing
with a 2 feel, waltzes, ballads),
advanced harmonic advanced con
cepts (slash chords, modal harmony,
double stops, Giant Steps), and
rhythmic variations (playing with a
broken feel, over-the-barline
rhythms, Latin tumbao). The final
chapters and appendices concern
practice suggestions, transcription
reference, a list of jazz standards all
bassists should know, and a suggest
ed listening list.
Well known as a source for
excellent jazz pedagogical materi
als, Advance Music has long cham
pioned the double bass. The source
for Michael Moore's innovative
Melodic Playing in the Thumb
Position and Sigi Busch's seminal
Jazz Bass Compendium is now
home to Mike Downes' approach
to the art of walking, The Jazz Bass
Line Book. Downes, chair of the
bass department at Humber
College in Toronto, has organized
his thoughts in a progressive man
ner, from the application of intro
ductory theoretical material to
advanced rhythmic concepts. The
basic precept of the book is not rev
01utionary; many well-written jazz
bass books exist. Two attributes set
this text apart. First, it is written in
an open manner, introducing a
comprehensive range of concepts
without overly detailed analysis.
This allows for independent think
ing and application. Second, every
concept is illustrated with numer
ous lengthy transcriptions of jazz
masters. This alone makes The Jazz
Bass Line Book an invaluable addi
tion to the libraries of both aspiring
amateurs and professionals alike.
The text is organized by com
plexity of harmonic patterns and
eighth note of these large beats. The
third beat appears as an eighth fol
lowed by three sixteenths, moving
ahead to the next silent downbeat.
This buoyant rhythm creates a lilt
ing effect, where every melodic ges
ture is an introduction to a downbeat
that only occurs in the continuously
moving piano part. Combined with
the earthy Czech harmonic lan
guage, the result is at once other
worldly, hypnotic, pastoral, and ulti
mately Romantic.
- Review by Hans Sturm
The Jazz Bass lineBookMike Downes
Advance Music
Veronika Gruber GmbH.
Maierackerstr. 18
D-72108 RottenburglN.
Germany
www.advancemusic.com
www.mikedownes.com
Volume 29, Number 1 53
II< Special appearance byjazz singer Jackie Allen
The Autobiography of PopsFoster: New Orleans JazzmanAs told to Tom StoddardForward by Ron CarterBackbeat BooksISBN 0-87930-831-1www.backbeatbooks.com
The Ray Brown chapter titled ''The WalkingSound" may be the most interesting to ourreaders. Lees tells of his long friendship withRay and of his initial meeting with him in asmall club in Ontario where he was working ina duo with Oscar Peterson (1951). And Leestells of the exciting nights when the PetersonTrio (with drummer Ed Thigpen) was holdingforth at the London House in Chicago. Leesspent many evenings with Ray and the trio andon one occasion Ray said "I'm getting too oldto play it and almost too old to carry it!" Brown was 35 years old at the time! Leeswrites of Brown's first trip to New York Cityand ofhis visit to the famous 52nd Street wherehe, on his first night, heard Billie Holiday,Coleman Hawkins, Art Tatum, and HankJones. While Ray was talking with Jones during a band intermission, Dizzy Gillespie wasintroduced to the bassist and Jones says, ''Thisis Ray Brown, a friend ofmine and a very goodbass player." So Dizzy says to Ray, "You wanta gig? Be at my house for rehearsal at 7 o'clocktomorrow." Brown says he almost had a heartattack. The next night when Ray arrived for therehearsal there were Charlie Parker, BudPowell, Max Roach, Hank Jones and Dizzy.Two weeks later the band picked up a youngvibraphone player named Milt Jackson. GeneLees concludes this chapter with the event ofRay's 75th birthday party in Studio City,California, that was arranged by John Claytonand Frankie Cappo It was a wonderful eveningwith many of Brown's longtime friends andcolleagues paying tribute to the bassist. It wasthe last occasion that Lees would see the legendary bassist as Ray died the following July on the road with his newest trio.
For over 50 years author, publisher, lyricist and singer Gene Lees has been a greatfriend to many in the jazz world. Lees seesjazz as an art form of the highest caliber,representative of the true values ofAmerican culture. The vivid and intimateportraits he paints of his subjects in thiswork reflect not only their contributions tothe art of jazz but their humanity.
- Review by Paul Pearce
Jazz aficionado and avid collector, the lateTom Stoddard met and formed a close relationship with bassist Pops Foster in 1967.
JolmHamil
A newly published work by Gene Lees,Friends Along The Way: A Journey Through
Jazz, is a delightful window into the lives ofsome of the giants of our music. Only someone with personal relationships with theseartists could write so intimately. There areless than a handful of people living that havehad the opportunity to hear and to knowthese wonderful artists. And only someonelike Gene Lees, who enjoyed their friendships and the knowledge of their music,could write in such vivid detail. This book isa collection of 15 mini-biographies includingportraits of Bill Evans and his personal manager Helen Keane, pianist Junior Mance, bigband innovator Stan Kenton, hom man PeteRugolo, saxophonist Stanley Turpentine,pianist Lou Levy, arranger Claus Ogerman,and the great bassist, Ray Brown.
Helen Keane may not be a household nameto many, but she is the one person most responsible for giving the pianist Bill Evans to theworld (and Gene Lees is responsible for givingHelen to Bill!). In his chapter on "Helen andBill" Lees relates how this occurred and it is amost interesting story. Ms. Keane was Evans'personal manager and agent for many years.
In the chapter about the acclaimed arrangerClaus Ogerman, Lees brings the reader into theheart and mind of this genius and his music.
Ogerman was the arranger formany of our musical legendsincluding Sinatra, Fitzgerald,Darin, Torme, Vaughan, andmost recently, Diana Krall.But Ogerman became bestknown for his collaborationwith the talented Braziliancomposer Antonio CarlosJobim. It is notable to mentionthat Gene Lees is the personthat translated many ofJobim's songs, includingCorcovado, which becameQuiet Nights of Quiet Stars,
and Desafinado, whichbecame Off Key. During theearly 1960s Lees wrote trans
lations or adaptations of anumber of Jobim's songs inclose collaboration with thecomposer and with ClausOgerman. Junior Mance, anunderrated but very talentedpianist, in a conversation withLees, tells ofhis work with theearly Cannonball Adderleygroup, and of his experiencesin the jazz movement from the1950s to the present.
Hans Sturm
David Young
Gilles Duhaut
George Vance
Rodney Farrar
Robert Peterson
Anthony Bianco
Franyois Rabbath
Christian Laborie
Institut International Franyois RabbathUniversity of Maryland School of Music
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
For more information contact9100 Louis Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910
telffax: 301-588-9275e-mail: george@slavapub.net www.slavapub.net
The Jazz Bass Line Book fills a void in theliterature as a creative teaching resource. Thisis not a book for beginners without experience; it assumes a certain amount of theoretical knowledge. Nor is it another how-to textwith recipes for cookie cutter ideas to bememorized and played in every key. InsteadDownes carefully presents all the concepts ina direct manner with suggestions on how theymay be developed and utilized on the bandstand. With guidance and direction from ateacher, young bassists will quickly developprofessional sounding lines and establishedplayers will find further inspiration for theirown development. Arranged logically andthoughtfully, the text touches on the subtletiesthat enable the creation of personally tailoredbass lines ranging from the merely artfullysupportive to the ridiculously innovative.
