Bass World

~-----

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 [email protected].

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


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.

CONSTANTIN POPESCU, LLC

Double Basses For Professionals,Collectors and Students9

Greenwich • Riverside, CT1139 Em Putnam Avenue

(203) 637-7421

Westport, CT25 Davenport Aves

227-9577

4) Sales of New and Old Instruments & Bows• Accessories • Expert Repairs .. Major

Restorations • Bow Rehairing.. Consignments • Appraisals

Our Specialty:Set-up and Fine Tonal Adjustments

by Performing Bassist.By appointment please.

Fax: (203) 637-7415e-mail: [email protected]

www.snetyp.com/atelierconstantin


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 [email protected] ..

View the website at wwwllojbrllcom"


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


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

intenultionally recognized appraisal ct'Ttificates.

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

auspic.es ofbass cOflnoisseur Jacques Gagtzon

Samuel Kolstein & Son, Ltd~International Dealers/Restorers!AppraiserS/Sales

Violins • Violas • Cellos· Bass Violins

Samuel KolsteinMaster ws

VIOLIN - VIOLA - CELLO BASSQuality - Perfection

Integrity - CraftsmanshipAcclaimedfor overfifty-five years

BASS BOWS BY MASTER MAKERS - V. Deluccia French model; E. Sartory French model; V. FetiqueFrenchmodel; Bisch French model; La Pierre French model; E. Dupree French model; G. Vitale French model; Leclerc French model;Husson French model; E. Ourchard French model; A. Numenberger French model; W. Siefert German model; R. Reichel Germanmodel; A. Schuster German model; A. Lamy German model; I. Siefert German model; H.R. Pfretzschner German model.

~ a _---~1IIFr

~__:;i:_:_W;Mii;;i0._~~:.,-

Unquestionably the most revered bow "taker ofmodern times in the strictest tradition ofFrench bow making. Samuel KoIste-in Bows arebeing played the u10rld over by re110wned soloists, orchestral and concertizing artists. The impeccable hand craftsmanship and the finequality and perfection of the woods and detailed trimmings combined with the unique styling and artistic creativity of Samuel Kolstein,aUoios his bows the freedom of expression and the utmost playability for the performing artist. Samuel Kolstein custom made bows areoffered in three levels: for the aspiring young s~udent, professional, and master players and can be custom crafted to meet all your ownpersonal preferences.Trimmings are in gold and silver. Frogs are of ebony, lignum vitae and rare exotic ma.terials. The sticks are octagonal,round or pointed elliptical pernambuco shafts, all with the finest graining. Bows have full pearl or mother-of-pearl

and parisian eye inserts or pearl facets.

Members of the Appraisers Association ofAmerica

3201 Carlisle Blvd., NE .. Albuquerque, NM 87110Ph: 505-889-2999 .. Fax: 505-889-7790

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,

soloist and clinician.

Expert Repairs & Major Restoration.Excellent Selection of Fine Old Instruments &

Name Brand New Instruments.Instruments t,. Bows sent on Approval

Stri ngs &Accessories.Extensive Library of String Music - Solo & Ensemble

Same Day Service on Mail OrdersLarge Selection of Basses in Stock

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


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~

.The Jazzer - Original Flexocor •• Original

• Flexocor - Eudoxa _ Oliv. Chorda - Obligato

Bob's

::~Gustav Pirazzi & Comp..

0-63015 Offenbach Am Main, Germany

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!


[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!"


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

\V\\T\\t.lJasscIlllrc:11 .. t-:() tIl

ARR.A!Vl NTSFORDOUBLE BASS TRIO byAnna Doak

Sel'ld $IS perset +$4.50 shipping (USAordes),orvis!t website forcmier mfoJl11'1.aticm,MP$'s mdscole samples.For in1ematioml shippingchargese:rnaB info@:msschurclt.cmn

Dvorak Miniatures ll op. 75aClmztiml, Ctlj>nQ:io, Rtmtl1J!'(fl

Hungarian Gypsy MusicSr!PR()W'~ TIZ~.A}mtIP()mt

Hgs On BassAf»J~,ttCIm'ltlr, Etzw.gJl'ojpH

Two Swing TriosTale,~ ]jfOIb'IJ]jfWlJ!H~

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.