- Review by Hans Sturm
Friends Along The Way: AJourney Through JazzGene LeesYale University PressISBN 0-300-09967-3Gene Lees JazzletterPO Box 340Ojai, CA 94024-0240
2005 Summer Bass WorkshopAugust 8-12
54 International Society of Bassists
After hearing the stories and memories thatFoster related, Stoddard agreed to assist himin putting down on paper the experiencesgained over seven decades as a bass player,from the very beginnings of jazz as a musicalform into the 60s. With over 70 hours of tapedinterviews with Pops, Stoddard agreed to set itto paper. And what a fascinating story it is.
In the introduction to this autobiography,legendary teacher and bassist Bert Turetzkywrites of the importance of this doublebassgiant, George Murphy "Pops" Foster, and ofhisimpact on its development as a jazz instrument.Turetzky details Pops' playing style and in particular his left hand technique ("fisticuffs"method of positioning) with several photos ofthe bassist in performance. With this methodPops developed the most significant aspect ofhis playing, his powerful and projecting sound.
Originally published in 1971, this editionincludes a new forward by jazz bassist RonCarter. As Carter states, "The lively description and compelling imagery of the life of ajazz musician makes one feel like a witnessto the events related and the personalitiesdescribed. It is easy to see how Mr.Stoddard became enthralled by PopsFoster's account of his life and music."
A most astounding attribute of Foster is hisclear and detailed memory of the many years hespent as a jazz performer. Pops gives us a closeand uncensored look at what life in the 1920sand 30s was like for jazz musicians. From NewOrleans to New York City, from early gigs withLouis Armstrong to Ellington and Coltrane,Foster sets the record straight on many important points of jazz history. As Pops told TomStoddard, "This book is gonna straighten a lot ofthings out." Stoddard stated: "I realize thatmany things in the book conflict with 'known'jazz history. But Pops was a historical sourceand was as entitled to say his piece as the catwho wrote that history." Foster pulls no punches in relating stories about the musicians and thewild times they had in New Orleans and othercities. He tells of playing with Kid Ory, Henry"Red" Allen, Johnny Dodds, "Hot Lips" Pageand Louis Armstrong. He also tells ofthe racismand conflicts that the black musicians enduredover the many years he played.
This is an important work for today'sbassists. All of the great players we admireowe a debt of gratitude to Pops Foster andhis early contribution to the development ofjazz bass playing. The next time the readerlistens to a recording of one of our talentedjazz players of today (like Messrs. Brown,Reid, Carter and Clayton) we can thankPops for laying down the initial groundwork. Fortunately writer Tom Stoddard got
it all on tape and then put it on paper. Thisis highly recommended reading for studentsand fans of jazz. In order to know whereyou are headed, it's nice to know whereyou've been. Thanks, Pops.
- Review by Paul Pearce
The Setup and Repair of theDouble Bass for OptimumSoundChuck TraegerWith David Brownell and William MerchantHenry Strobel & Sonswww.HenryStrobel.com
Up until now, finding any information at allabout the maintenance, repair, and tonal adjustment of the double bass was nearly impossible.Luthiers have had to glean their informationabout bass repair and adjustment from years oftrial and error, piecing it together from varioussketchy violin repair books, or from other bassrepairmen in the world. Bassists who wished tocustomize their instruments to their own likinghave had to trust their repairman, perform theirown experiments, or adapt their performancetechniques to achieve what they wanted.
The Setup and Repair ofthe Double Bass
for Optimum Sound was written by ChuckTraeger, a well respected bass repairman inNew York City for many years, with additional information and ideas from bothDavid Brownell and Bill Merchant, bothfine luthiers themselves. Destined to be astandard for a long while. This book helpsboth the professional bass repairman andbassists who simply want to know more ofthe "how and why" their instrument works.
The fIrst person narrative is sometimeswordy and confusingas the author repeatshimself quite a bit throughout the book, andwith more efficient editing about fifty pagescould have been taken out. More pictures,perhaps in the series, would have served tobetter illustrate the points the author makes.With that out of the way, this is a "must own"book for every person who touches a bass!
For bass musicians it is a good start tounderstanding and visualizing the mechanicsof their instrument. It is similar to a doctor'sanatomy book, only for the double bass.Musicians, please understand this: know yourlimits! Bass players should not be taking thetops off their basses and trying to make newbass bars on their own! Most repair jobsshould be left to those who do it everyday.
Responsible bass luthiers should read thisbook and then evaluate what they practice. Atrained luthier, ifdoing something radically dif
ferent, should be able to explain why they
believe differently and how they will go aboutachieving better results. Chuck Traeger did theright thing by inviting David Brownell and BillMerchant to help with the writing in this bookbecause what you have heard is true: "Askthree luthiers a question and you will get fivedifferent answers." This book contains manygood answers from several different viewpoints- some of which the author includes in his ownbook even though he disagrees!
Chuck Traeger writes that this book waswritten first and foremost for the bass playerand then for the general repairer who occasionally works on a bass, the bass specialist toshow them better ways ofdoing things, and tothe young repairer as a guide. Mr. Traeger'sbook touches on everything from scrolls toendpins, bows to bridges, C-extensions tobroken necks, mode matching to dovetailkeys, and just about everything else inbetween. It is a massive book, over 370 pageslong, and very reasonably priced at $85.00.
This is an extremely helpful book that canhelp every bass player gain a solid understanding of their instrument and will serve as a reference book for the professional repairman.Again, this book is a must for the library ofanyone who touches the double bass.
Review by Dustin Art Williams
www.brucegertz.com
JJWalkin"Jazz Bass Lines/56 pages
Now includes 2 play-along CDs™ with a greatrhythm section of Joe Hunt, Drums, Andy
LaVaerne, Piano and Bruce Gertz , Bass (oneside only) Enjoy hours of walking or soloingon standards and blues! (slow, medium, fast)
Walkin Video/2 vhs tapes includesapproaches, articulation, time andrhythm,acoustic and electric bass
Instruction by Bruce Gertz, Professor atBerklee College of Music
(Former students include Jeff Andrews,Victor Bailey,Alain Caron, Matt Garrison,
Peter Herbert and SkuIi Sverrison)
Walkin book/CD set $22.00Walkin video set $47.50
Overseas add $6.00
Order online or
Send check or money order to:Bruce Gertz Music, P.O. Box 3004
Wakefield, MA. 01880 USA
Volume 29, Number 1 55
SOUNDING BOARD
Chris Kosky and Sandor Ostlund, Editors
Name Address _City, State, ZiplPostal Code _Country Telephone or email _
Amount enclosed in U.S. funds $___Check _Credit Card (MCNisalAmEx. Exp _
Please submit recordings forpossible review in a future issueof Bass World to ISB, 13140 CoitRd., Suite 320, LB 120, Dallas,TX 75240.
Vandana:Journey2getherBill Koehler, bass
Manpreet Bedi, tabla
Bob McEntyre, drums
Glenn Wilson, bari sax
David Collier, bass marimba/vibes
John Baboukis, voice
Virtual Time Records VTR2004
wkkoehl@ilstu.edu
telephone: 309-438-8408
Schorer Music Publications
Frankforter Ring 247
Munich, 80807
Germany
telephone: + 49-1749877994
Journey2gether is the name of the CD,
Vandana is the name of the duo, and "cool!"
is what you'll say when you listen in. Bass
players and drummers have a special rela-
tionship in non-classical music; together we
create the groove over which all those horn
players, guitar players and singers do their
business-without us, they would be noth
ing! (well ... ) On this CD bassist Bill
Koehler and tablist Manpreet Bedi feature
themselves and the groove, resulting in
some very interesting and beautiful music.
The duo cites their musical influences
and interests as contemporary classical,
jazz, world music and the music of India,
and the fusion of eastern and western musi
cal languages. Journey2gether features
some written, but mostly improvised music.