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

SOUNDS LIKE THE BEST MIKEDTONE

MELLOW SOUND, HOT OUTPUT

GREAT PIZZ & AReO, MATCHEDLEVELS

INSTALLS IN SECONDS VVITHNO ALTERATION TO YOUR BASS

session buddies, bassists Dave Holland,

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

~.d_.-"_'-A~ ./ Ii NAME YOU CAN TRUST FOR THE BEST BASS TONE

~,..,- (510) 444-25421e11fax www,clevinger.cQm

~~?~ Double Bass Pickup

Peter Warren with Jack Dejohnette


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)



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.)


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

Literature List:

Large selection of basses and bows

Restoration and repairs

Good selection in all price ranges

Consignment and trades accepted

Basses handcrafted by Jakstadt,

Stetson, Roberts, Lakeberg

and Lloyd

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

[email protected]

www.basscellar.com


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.


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

1!I1'"'BIIi1''III<'lII'JIII~'-1IIl.41LJ11l1llll"'"•.1II else n w to makeeasier to play.

the who will provide

information and secure credit card onlineordering: www.henrystrobel.com

& Bill Merchant, bassist,Luthier, Successor to Chuck Traeger

ISBN 1-892210-06-1

$85 US plus $9 S&H USNCanada$18 S&H elsewhere

& Publisher~10878 Mill Creek Road ~

OR 97325

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

Violin 11--fl~_+J;-----"";;;;;;""-----+--------=---------l~_----'::=-----+----=-------I

@)

ppDouble Bass

p =

.9

dl/fl.-&

sfp

f

v

(IV)cresco

©1998 CLAYTYME MUSIC©2005 Printed in the USA by PeterWilsonMusic

www.bridgingthegaponline.conl


2

21

25

v

MILLENNIUMIII. Escape from History

p

1

~=======:: mf

2

33

2 +34 o

1 4 2 204

.P

1piu ",OSSO

f!. 4


MILLENNIUMIII. Escape from History

4! ~> 4 ~ 4q 1 1 +-fHl......--+-

2

f

3

65


1 3+~,

(Keep thUtnb on string)

4 1 4 1

4 MILLENNIUMIII. Escape from History

::>-::>-

>- ::>-

v v Vpoco a poco cre,sc.

+ 1 + 1 F1 V

4!.

>- ~V ~V

:ff

4

litO/to cresco >->->-

~. >>->-

30421 4221

vo

1 2 2 4

~ 1>- 1 2 >-

2 3 2 3

,., 0::>-

f

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.


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


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.

Douglas Maw MusicPiano Accompanilnent CDs & Midi Files

Personalized & CustomizedWorks By:

Antoniotti 0 Bach @ Beethoven e Beveridge e Bloch 0 Bottesini eBrahlns • Bruch - Capuzzi 0) Challan • CimadorCorelli 0 Couperin • de Fesch 0 Debussy eDittersdorf e Dragonetti eEccles • Faure 0) De Fesch - Franchi 4) GalliardGardoni e Giannini e Gliere 0) van Goens e Gossec 0) Handel 0 Henze o Hindelnith .. Hoffmeister • Keyper It von KochKodaly • Koussevitzky • Larrson • Lorenziti • Marcello • Massenet· Misek • Mozart • Niemoller • Paganini • PiehlProkofieff 0) Proto • Rachlnaninoff e Romberg (9 Rota I) Russell • Saint Saens e Scarlatti 0) Shostakovich 0 SchubertSchunlann • Silnandl • Sperger • Stein • Still 0) Tschaikowsky • Telemann • Tubin 0 Vanhal • Verdi • Villa-LobosVivaldi • Wagner 0) Walton 0 Wilder

Major Features:You pick the telnpi & key • Up to four works per CD/disk e All CDs custoln Inade • Harpsichord available on allbaroque titles • All titles available vvith orchestra or solo tuning • Metronome added to clarify rests and complexrhythlllS • Midi files can be sent via the intenlet • Call about John Hood's books Three Octave Tune-up andHarmonic Finder • Can ll1ake recordings of works for double bass and piano not listed in the catalog • Transposedpiano scores to works by J. C. Bach e J. S. Bach • Bottesini • Dittersdorf (9 Dragonetti -Eccles • Faure 0) Gliere • vanGoens • Hindemith • Larrson • Lorenziti 0) Koussevitzky • Misek • Mozart 0) Paganini • Rachmaninoff· SchubertSchumann 0 Stein • Vanhal 0 Vivaldi o Many titles for other instruments • Professional Inusic copying serviceavailable • Check our website for a conlplete listing of titles.