With the exception of Vernon Duke's
Autumn In New York and a 14th century bal
lade by Guillaume de Machaut, all of the
compositions are by Koehler and Bedi, and
sound heavily influenced by Indian music.
For example the opening cut, Caravan
Bacchinal, begins with Koehler's cadenza
like ruminations on an E-phrygian scale,
then he sets up a groove, and after Bedi and
guest drummer Bob McEntyre join in and
The family of Scott laFaro has
created a beautiful, full-color
commemorative poster taken
from an original painting by Scott's
brother-In-law, the painter Manny
fernandez, size: 38" x 24".
All proceeds from sales benefit
the Scott lafaro Prize, given
biennially as part of the ISB
Double Bass Competition ..
Perfect for home or studio.
Treat yourself or your
favorite jazz fan. Send $40
U.S. plus $10 shipping and
handling (international orders
add an additional $10 for air
mail shipping.) Checks or
money orders in U.S. funds,
or MasterCard, Visa and
American Express accepted.
take over the groove, Koehler picks up the
bow and continues wailing. The drummer
and the tablist both take solos before the
piece is through, and when it's over the lis
tener will be surprised that eleven minutes
have passed-compelling stuff.
Euphoethos has a guest appearance by
baritone saxophonist Glenn Wilson, and he
and Koehler take turns providing cascading
phrases throughout the piece. This tune, like
many on this recording (and particularly
Deep, Is My Love For You), has a wonder
ful, hypnotic effect. The tunes Incantation,
Consolation, and Postlude are grouped
together, seemingly as one piece, and are
tremendous. Consolation employs Wilson's
bari sax as well as David Collier's bass
marimba and vibes - one of the great things
about this album (and Consolation is a very
good example), is the way Koehler brings
together so many low-pitched instruments,
and how fantastic these instruments sound
together. There is such warmth-it's the
musical equivalent of "comfort food!"
Koehler's bass playing is top-notch. His
sound, particularly when bowing, is beauti
ful and his intonation enviable. His compo
sitions are published and available through
Koehler himself or Schorer Music (info
above), and I suspect that they are equal
parts fun and challenging. Tablist Bedi is a
delight; he gets a gorgeous tone and his
accompaniments or interactions are note
worthy throughout the album.
Journey2gether is an excellent addition to
any CD collection-check it out, play it for
your students, and enjoy listening to a ter
rific example of what else the bass can do!
- Review by Chris Kosky
Avery Sharpe Trio: Dragon FlyAvery Sharpe, bass
Onaje Allan Gumbs, piano
Winard Harper, drums
Chico Freeman, tenor sax
Jeri Brown and Athina, vocals
JKNM Records AS89895
www.jknmrecords.com
www.averysharpe.com
Dragon Fly is bassist Avery Sharpe's lat
est release, and features a terrific selection
of tunes, most of which are Sharpe's own
compositions. With the exception of the
boppish opening track (titled Oh No!),
many of the tunes have a smooth jazz fla-
56 International Society of Bassists
vor. Swingfield (for Springfield,
MA), which ironically has astraight-eighth feel, has a soulfulgroove, and Jeri Brown's wordlessvocal over that groove is nicelydone. Dragon Fly, a very interesting composition, begins with thebass aggressively bowing sixteenthnotes - perhaps the beating of thedragonfly's wings? The song goesout with the same bass line, but thistime with the drums soloing overit; quite a programmatic effect.
Sharpe's other compositionsinclude Protect Me, the fittinglyfunky Now That's What I'm
Talkin' 'bout, Change, and All
About You. Change is one of thecoolest tracks on the disc. It's justbass and vocals (Brown) and thebass sets the tone with a percussiveriff (a lot of slapping) . ForBrown's part, she does a very goodjob with the tricky melody, thenfurther distinguishes herself by"holding down the fort" - singinga riff for the bass to solo over.
If Change is one of the coolesttracks, then All About You shouldget the prize for prettiest song. Thisselection is one of several on whichSharpe plays acoustic bass in anaccompanimental role with therhythm section, then plays electricbass over this in a lead voice role(overdubbed), and on this thoughtprovoking ballad he gives animpressively emotional performance on electric bass. There aretwo standards, Sweet GeorgiaBrown (Sharpe grew up inGeorgia) and My Favorite Things,
which is given a fresh treatment inthe meter department- the head isin 7/4 part of the time and 2/2 others, and the solos are over a fast4/4. Again, terrific job on thevocals-cool, husky interpretationon the head and nimble scattingby Jeri Brown. Morning Glow
(Asayake) is pianist Onaje AllanGumbs' Latin/swing compositionalcontribution, and Chico Freemanwrote Evolution - just two moregreat originals on an album full ofstrong material!
The performances are generallyvery good all around. WinardHarper's drumwork is solid throughvarious meters and musical styles,and Gumbs takes several nice solos,
most notably on his own Morning
Glow. On acoustic bass, Sharpefavors a hard attack, for which thetone (particularly in the upper register) sometimes suffers, but he excelsas a member of the rhythm section-the trio (Sharpe, Gumbs andHarper) lays down excellentgrooves throughout the many different and challenging tracks.
Review by Chris Kosky
Mike Downes: Theinds of Change
Mike Downes, bassDave Restivo, pianoTed Warren, drumsTopfrog Records TF040115 Eleventh StreetToronto, Ontario, Canada M8V 3G2www.mikedownes.com
The proliferation of indie recordlabels is great news for musiciansand music fans alike; it helps tobring some notoriety to talents whomay not be known outside of theirtown, state/province, or even theircountry, and makes their musicavailable to that segment of thepublic that hungers for more thanwhat the big labels are dishing out.Take bassist Mike Downes, basedin Toronto, Canada. He has performed with jazz luminaries DianaKrall, Renee Rosnes, MichaelBrecker and John Abercrombie,just to name a few. The Winds ofChange is Downes' second recording as a leader, though as a sidemanhe has appeared on many others.
Most of the tunes on this releaseare Downes' originals, and he is asgifted a composer as he is a bassist.The 3/4-metered Sunrise is anexample-a good tune made evenbetter by the nice touch and spirited solo of pianist Dave Restivo.Prayer is another standout example of Downes' writing, as is thelovely ballad Thorns to Stars. Anddon't miss Any Chance to Prance,though how much actual prancingone could do to this very funky,straight eighth 10/4 (4+6) grooveris the question- for this cousin-ofthe-blues one might "ooze" morethan prance. Any way you dance itPrance is a cool cut with greatplaying by all.
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Volume 29, Number 1 57
Downes' terrific melodic sense is reflected
in his compositions and bass lines. The
album is chock full of good examples of this,
but perhaps none better than his solo on
Sunrise. Restivo and drummer Ted Warreneach contributed one original to the disc. Red
Wren Sang At U is Restivo's offering, and a
good one it is. Harmonically rich, as one
might expect from a pianist, and exceptional
ly pretty in a modem jazz style, it seems to
bring out the best in the trio members.Another pretty cut is Warren's The Trail. This
one has a straight-eighth feel and an ECM or
Keith Jarrett-y sound to it. (Fellow bassists,
please don't tell Keith Jarrett that I made his
name into an adjective...)I love the concept of the album, the open
ing suite (Suite for SA.), and the short and
sweet reprise of Thorns to Stars to close therecording. Downes, it seems, put a lot of
thought into the programming. There is a lot
of beautiful, languorous music here, thoughat about the two-thirds point, I confess I was
ready for something with a little more pep.