Prices:$15.00$20.00$ 4.00$ .75

Per CD (No Credit Cards)Per disk (please specify format)S/H for 1st itemFor each additional itenlForeign orders higher

Douglas Mapp Music49 I-Ia11 StreetWillialllstowo, NJ 08094-1809(856) 740-9009On the vVeb: \rvww.douglaslnappnlusic.comE-Ivlail: [email protected]


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

Bass Strings by Dr. TholnastikSpirocore $103

Bass D'AddarioHelicore... call

Bass Pirastro

Orginal Flexocor $139

P'lat ChromeSteel $145

Flexocor

DnLJ~.CJS

We haveagoodselectiona/basses rangingjrom $](XJ()

to $20,000. Please go to our web site to viewphotographs ofmany ofour instruments or call formore infonnation or an appointment.

Bob'sBass Buggy $65Featuring a 6 inch pneumatic tire with ball

bearingaxleandsolidsteel U-shaped bracket.Available in all standard shank sizes.


INTERNATIONAL BASS CLUB DIRECTORY

Felix PetitACADEMIA NACIONAL DECONTRABAJISTASConservatorio de Musica Simon BolivarEI Paraiso, Caracas 1010VenezuelaTel/fax [email protected]

Esra Gul AtalayANADOLU BASS CLUBAnadolu University State ConservatoryEskisehir, Turkey 26470+222 335 05 80/6228Fax +222 335 31 04e-mail:[email protected]

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 [email protected]

Mark BernatBASS CLUB OF GEORGIAP.O. Box 49045Atlanta, GA [email protected]

Alana Dawes, PresidentKatie McLachlan, Contact/SecretaryBASSLINK AUSTRALIAPO Box 130Belair, South Australia 5052+61 88278 [email protected]

David HeyesBRITISH & INTERNATIONALDOUBLE BASS FORUMP.O. Box 151Aldershot, Hants GU12 7YQUnited [email protected]

Petya BagovskaBULGARIAN BASS CLUBHipodroma BI. 140, A, 12 FlatSofia BUG-1612Bulgaria+359/[email protected]/bass

Sandra Grigorova-BojkovaBULGARIAN DOUBLE BASS ASSOCIATIONj.k. "Bakston," bI. 17, vh.2, ap.30Sofia, Bulgaria [email protected]

Wei Bao ZhengCHINESE SOCIETY OF BASSISTSFlat 504, No.7 Fuxingmen South St.Beijing 100045, ChinaTel/Fax +86 09 79 [email protected]

Miloslav JelinekCZECH SOCIETY OF BASSISTSKomenskeho nam. 860200BmoCzech Republic+420 5 43 24 28 [email protected]/spol-kontrabas


Ture DamhusAndreas Bennetzen, ChairDANISH DOUBLE BASS SOCIETYLivjaegergade 43, st. tv.Koebenhavn OE 2100Denmark+45 35 26 49 83Fax +45 44 42 42 [email protected]

David MUlTayINDIANA BASS CLUBButler University - Music Dept.4600 SunsetIndianapolis, IN [email protected]

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, [email protected]@hotmail.comwww.kontrabass.com

Nobuaki SaikawaKYUSHU BASS CLUB2-23-24 TsutsumiJonan,Fukuoka814-0151 JapanTel/fax [email protected]

Zoran PavloskiMACEDONIAN DOUBLE BASS ASSOCIATIONul. Naroden front 5-1-13Skopje, 1000Macedoniatel +38 970 388 [email protected]

Peter TambroniTHE MANNHEIM BASS CLUBWestdale Elementary SchoolMannheim School District #8399 W. Diversey AveNorthlake, IL [email protected]

Jim FergusonNASHVILLE BASS CLUB210 Mayfair Rd.Nashville, TN 37205615/297-7453Fax 615/[email protected]

Barry GreenNORTHERN CALIFORNIABASS CLUB430 Crestridge PI.Santa Rosa CA [email protected]

Irena OlkiewiczPOLISH DOUBLE BASS SOCIETYRynek 4/8WrocIaw 50-107PolandTele/fax +4871 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

Martin SimpsonSOUTH AFRICAN BASS CLUBPO Box 785189Sandton, South Mrica [email protected]

Josep QueI' Agusti, PresidentMrs. Matias Lopez, General ManagerSPANISH DOUBLE BASS SOCIETYTClMontgo n° 1- 2°_3a

Figueres, Spain [email protected]

Lynn Lovell, PresidentWESTERN NEW ENGLANDDOUBLE BASS SOCIETYc/o Downtown Sounds21 Pleasant St.Northampton, MA 01060415/[email protected]

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


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


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 [email protected].