The Winds ofChange is an excellent showcase for Downes' compositional and bass
playing talents, as well as a splendid example of sensitive and locked-in trio playing.
- Review by Chris Kosky
Jeff Johnson: Near EarthJeff Johnson, bassHans Teuber, tenor saxophone
Tad Britton, drums
Origin Records 824298649 Island Drive South
Seattle,WA 98118
phone: 206-781-2589www.origin-records.com
www.jazzbassist.com
It's fun to play "jazz genealogy," so what
links might one make upon listening to
bassist Jeff Johnson's trio on Near Earth?
First of all, Cool School, due in some part
to Hans Teuber's sax sound-from a StanGetz or Lee Konitz lineage. Then draw a
line from some of the early simultaneous
improvisation groups like the Bill Evanstrio, through the free jazz players, and of
course, note the obvious resemblance to
Sonny Rollins' (and others') piano-less
trios. Well, this baby's from a good family!
This CD has freely improvised pieces
interspersed with those that are composed-though even the "tunes" are very
freely interpreted. Besides Teuber's cool
sax sound, many of the pieces are reminis
cent of the Cool School because of theband's sound, collective light touch, tempos
58 International Society of Bassists
or implied tempos, and volume. Many of thepieces are so cool they're aloof! For exam
ple, the opening track, a group improvisa
tion titled Three Rivers, has a very loosefeel, in fact it starts cold with three different
meters that eventually come together for a
while, but it's all very understated. There's a
lot to this music because of the simultaneousimprovisation- here a recording is a bene
fit, because in a live performance the musi
cians would create and it would be gone, but
the recording affords the listener the oppor
tunity to go back time and again, listening
for different things with each pass.
Johnson's composition Zen is even cool
er, if that's possible. It begins with bowed
bass, ultra soft sax and cymbal rolls in the
drums (and later the use of brushes). Thispiece, like almost all of those on this
recording, might best be described as a
"soundscape" - shifting feels, changing
colors - atmospheric. The pre-composedpieces are equally loose. This group's ren
dition of Johnny Mercer's Dream presents
the merest suggestion of the tune, thoughthe resultant piece is lovely. They are more
generous with the tune in The Good Life
a sweet, lazy version that begs a hammock.Johnson is a talented bassist; his con
cepts and playing are good throughout therecording. Check out his excellent solo on
his own composition Gaia, he does some
cool double-stops and melodic ideas over adrone. All three musicians are very accom
plished and are comfortable in their free
music skin. Overall, the music within is onthe mellow side and very pretty. Free jazz
fans (and others) will certainly want to put
their ear to Near Earth.
- Review by Chris Kosky
KakaUa: The Seeds ofAnalog RebellionThomson Kneeland, acoustic bass & electronics
Nate Radley, guitar & electronics
Mike Connors, drums & percussion
Jerry Sabatini, trumpetJason Hunter, tenor sax
Weltschmerz Records 0422-31 35th Street
Astoria, NY 11105
www.thomsonkneeland.com
tk@weltschmerzrecords.com
As a reviewer, I attempt to describe whatI hear so that the reader will seek out the
CD if it sounds like something he or she isinterested in... and Kakalla mocks me at
every tum! (And good for them!) Yes,
Thomson Kneeland and his mythical
menagerie are back again, defying category
and blending so very many musical influ
ences - hurray!All of the compositions on this, the
band's latest release, like its CD The Voice
of Twilight (which was reviewed in Bass
World v. 27 no. 2, 2003) are by Kneeland,
but this time the compositions employ elec
tronics and digital sampling in addition tothe acoustic instruments. For the most part,
the electronics are used to add another
voice or color to the music; what I wouldcall a "good use" of technology - an
expanded palette.Take, for instance, Caustic Raptures ofthe
Cloven Hoof, sections of which sound like
the fight-scene portion of a science fiction
movie soundtrack because of the electronic
sounds. Or the haunting The Sea, The Bells
which features the good, strong trumpet
sound of Jerry Sabatini as he plays a beauti
ful lyrical line over a smorgasbord of acousticand electronic sounds- terrific. Two of the
more avant-garde tracks (The Death of
Sysyphus and The Grand Inquisitor) usedmore electronic or sampled sounds than
acoustic, with sounds appearing seemingly
randomly. These are very interesting, ifnot asimmediately palatable as some of the others,
such as From These Hands, Sadness Flows,
Sir Charles s Transmogrification and The
Ghosts ofDirty Laundry.
Kneeland's compositions are often pro
grammatic - or at least sound like what
their titles suggest. The Ghosts of Dirty
Laundry, Caustic Raptures of the Cloven
Hoof and Maleficent Oblations to a God of
Benevolence are excellent examples. From
These Hands, Sadness Flows features thetrumpet and bowed bass playing long flow
ing lines together over an arpeggiated gui
tar accompaniment. The tune's 5/4 + 6/4
meter seems perfectly fitting for the tunetitle, and the band's rendition is natural and
effortless, yielding a beautiful piece.
Kakalla is a tremendous band with laudable energy and creativity. Drummer Mike
Connors displays great versatility and
attention to detail; whether playing time oradding colors, he's right on. Nate Radley, a
very accomplished guitar player, stretches
himself even farther on this release with the
sampling, delay and other effects he used,
(and most importantly) always to a greatmusical end. And don't forget the band
leader: Kneeland's powerful bass playingand inventive compositions continue toimpress. Kakalla-check 'em out.
- Review by Chris Kosky
Peter Paulsen Quintet:Three-Stranded CordPeter Paulsen, bass
Tom Lawton, piano
Joe Mullen, drums
Bob Meashey, trumpet/flugelhom
Chris Farr, saxophones
R & L Records RLCD-1061
PO Box 6623
Harrisburg, PA, USA 17112
phone: 800-756-5299
www.randlrecords.com
Hot! Right from the opening
track, you'll know you're in for a
treat. And what an opening track,
Forza Blu, a Paulsen original, is a
real frrecracker. The band is super
tight on this higWy arranged tune
through all of the tricky, boppish
lines and polyrhythmic sections
terrific! Paulsen writes in the liner
notes that this piece was written
while he was in Italy, and at a couple
points I heard that minor third-inter
val "ambulance siren" sound, though
upside-down (ascending) -loose,
swinging, AND programmatic.
The title track features the pretty
flugelhom sound of Bob Meashey
interpreting Paulsen's 3/4 melody.
Paulsen then takes the frrst solo, dis
playing a nice feel, phrasing and
ideas; a very good ride. Meashey, too,
plays a beautiful solo before handing
it over to pianist Tom Lawton. A cool
tune, beautifully played.
Of the six tracks, four were com
posed by Paulsen: the aforemen
tioned two, the laid-back bossa-ish
Endless Mountains, and the unusual
and interesting Reddish Blues.
Reddish Blues, dedicated to Red
Mitchell, is a dark, somewhat
hymn-like piece with a very loose
drum feel over which the soprano
sax of Chris Farr wails a lamenta
tion. I enjoyed the warm hue or
mood of the piece; like watching a
great sunset until that last instant
when it disappears from view.
One of the two standards on the
album is Bill Evans' Turn Out The
Stars. Paulsen's arrangement begins
with a magnificent solo bass (arco)
introduction. His bowed bass sound
is very good, and in this introduc
tion he makes use of ponticello and
col legno to excellent musical
effect. At the end of his intro, he
sets up the entrance of the band and
all four accompany him as he bows
the head. After the head the flugel
hom and soprano sax trade one-bar
phrases on the first section, and
half-bar phrases on the second sec
tion, though by the end the two hom
players' phrases are completely
entwined and all of this spills into
the final section back to bowed
bass melody. Sensitive, mature
playing, over a calming tom-tom
groove, with playful piano interjec
tions, all in all an ethereal rendition.
The ability and experience of the
quintet members pays off for band
leader and bassist Paulsen. There
are consistently fantastic perfor
mances throughout the album. This
2003 release is definitely worth a
listen, and Paulsen currently has a
trio recording out (Tri-cycle) , so
look for a Bass World review of that
in the near future.
Review by Chris Kosky
Art of the Bow withFran~ois RabbathFran~oisRabbath, double bass
Hans Sturm, producer and director
Ball State University
www.artofthebow.com
This pedagogical tour de force is
the latest and most in depth exami
nation of Fran~oisRabbath- one of
the most investigated string players
in history. In this DVD bassists
have the opportunity to delve
deeply into the mysteries of the
double bass with a master who has
spent a lifetime devoted to its study.
Furthermore, the DVD medium
comes as close as is possible to a
long series of private lessons with
Rabbath as he transmits an extraor
dinary wealth of information.
The work encompasses an amaz
ing breadth of material that is bro
ken up into six different sections.
The frrst two sections are a series of
short lecture demonstrations that
teach basic, yet vital, elements of
double bass playing. The frrst of
these, called 'essentials,' delivers
information which is needed to
begin the study of the bow arm
movement that is the primary focus
of this DVD (such as posture, bow
hair and the weight of the bow). The
ScottLaFaroHere's the first book of Scott Lafaro
solo transcriptions taken from the BillEvans trio recordings Sunday at
the Village Vanguard and Waltz
for Debby. This book contains high
ly detailed transcriptions of all 15 ofScott's bass solos, including the alter
nate takes. $19.95Transcribed by Phil Palontbi
To purchase, please go towww.philpalombi.com
or write to Phil at324 W263rd st
Bronx, NY 10471
Available in Noventber, 2003
ADD8uneiogthe releaseef
The BigBad BassAnew video,featuring·b,assist.David Murray.
Recorded live in performance!
Featuring - Failing by Tom JohnsonPossessed by John Steinmetz (arr. Murray)Ashokan Farewell by Jan UngerCaprice #3 by Edouard Nanny andB.lJ.Wolfby Jon Deak
Volume 29, Number 1 59
PIERRE JOSEPHS VIOLINS125 Locust Ave.
Larkspur, CA 94939415/924-2731 @ Fax 415/924-3322
www.stringcharger.com
"In Niels-Henning 0rsted Pedersen the world has lost a great bassist.I first heard him in 1967 and was with his playing. In the70s, he followed me with and we became good
friends. Some ago I a tour of Japan with Niels-Henning andRay Brown, we had a great time. We will all miss him very much."
- George Mraz
Breaallng the GapPeter Wilson, violin
Aaron Clay, double bass
www.bridgingthegaponline.com
form the various bow strokes. One
can hardly imagine a more efficient
method of conveying the subtleties
of these bow strokes than the com
bination of the multiple camera
angles and virtual demonstrations.
This DVD is sprinkled through
out with live performances from a
2002 concert from France (a two
DVD box set of this complete per
formance called Carte Blanche d
Franr;ois Rabbath is scheduled to
be available soon) which often
demonstrates in a real world setting
the concepts that are discussed on
the DVD. Although Rabbath
demonstrates only with the French
bow, many of the concepts dis
cussed are applicable to any double
bassist regardless of which bow
they play. This DVD represents
both a huge step forward for suing
pedagogy as well as an immensely
valuable and inspirational tool for
any double bass student or teacher.
- Review by Sandor Ostlund
Aaron Clay is principal bass with
the Fairfax (Virginia) Symphony, a
member of "The President's Own"
United States Marine Band, and one
half of the creative violin/bass duo
Bridging the Gap, with violinist
Peter Wilson. Wilson and Clay
founded Bridging the Gap in 1997
after becoming friends and col
leagues in "The President's Own"
band. Most recently they were a
featured act during the Inauguration
as part of the Salute to Those Who
Serve celebration, where they
received a standing ovation from
the 14,000 military and public safe
ty personnel in attendance.
Having recently met these remark
able musicians in Washington, DC,
and listened to their amazing self
titled debut CD Bridging the Gap,
I'm thrilled to share my excitement at
their artistry, musical vision and cre
ative arrangements. Remember this
name: Aaron Clay!
What's so special? The arrange
ments are the duo's own, and they
work. Somehow Wilson and Clay
second section, 'The Bow Arm,'
explains the movement of the body,
arm and bow in great detail. Each
concept is so thorougWy explained
and well represented on the video
that it is not unreasonable that a stu
dent struggling with body mechanics
and tone production could fmd great
progress could be made in improving
their technique and sound that by
studying these two sections alone.
The third section then allows
Rabbath to demonstrate with a non
bassist (Sarah Kruger who is a grad
uate assistant in Ball State
University's biomechanics laborato
ry) how he would start a beginning
double bassist. By assisting the stu
dent with the bow stroke from the
beginning of her studies, Rabbath is
able to teach the movement of the
arm, wrist and hand in as relaxed
and efficient a manner as possible.
In the fourth section, Rabbath is
seated in a bistro and speaks for over
forty minutes on a variety of topics
including perfonnance anxiety, teach
ing, practicing and interpretation. Time
is also devoted to more personal issues
such as the significance of the chains
that Rabbath wears and how he was
inspired by a chance meeting with
Yehudi Menuhin early in his career.
The final two sections are an in
depth study of a series of bow
strokes that Rabbath has categorized
into seven 'families'. These seven
families not only sound different
(for example a legato versus a stac
cato sound), but are also physically
approached in different fashions. It
is here that the versatility of the
DVD format becomes so valuable.
To begin with, Rabbath explains and
demonstrates how to perform each
of the different strokes. These
demonstrations can be seen from the
vantage point of any of four differ
ent camera angles, and you can
switch between the four views while
watching the DVD. To compliment
this, the Biomechanics Laboratory
at Ball State University helped
Sturm create a virtual three-dimen
sional bow arm using Rabbath's
movements (by using three high
speed cameras that fumed Rabbath
performing the strokes with reflec
tive markers on his bass and body)
to further demonstrate how to per-
liThe world of music just lost oneof its very best. Niels was a fascinating person, a great musician,a unique bass and a goodfriend. I am for havingknown him and worked withhim. Blessed be his memory."
- Ami Egilsson
"Niels-Henning, my friend for over 25 passed away 19 inCopenhagen, playing a gig with his trio. always told him was the
'Paganini of the Bass.' He inspired a lot of bass players, and will be remembered as one of the greatest of our time."
- Pierre Josephs
1'11P'lc_r,pnlnlnl{T 0rsted Pedersen: a great bass player,an even greater person."
- his drummer, Harold Jones
In Memory of
Niels-Henning0rsted Pedersen
(1946-2005)
60 International Society of Bassists
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The intonation in all the registers is amazing
1y accurate. While bassists will marvel at
Clay's command of their noble instrument,
violinist Peter Wilson is his perfect technical
and musical match. They are sensitive pas
sionate performers and equally gifted at creat
ing arrangements that showcase their talents.
- Review by Barry Green
When one thinks of bass players who sing
while they play, one immediately thinks of
Joelle Leandre, Kristin Korb, Jay Leonhart
and certainly Slam Stewart. After hearing
Irina-Kalina Goudeva's new CD titled Voice
and Double Bass, you will add her to this
list of multi-talented bassists. This is more
of a 'bass plus other media' CD, as only two
of the seven works on this disc have voice
parts. The other pieces involve electronics
or were conceived to be performed with
dance or video. On this well recorded and
attractively packaged CD, Irina-Kalina
Goudeva has assembled a compelling col
lection of works that explore a variety of
contemporary compositional trends.