@ 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



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


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

_______________________ Exp _

Name on

SHIP TO (PLEASE PRINT)

Name---------------------------------Address _

Clty/State/Zip _

Daytime

Volumt\l

~·cxIu

<;r9my.~·9Ja4.s


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.


9Vlo0 racfianThe Premier Instrument Cover for the Serious Player

- -

I

NYCTWATXNYTXWAMNCATXCANMPAILILAZAZCACanadaFranceUK

(914) 243-0955(203) 227-9577(206) 784-6626(972) 233-9633(212) 274-1322(713) 729-2231(206) 878-3456(651) 647-1148(949) 493-8323(800) 545-4753(818) 246-0278(505) 889-2999(717) 361-0511(847) 869-6187(312) 243-0621(800) 528-3430(800) 600-2689(562) 599-3913(902) 569-3279(33) 04 74 600073(44) 19 23 232412

Standard Bass Bag* Black Nylon Fabric* 3/4" Foam Padding* Bow, Document, andAccessory Pockets

* Shoulder Strap* Many Handles* Heavy Duty Zippers* Zipper guard along bottom

AES Fine InstrumentsAtelier Constantin PopescuBass ChurchBrook Mays String ShopDavid Gage String RepairGold ViolinHammond AshleyJohn Michael SmithLemur MusicLisle Violin ShopMetzler Violin ShopRobertson and Sons ViolinsShank's String InstrumentsSMR BassesSonksen StringsSouthwest StringsString EmporiumWorld of StringsArvi BassesJean AurayThwaites & Co.

The Original Deluxe Bass BagAvailable in Black, Green, or Burgundy

* Water-Resistant, Durable, Polyester Material* 1" Fiberglass reinforced polyurethane Foam Padding* Large Manuscript Pocket on Back* Exclusive "One Hand Opens" Pockets* Wheel and Accessory Pocket on Front* Extra-Large Bow Pocket* Ergonomically Positioned Padded Shoulder Strap* Padded Carrying Handles in all the right places* Heavy duty, cloth-backed zippers with padded

interior zipper guard to protect your bass

G7

G7De7

0"7

AfiJ7

A.7

Cm

Cm

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

J

AG7em

em

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'

The Realist™ acoustic transducer wasdesigned by Ned Steinberger in collaboration with David Gage.

~DESIGN

The Realist is available for bass, cello,violin and viola and can be customfitted for a variety of other acousticinstruments including banjo and kora.For purchase information or to see alist of local dealers please visit ourwebsite at www.davidgage.com orcall us at (212) 274-1322.


(LEfT TO RIGHT) BOB CUNNINGHAM, JAY LEONHART, LISLE ATKINSON, KAREN ATKINSON, REGGIE WORKMAN, LEW NORTON, PERCY HEATH, JACK LESBERG, MILT HINTON, BEVERLY PEER,

ARVELLSHAW, RICHARD HARTSHORNE, EARL MAY, GEORGES ANDRE, PAUL WEST, RUf-1JS REID, EDDIE GOMEZ, MARC JOHNSON

Kolstein Uni-Air as •arrter n Only the Best Will Do!

I.\Cti SUSI't:NSIOr'- 1'\1/:;

Silk black plush material-lined high density foam interiorcontaining full wardrobe area, hardshell bow case storagefacility and removable Kolstein Tote Bag.

Heavy duty hardware for mininlum maintenance, withvulcanized rubber skidding at all critical protective points.

adjustable for all size basses, including those withlow'-C extensions.

Back Suspension Foam Pad System with the Uni-Air Bagsand four independent suspension systems, which "airsuspend" the bass to protect against rough handling.

Self-contained dual wheel systenl easily handled by oneperson.

ORE.