Throughout she plays with a rich and clear
sound, fine intonation and sings beautifully.
The frrst piece, Motive by Emil Tabakov
pays homage to the composer's bass teacher
at the Sofia Musical Academy in Bulgaria,
Todor Toshev. This short and exciting piece
alternates between lovely lyrical sections and
quick virtuosic moments. It is a fast, challeng
ing and effective piece, cleanly performed by
Goudeva. In the six short movements of Ivar
Frounberg's llerqorsutin, Goudeva displays
her sensitive singing and playing. This work
is based on an ancient Greenlander form of
storytelling where the storyteller has forgotten
part of the text. The texts present an almost
perfect balance between culture and nature.
This music is dark, personal, and ideally suit
ed to Goudeva's talents.
Next comes Dance de L'Aube by Edith
Canat de Chizy. Conceived of as music for
double bass and dancer/choreography, the
work is melodic and rhythmic. Although
written in a contemporary idiom, it doesn't
venture into the realm of extended tech
niques. Effective on its own, one can imag
ine the strong impact this work would make
when combined with the dance. Hovering
Depths by Magnar Am was originally writ
ten for a video based on paintings by the
Voice and Double BassIrina-Kalina Goudeva, double bass
IKG: IKGl
ikgoudeva@contemporanea.dk
www.contemporanea.dk
sound like more than two fme musicians.
They bridge the gap from Clay's own pen,
from a Gershwin medley, I Got Someone to
Watch over My Rhythm, An Appalachian
Prayer, Ashokan Farewell, Amazing Grace
and Simple Gifts to Aaron's original
Millennium Suite for violin and double bass.
This contemporary three-movement classical
suite is an outstanding contribution to the vio
lin and bass repertoire. Peter Wilson's virtu
osity and musicianship is showcased in his
own arrangements, from Elgar's Salut
d'Amour, his funky original Move Awayfrom
the Vehicle, or Sondheim's Send in the
Clowns and Williams' music from
Schindler sList to an authentic 18th-century
Baroque Allegro from Gioseffo Fiocco.
Many of these fabulous pieces are being
made available through their
BridgingtheGaponline website. I have seen
several and they are beautifully laid out,
clean and well crafted. The bass parts are
well written and very playable. Much like
the Turtle Island String Quartet inspired
many quartets to follow their path playing
pop music and jazz through their recordings
and publications, Bridging the Gap will no
doubt launch many violinlbass duos with
great repertoire to spice up traditional
recitals and appearances at parties, jazz
clubs, chamber music series and festivals.
A native of Fairmont, West Virginia, Clay
began his musical training at the age of 10
when he taught himself to play jazz on the
electric bass. He later pursued classical train
ing on the upright double bass prior to attend
ing West Virginia Wesleyan College, where he
studied with Richard Manspeaker. After grad
uating in 1989, he was selected to join the
United States Navy Band in Washington, DC,
and has been a member of "The President's
Own" United States Marine Band since 1993.
In addition to writing works for violin and
double bass duo, Clay is developing a reputa
tion as a composer of works for larger ensem
bles. An invitation by the director of the
Marine Band to write a work for wind ensem
ble led to Clay's composition e-volution,
which was premiered by the Marine Band in
2002. His next work, Serial Number, was
also premiered by the Marine Band.
Clay has a beautiful lyric singing quality to
his upper register playing as demonstrated in
his breathless, tender, obligato part in
Sondeheim's Send in the Clowns. He scam
pers through the passagework in his Duke
Double like a fleet footed bunny rabbit! He
gets nasty with his high tech funkie groove in
Peter Wilson's humorous spoof on a DC traf
fic jam called Move Away from the Vehicle.
Volume 29, Number 1 61
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"The strings have been on my bass since February 23rd. I love the strings.The G sounds so natural and thick and the E string responds very quickly,even on stopped notes. Someone described it as instant boom! I've neverplayed gut but they sound and feel the way I imagine gut strings perform. ]bought these strings because Obli--tos are notorious for failing after only afewweeks under the hands ofa strong jazz player, so I thought I'd offer myself upto test the longevity of these strings under a heavy-handed jazz player. I canget away un-amped a lot more 'with these strings, and I pull the heck out ofthem. Thanks for the strings!"
- Lisle A. Atkinson
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PRODUCTIONS
RECYCLED NOTES
JAZZAZART
1-800-406-2320861 NW 73rd Ave.
Plantation, FL 33317
Don Payne
Proto's transcription of Gliere's Cradle Song
for viola and double bass allows both instru
ments to sing. Ira Weller's high tessitura viola
playing maintains the sweet vocal qualities of
the piece, and the bass provides a gently rock
ing accompaniment. Less than one minute
long, Edward Elgar's striking Duetto for trom
bone and double bass is a jaunty contrapuntal
fanfare captured perfectly by McCoy and
trombonist Demian Austin.
McCoy and Patitucci continue to explore
the conversations possible between basses
on Grateful, another Patitucci original, his
fIrst experiment with the combination of
double bass and six-stling electric bass.
Both instruments share the roles of melody
and harmony in this tender reflective work.
June Han joins McCoy for the last
on the disc, a delightful work entitled
Duo Baroque by Jean Frans;aix. Each of the
four movements has a different quality,
from a carnival feel to
the dreamlike reverie of the second mov
ment, followed by a waltz and the
per'petual motion of the final Vivace
with the variety and on this
disc, there is for
every listener.
Review
bass as an equal in conversation with various
instruments, often displaying the beautiful
vocal qualities of an accomplished soloist.
McCoy is ably assisted by several of his col
leagues in a delightful blend of serious, witty,
intense and lighthearted conversations. The disc
includes familiar works by Rossini, Bottesini,
and Telemann, in addition to new and old gems
by John Patitucci, Martin Dalby, Edward Elgar,
Reinhold Gliere and Jean Fran9aix.McCoy demonstrates not only a full rich
sound, but also complete control of articula
tions and timbres as he and Steven Doane
the Rossini Duetto. The r'\a~+A~'rna-rc
perfectly capture the opera buffa quality of
the work while paying serious attention to
detail. Next on the disc is John Patitucci's
The Root, in which both he and McCoy
acoustic basses. Patitucci reduced the score
to two basses from a small ensemble, and the
drum-like effect of the instruments playing
African and South American rhythms is
notic. I was surprised the and con
tinuity of sound between the bass and bas
soon on Telemann's Sonata No.2, which is
onlnn:::tllv from a
two like instruments, Both
Whitney Crockett produce a
ly balanced sound without any of the
resonance of the low instruments.
Patitucci returns on double bass for
Bottesini's Gran Duetto No.3. The
and tone colors on this are outstaIldlflg
the very first chord wraps around the listener
and draws you in to the conversation. The disc
also includes be the first CD record
of Martin Dalby's IvlacPherson~f) Rant,
and alto flute. Based on Scottish folk music,
the is a selies of agitated
exclamations and between the
bass and flutes. Toward the end, the bass has a
ShOlt soliloquy but is eventually joined again
by the flute and both have the last word. Frank
Ua~EUQI~UleS with Double BassMcCoy, double bass
John Patitucci, double bass, elec-
tric bass
Laura Gilbert, and flutes
Whitney Crockett, bassoon
Ira Weller, viola
Steven Doane, violoncello
Delnian Austin, trombone
June Han,
9163
once in a while, I have a
moment where I sit in my car after I have
anived at my destination in order to find out
what is on the radio. I had such a
moment with this recording, when I got into my
car just in time to hear the first chords of the
Rossini Duetto and the announcer tantalized
the listeners by playing only a couple move
ments, so ofcourse I had to get the recording for
my collection. The bassist in question is Jeremy
McCoy, veteran of the Metropolitan Opera
Orchestra in New York and clUTently the
group's assistant principal. The idea behind
Dialogues with Double Bass was to feature the
Norwegian artist Einar Magne Flo. The
beautiful rising melodic lines in the begin
ning are a perfect vehicle for Goudeva's
expressive playing. The melodic writing is
interspersed with harmonics, tremolos, and
double stops that take advantage of the full
range of the bass.