Ill"

Infbtion Ail

.'\lllll\t\llll'IIC wCII',hl

EE

New Monocoque KevlarNinyl-Ester construction providesa continual structural shell. Beige, charcoal grey, brown,burgundy, or custom exterior colors available.

Unique Kolstein Uni-Strap Adjustable Suspension Systemwith the Kolstein Uni-Air Inflation System and safety reliefvalve (PAT. PEND.) affords maximum protective safetyduring abusive public handling.

Wide stance uni-body construction for added stability in theupright loading and storage position.

Thermal dissipation factor protection. weatherproof gasket,and "Gold Tone" Hygrometer.

Spring-loaded handles located at all strategic points whichlay flush to case while not in use.

Kolstein Music., .795 n"t 1151 (51 546-9309

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


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


Now you can get the complete package; the book and the OVO!MYRIAD LIMITED presents

THE EVOLVING BASSIST

WARNER BROSM PUBLICATIONS presents

THE EVOLVING BASSIST

$29.95Over Two

Hours

Tutorial DVD VIDEO

THE EVOLVING BASSIST is designed to take you through a process tohelp you become that consumate bass player. It is dedicated to the student who may have difficulty finding and/or being able to afford a regularteacher. This method book is an aid to help yourself now. It will continue to be your reference book as you and your playing mature through theyears.

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.

$29w95191

Pages

Millen;um Edition

industry standard doublebass method book is now brought to life throughexplicit video instruction to help YOU become that sought after bassist you'vealways wanted to be. You will learn to obtain a great sound, strong pulse,an infectious groove, and melodic bass lines all combined with clarity.

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,

will develop to become an evolving bassist.

Special Feature:Concert with:Mulgrew Miller, piano ~ Lewis Nash, drums

THE GAIT KEEPER m CD

features:Rufus Reid - BassRich Perry -Tenor

Freddie Hendrix - TrumpetJohn Stetch - Piano

Montez Coleman· DrumsSunnyside Records

sse 1106

$15~OO

Web Site: http://www.rufusreid.com Email: [email protected]

SEND FOR OUR FREE CATALOGICheck for the very latest releases at our Web site:

WNW.virtualaccompanist.com

John DeWitt Music20 NevinwoodPlace

Huntingto,n Station, NY 11746 USAPhone/Fax 631.271.5742

The Virtual AccompanistReady, willing, and able to rehearse when YOU want to!

Titles Include: Features:• Int. Solos, Vol. 2: Apres un RAve, L'~lephant, etc. .. CDS & MIDI NOW ,AVAILABLE• Advanced Solos, Vol. 1: Bottesini - Elegy; Haydn - • Accompaniments marked with (t) are available for bass in solo or

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

• We are Exhibitors at the Music Fair Frankfurt I Germany April 6-9, 2005and at the ISS Convention June 6..11, 2005 in Kalamazoo I Michigan USA ..

4th Generation of Master-Bassmakers

Michael and Ralph KrahmerElmauer Weg 17 D-82481 Mittenwald / Germany

tel: 0049-8823-4548 fax: 0049-8823-5298e-mail: [email protected]

www.poellmann-contrabass.de

German Music Instrument Award 1999ISBMaker's Competiton 2003- Convention Favorite Dou'ble Bass -

- Medal for Workmanship -- Medal for Tone -

SINCE 1888

PollmannBusseto


BODV .. BASSLinda M. Gilbert, D.M.A., R.Y.T., Editor

Relieving Tension in the Forearms

Example la


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

Violin!) Viola, Cello and Double Bass Boyvs

GEORGE RUBINOBow Maker

Now offering a full line of exceptionally high quality

STANDARD MODEL BOWS, in addition to PROFESSIONAL MODEL BOWS.

317 Hallowell RoadPownal, Maine 04069 USA

Telephone/Fax (207) 688-4885 • www.rubinobows.com


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 [email protected].

@)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


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-


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

The first multi-adjustable performance chairfor bass players.

The complete ~asso line

Multi-adjustable

'concert' BassoPortable

'gig' BassoBrand New

'timpani' Basso

plus afull line of accessories

Visit our web site for complete information or call us at:

TEL: (519) 243-2400· FAX: (519) 243-1124Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.concertdesign.comBasso Page: www.concertdesign.comlbasso.htmlMail: Box 125, Port Franks, ON, Canada, NOM 2LO


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


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: [email protected]

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.


The Jazz Bass lineBookMike Downes

Advance Music

Veronika Gruber GmbH.

Maierackerstr. 18

D-72108 RottenburglN.

Germany

www.advancemusic.com

www.mikedownes.com


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: [email protected] 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.


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


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


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

[email protected]

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-


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.

SPECIALIZING IN STRINGED INSTRUMENTS

EXPERT ADJUSTMENTS, REPAIR & RESTORATIONINSTRUMENTS, STRINGS, & ACCESSORIES

WORLD OF STRINGS 1738 E 7TH STREETLONG BEACH CALIF. 90813 U.S.A.

562/599-3913


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.


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


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.


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

[email protected]

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.


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


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)


Daytime Phone _

Email

_SIZEQTY

Bassapalooza!Heather Teal, 100% Pre-shrunk Cotton,

sizes L, XL and XXL$15 includes shipping (international orders add $5)

Compositions by:Giovanni Bottesini

G.E HandelG.P. TeletuannJ.M. Sperger

Teppo Hauta-ahoCamil Van Hulse

Patrick Neher

__ '!!!~Lm!!!!Y",QJ!1~I~","'M.'_ .' .Sofifo

2005Convention

Shirts

~)~~aggyal(@(@~

2005 ISB CONVENTIONWes1ernMlch'ganUnJverslly.l:alamozoo

PLEASE PRINT:

TOTAL ENCLOSED $___Check in U.S. funds __MC, Visa, AmExCard # Exp _Name on Card _

SHIP TO:Name _Address _

City/StatelPostal Code/Country

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

[email protected]

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.


Experience the Quality ofHeritage Bass Strings

TFIE ULTIMATE EXPEl~lElVCEIN ARC() A1'll) PIZZJ,\CAT() PLA YIN(;

After three years of research and developmentwe've created the first PerIon, synthetic coredouble bass string to offer players thewonderful feel and tension of gut strings,while emulating the arco and pizzicato tonalqualities of the finest steel orchestral and jazzstrings. Heritage Bass Strings are the first of anew generation. Finall~ strings that honor thelegacy of great jazz playing but remarkably, donot roll under the bow. Heritage Strings alsofulfill the most demanding are%rchestralbowing requirements. Just read what satisfiedusers are saying about Heritage Bass Strings:

NSMADE IN USA

A PRODUCT OF KM.I.BALDWIN, NEW YORK USA

"Recently, I performed with the great pianist Cecil Taylor at a New York jazzclub for six consecutive nights. For those who know anything about the musicof Cecil Taylor, this is a challenge for any bassist. But my concerns were soonput to rest. After nearly a week of some very energetic music, my hands werejust fine. The tension on the strings was fantastic. I find the Heritage String tobe one of the lnost accurate strings I have ever played, both pizz and arco style.These strings create a lush and beautifully rounded sound across the entireneck, in all positions. What a pleasure to play on them. No, let me rephrasethat, what a necessity! These strings have C01ne along at a tilne when modernbass playing, with all of its extended techniques and fast tenlpos, dictate aneasier, less prohibitive playing area. With these strings, Kolstein Music hasovercome some of the problems bass players encounter every day. The HeritageString makes playing double bass far more enjoyable and less stressfulexperience for the hands and all the connecting muscles. Many thanks for thesewonderful strings. "

- Dominic Duval

"Thanks for introducing me to the Heritage Bass Strings. They are excellent!It's the first set of strings that I've used that serves all my needs. Thesestrings are perfect for arco and pizzicato. Whenever I need strings, I'll getHeritage Bass Strings from Kolstein Music. "

months. They are remarkable. The Heritage strings resonate with great clarity,bringing out the deep, rich quality ofboth basses. The tonality is even and true frombott01n to top and across from string to string. The timbre does not dissipate fromtone to tone anywhere on the fingerboard. The gauge ofthe strings is ideal. It offerslne great flexibility, comfort and ease while playing. Bowing is so easy. The tractionis excellent. I'm really enjoying my playing my basses now. Thank you for thiswonderful experience. I will spread the word. "

- Paul E. West

"] really like the arco response and clear fundamental of the E, and theprojection, without any nasal quality, of the G."