The next two works explore different
aspects of current music technology. Cort
Lippe's Music for Contrabass and Computer
is an interactive work that uses the program
MAX. As the computer tracks parameters of
the bass (pitch, amplitude tempi, rests, artic
ulation, etc) and triggers electronic events,
the performer continuously and
shapes the computer output. This clearly
audible, interactive process is fascinating to
follow. As a result of winning the Triade
Prize, Enjar Kanding was commissioned to
write Ari/d. The work is informed by text
from the Swedish poet Marie Lindquist and
makes effective use of of live
processm:g. Perfonning with technolo-
gy can be a task and Goudeva
suc:ce~;;sh111Vmeets the Ch2llle][lges.
The last work, I'll Make You
MOl1en Olsen is a short, delicate
sation for voice and electronics done in
collaboration with the Danish
composer/poet Morten S. Danielsen. It is a
way to end a fine CD.
Review by Robert Black
Volume 29, Number 1 63
LUTHIER'S CORNER Thomas Martin, Editor
Dendrochronology and theKarr-Koussevitzky Double Bass
Tree ring dates in relation to the top of the Karr-Koussevitzky Bass.
By Dustin Art Williams
"So, how old is it?" Luthiers are oftenasked this question. Only the most experienced makers are able to correctly date aspecific specimen by examining an instrument. Experts now have many tools attheir disposal to trace the lineage of an oldinstrument. One way to date the wood onthe top of an instrument is through dendrochronology, the science of measuringand precisely dating tree rings to the exactyear they were formed.
The instrument in this case study is thefamous double bass previously owned bySerge Koussevitzky and then given toGary Karr by Koussevitsky's widow, OlgaKoussevitzky, in 1961. Gary Karr performed on this bass for over forty yearsand has generously gifted it to the ISB. Sohow old is it? What does the science ofdendrochronology have to say about it?
The ISB asked Dr. Henri GrissinoMayer for his assistance. Dr. GrissinoMayer is a climatologist and biogeographer whose primary research interestsinclude the reconstruction of past environments using information from tree-ringdata, or dendrochronology. His accoladesinclude the development of a 2,200-yearlong reconstruction of annual precipitationfor northwestern New Mexico based ontree-ring data, and he has been involved innumerous reconstructions of fire regimesin the western United States. He is actively involved as the moderator for both theDendrochronology Internet Forum and theBiogeography Internet Forum, is formersecretary of the Tree-Ring Society, associate editor of several journals, and a member of the advisory board and past chair ofthe International Tree-Ring Data Bank. Dr.Grissino-Mayer is the dendrochronologistthat the Violin Society of America asked todate the wood used in the famous"Messiah" Stradivari Violin dated 1716.His research proved the violin is madefrom wood that grew between the years1577 to 1686.
In Dr. Grissino-Mayer's laboratory atthe University of Tennessee at Knoxville,
Year1446165916951761
the double bass's strings and tailpiecewere carefully removed to gain fullaccess to the widest part of the bass in thelower bout. The bass was securely positioned upon a manual measuring bench(Velmex Measuring System), speciallydesigned to move in the smallest ofincrements either left or right with thesimple turn of a small wheel. The measuring bench was interfaced with a special computer that took the exact measurement of the bench's position to thethousandths of a millimeter (MeasureJ2X software). A video microscope(specifically, a trinocular boom armstereoscope) was positioned over the surface of the double bass and was connected to a monitor where all present couldsee in fine detail the surface of the bass.
Through the video monitor, the doublebass's fine tree rings now appeared quite
Year1445165016841741
large and much easier to define. A large"X" is etched into the video monitor'sscreen. When the small wheel on the tablewas turned, the instrument moved ever sogently to the right or the left. Dr.Grissino-Mayer would then center the"X" over a dark tree ring. By pushing abutton, the tree ring's exact position wasrecorded on the computer. As each treering was measured, its distance from itsneighboring rings was scrutinized carefully and precisely and the fingerprint ofthe wood began to emerge and wasrecorded electronically.
Dr. Grissino-Mayer was assisted byGeorgina Wight, Evan Larson andDanica Praza. His work was checkedmany times. He was adamant about accuracy, and is gifted in distinguishing treerings from cracks. Dr. Grissino-Mayerand his team started with the older rings
Volume 29, Number 1 65
Dr. Henri Grissino-Mayer closely examines the tree rings on the top of the Karr-Koussevitzky Bass.
measured with that many tree rings. Anaverage of 26.6 tree rings per inch wasestablished for the top of the bass. Notincluded in the 317-year pattern were thewings which were added by the maker towiden the lower bout of the bass. Thewing on the treble side had 35 rings andthe wing on the bass side measuredbetween 37 and 42 rings. From the distance between the rings, it appears thatthe bass wing was flipped when it wasadded on.
After the measurements were taken,the goal was then to map out the patterns from the tree rings and to matchit to data on file from the Alps. Treerings have different widths defined bythe light portion of the ring (the earlywood or spring growth) and the darkportion of the ring (the latewoodgrowth or summer growth). The variations in width create a pattern distinctin different parts of the world. Exactdates were obtained by matching the
patterns from the bass withpatterns from already-developed reference tree-ring chronologies. TheUniversity of Tennessee at Knoxvillehas access to databases of this information. Dr. Grissino-Mayer had to finda 317-year stretch of time when thetrees from the Alps would match thepattern produced by the tree rings inthis bass.
After spending two and a half weeksanalyzing the wood in the bass for ageand origin, Dr. Grissino-Mayer's findings are below. "Inner ring" refers to theoldest tree ring and "outer ring" refers tothe youngest tree ring. "Inner" and"outer" do not refer to the rings' positions on the bass, but rather to itsment within the tree trunk.
Treble side of the lower bout:Inner ring is year 1445Outer ring is year 1741
Bass side of the lower bout:Inner ring is year 1464Outer ring is year 1761
spent to validate and revalidate the previ0us findings. Dr. Grissino-Mayer's commitment to accuracy was impressive andprofessional.