"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

"Just a note to thank you for all the years ofkindness and artistic, excellent repair oflny two basses. I would like to especially thank you for allowing me the opportunityto try out your new Heritage Bass Strings, which I've been playingfor the last two

"My guitarist, who is on the advisory board at a major string manufacturer,was very impressed 'with how the Heritage Strings turned out. He had beenfollowing them since you first put them on my bass. It's a new era for strings.They are officially slammin'!"

The Next Generation of Bass StringsHeritage Bass Strings are available at all major dealers.

Regularly $225/set • SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE • $135/set (GDAE), or $150/set, including low C extension string

HERITAGE BASS STRINGS • 795 Foxhurst Road • Bald-win, Ne-w York 11510516-546-9300 • 800-886-VIOL • Fax 516-546-9309 • [email protected] • www.kolstein.com

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


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


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

The ultimate exampleof Power Without Corruption:

The new Focus SA™ satellite power amp:600W of AI sound from a 3.5-lb.. package..

Pair it with any high quality preampor supercharge your (larus or Focus..

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

the full spectrum at acousticimg.com or caU 919-598-3113

cou8.tJC ~USical Amplification:mal::!>p Setting The Standard

Treble wing:Inner ring is year 1650Outer ring is year 1684

Bass wing:Inner ring is year 1659Outer ring is year 1695


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.


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'[email protected] ' 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.


QUALITYINSTRUMENTS,PRECISELY SET-UP

QTY _SIZE

2005Convention

Shirts

TRADE-INS AND

CONSIGNMENTSWELCOME

OUTSTANDINGREPAIRS ANDRESTORATIONS.

rlBOB BEERMAN'S~

BASS VIOLIN SHOPGreensboro, NC 336-274-2022

www.bassviolinshop.com

Bassapalooza!Heather Teal, 100% Pre-shrunk Cotton,

sizes L, XL and XXL$15 includes shipping (international orders add $5)

PLEASE PRINT:

TOTAL ENCLOSED $___ Check in U.S. funds _MC, Visa, AmExCard # Exp _Name on Card _

Daytime Phone _Email

SHIP TO:Name _Address _

City/StatelPostal Code/Country

~.MCINTOSH


, 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.


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

AD INDEX

LIBEN MUSIC PUBLISHERS 28MARTELLO WEDGE BRIDGE 71MOORADIAN 40MYRIAD LIMITED 45NICK LLOyD 51NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY 68PALOMBI MUSIC 59PED XING MUSIC 60PHILIP WEINKRANTZ 34PIERRE JOSEPHS VIOLINS 60RAY BROWN ART OF THE BASS VIDEOS 38RECYCLED NOTES MUSIC CO 63ROBERT G. MCINTOSH 70ROBERTSON & SONS VIOL. SHOP INC 9RUBINO BOWS 48SAN FRANCISCO CONS. OF MUSIC 70SCOTT LAFARO COMMEMORATIVE POSTER 56SHANK STRING INSTRUMENTS 3SLAVA PUBLISHING 54STRING EMPORIUM 16THOMASTIK-INFELD BCTUFF-LITE BASS CASES 64UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 69VEKTOR GERMANY 57WILSON PICK UP SYSTEMS 52WORLD OF STRINGS 57

International Society ofBassists13140 Coit Road, Suite 320, LB 120

Dallas, TX 75240, USA9721233-9107 ext. 204 Fax 9721490..4219

email: info@IS worldoffice.com www.ISBworldoffice.com

Join now to receive Bass World magazine and the Bass Line newsletter!

Renewal New Member Change of Address CHECK ALL THAT APPLY:Young BassistUniversity StudentStudio TeacherSchool TeacherUniversity Professor

Professional OrchestraJazz BassistFreelance/IndependentAmateur/HobbyistLuthier

___________ Exp Date _

Telephone: _

Gift Subscription . . _

Check/money order enclosed payable in US Funds

VisalMasterCard/American Express

Credit

Signature: _

Print name on . _


MEMBERSHIP RATES (Check one)USA_ 1 year $50 2 years $90 _ 3 years $120_ Full Time Student (1 year) $25_ Senior (65 plus) $40

INTERNATIONAL_ 1 year $55 _ 2 years $100 3 years $135_ Full Time Student (1 year) $30

Senior (65 plus) $45

_ LIFE MEMBER $750(payable in 6 annual payments of$125)

Documents

Bass World