The end result was a 317-year chronology of the wood. To everyone's knowledge, there has not been an instrument
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on the outside of the bass (excluding theand worked inwards toward the
center seam. The treble side was measured three times. The bass side measured twice. The work was painstakinglyslow to eliminate errors. A total of thirteen intense hours of measuring was
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Treble wing:Inner ring is year 1650Outer ring is year 1684
Bass wing:Inner ring is year 1659Outer ring is year 1695
66 International Society of Bassists
useful
@ Obergurgl, Austria, at the Italian border:location 46 52'N, 11 Ol'E
@ Berchtesgaden, Gennany, at the Austrianborder: location 47 40'N, 13 OO'E
@ Paratomagno, Italy, in the northernAppennine Mountains: location 43 40'N,1146'E
@ Simmetral, in the western part ofSwitzerland: location 46 24'N, 7 26'E
So, how old is it? Dendrochronologytells us that the instrument was alate 18th century instrument with a sprucetop that came from the westernAustrian The results of Dr.
also confirm
the Karr-Al1CCCJ',{Tl1~'7'I?"U bass. This team, which also
gelt1er'Ouslv donated its travel and time tothe ISB, includes David Steven
and Don Robertson (see article onpage 35 in this issue.)
information that backs up theVI-/J..luv.u,i:), and is another valuable resourcein the toolbox for luthiers L:>"T£"'~·"T''''Tn£:»...c>
bass could be constructed. Dr. Glissinoestimates that the bass was made
sometime between 1775 and 1790.The of the spruce tree used
on this bass correlates with treesfrom four locations, all within thesame basic area:
All four of wood werenp·t1nitp.lv from the same tree. The wood is
10 to 20 of the outerwould have been removed
when the luthier was withthe wood. A few years must then be factored in for the of the wood before the
(l to r) Assistant Georgina Wight, Dustin Williams and Knoxville (TN) Synlphony principal bass SteveBenne look on as Dr. Grissino-lV1ayer (seated) measures the Karr-Koussevitzky Bass.
Volume 29, Number 1 67
Stephen Reinfranck, EditorYOUNG BASSIST'S PAGE
Greetings & Salutations,Young Bassists!
The Secret Life of Basses By Scott SundIn this issue~ I'd like to address "What's Important and What
Isn't."
The Music Department offers comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degrees programs inperfonnance, pedagogy and music education.
Regards,
Steve Reinfranck
By now, you have probably seen lots of other bass players your
age, and lots of older, more advanced students; perhaps you have
even seen (and heard) some professionals play in your area. Once
you have seen a bunch of bass players, I'm certain that you'll be
struck by the appropriateness of the old adage that there are "differ
ent strokes for different folks. "
It is only normal to look out of the comer of your eye at the play
ers next to you in your orchestra section (especially if you have
spaced out and have forgotten to count during the last long section of
rests ... ) Maybe someone in your section has the fingers of their left
hand going all over the fingerboard like killer worms on steroids, or
they are waving their arms around wildly or rocking the bass back
and forth maniacally while they are playing. If so, you might wonder
why they are doing that, and if that means they are clued in to some
thing that you aren't. .. Or perhaps a little voice in your head says
"I'm not as good as they are" - then you are in trouble!
I once taught a kid for only a few lessons, and then didn't hear
from his family again. I never found out if he switched to another
teacher, or, perhaps the kid thought he knew everything, and didn't
need to take lessons. I don't want to be too harsh, but I thought the
kid was pretty talented, though his forays up and down the finger
board were what I jokingly call the "chromatic search mode." But
even though he didn't come back to me for lessons, I began hearing
the other kids talk about him: "Man, Lothar [name has been changed
to protect the innocent] has incredible technique! He's all over the
bass! Lothar plays notes I haven't even conceived of yet. .. !"
Anyway, I just think it's interesting how many ideas you can get
from listening to different people. So much of playing music is per-
sonal, and I guess the trick is to find the
best way to express yourself through
the music. Have any of you had more
than one teacher? And have they told
you everything exactly the same? Of
course not!
One last thought: I realize that boys
don't always mature as fast as girls, but
as I mentioned in my last column, I
thought for sure that some irate boy
would write with a rebuttal to Kara
- Sajeske's "Girl Power" article ... But no
mail, so it looks like "Girl Power" has
struck again!
Until next time - remember, Bass
the Final Frontier!
Joseph Glymph, Sylvia Myintoo,DavidTaylor,AssistantCo,zcert1I1aster, Chicago Symphony Orc:hestra
Joseph Glynlph (conductor),Vincent Oddo
Michael Duggan, Richard Hirschi,Chicago Sj'mphony Orchestra
Gregory Sarchet,Chicago Lyric opera
Violin:
Viola:
Cello:
Bass:
Happy Summer!
For more infurmation on faculty and scholarships visit our website at ·www.neiu.edu
(Click on ','Celebrate the FiI,le, ArtS,:' then, Music Department)"Northeastern
or contact Profe~orPeter Chang Illinoisat <7.73)442-5914; f~: (773)442-5910; Universi!yematl: p'chang1@neIu.edu ' 5500 NoRTH ST. loUIS AVl!NUli
CHICAGO,ILUNOIs60625-4699
Faculty:
Performing Ensembles: String Orchestra and chamber Inusic ensembles
StrinB5 :~~~=::::~~:~::~a~;~~::::d:~~~:~:bargain in the city, generous scholarships, and new outstanding facilities.
68 International Society of Bassists
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2005Convention
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OUTSTANDINGREPAIRS ANDRESTORATIONS.
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70 International Society of Bassists
, NEW PRODUCTS
The Bass BusA Bass Place, $199www.abassplace.com.
"I first came to New Orleans with a dollar and a quarter in mypocket," says Wally Kay, jazz bassist and owner of A Bass Place &String Shop. "I had to hit the street to try and make money for groceries. 1 carried my bass all around, and usually an amp as well. And1 had to carry a stand, too!" Kay isn't alone. Many musicians, especially bassists, lug their instruments around from gig to gig - a literalbackache for many.
So, Kay devised a plan to create a transport system to not onlymake hauling his bass easier, but also one that would convert into abass stand, or a place to sit and play while busking or gigging. "Sixprototypes later, and after a year and a half of development, 1 found a[design] that worked, and we went into production," Kay says of hisnew Bass Bus.
Weighing in at 19 pounds, the cart-and-seat combo measuresrougWy 7 x 20 x 30 inches (the size of its shipping box). It's constructed of sturdy metal, and sports a durable but comfortable seatcushion made of coated foam (the same material used for standard lifevests). Two straps hold the bass in place during transit, and a collapsible handle pops up for easy maneuverability. (The handle foldsdown when the cart is stationary, can be attached to a scooter or bicycle, and can be replaced with a longer version.) When the Bass Bus isdoubling as an instrument stand, the seat provides a soft front cushionfor the instrument's back while the bottom of the instrument rests ona cushioned, rubber bar.
Kay plans to release optional accessories for the Bass Bus soon,including an amp shelf, an adjustable backrest, and upgraded wheels.
Review by Heather K. Scott
From Strings January 2005, issue 125 © 2005 String Letter
Publishing. All rights reserved. For nl0re information on Strings,
contact String Letter Publishing, PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA
94979; (415) 485-6946; Fax (415) 485-0831; www.stringletter.conl.
Volume 29, Number 1 71
ACOUSTIC IMAGE 66ATELIER CONSTANTIN POPESCU 4BASS CHURCH 13BILL MERCHANT DOUBLE BASS LUTHIER 6BOB BEERMAN'S BASS VIOLIN SHOP 70BOB'S HOUSE OF BASSES 10,31BRUCE GERTZ MUSIC 55CINCINNATI BASS CELLAR 19CLEVINGER BASS 14CONCERT DESIGN INC 51D'ADDARIO 26DAVID GAGE STRING INSTRUMENTS IFC, 41DAVID MURRAY 59DOUGLAS MAPP MUSIC 30E.M. POLLMANN 46EDITIONS DOBERMAN-YPPAN 53FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS 67HACHEZ & LORGE LUTHIERS 63HENRY STROBEL & SONS 21ISB CONVENTION BASS-WEAR 61, 70ISG PUBLICATIONS 61JEAN AURAY, LUTHIER 15JEFF BOLLBACH, LUTHIER, INC 35JOHN DEWITT MUSIC 46JOHN MICHAEL SMITH 49KOLSTEIN MUSIC, INC 8,42, 62LEMUR MUSICAL INC IBC
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