This year’s San Francisco Winter Bass Bash recital guest was Szymon Marciniak, a fabulous bass soloist and educator who appeared on the podcast in 2016. Szymon performed an inspiring program with his longtime collaborator and pianist Evan Mitchell.  In this interview we discuss how Szymon and Evan have approached collaborating over the past decade.  Enjoy, and check out more footage from this event here!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music &nb ..read more

Nicole Melrose is an orchestral string clinician for D’Addario and the founder of StringRise, which we covered with Nicole in a 2021 interview. Today, we dig into the world of double bass strings, how they are made, what makes double bass strings unique, and the various strings offered by D’Addario. D’Addario is a past sponsor of the podcast, and if you join their Players Circle with the code DCLINIC2023, you can get 50% off of up to five D’Addario products with free shipping. Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things d ..read more

Alexander Verster is a composer and double bassist located in London.  He was born in South Africa, but soon ended up in New Zealand prior to his move to London.   We talk about his deep dive into the double bass, how composing fits into his life, and much more.  Enjoy and be sure to check out Alexander’s scores and recordings and also give his YouTube Channel a follow!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Listen to Contrabass ..read more

Jonathan Colbert recently joined the faculty of the University of Memphis, bringing a wealth of experience gathered from playing with ensembles like the Atlanta Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra.  He spent six years serving as co-principal bass of the Royal Danish Orchestra, and he is in high demand as a performer and private teacher. We talk about his path through the music world, the highlights and challenges of a career as an orchestral player, his approach to building a varied career, and much more. Enjoy, and be sure to check out Jonathan’s Universit ..read more

Lauren Pierce is a double bassist and educator who has put together a cool guide titled 6 Steps to Learning A New Piece.  In this episode, we dive into each of these steps and why it’s important in the preparatory process of learning a new piece.  We also catch up on a variety of topics in this fun conversation with a longtime friend and colleague.   Pick up a copy of the guide here, and be sure to give Lauren a follow on Instagram and YouTube.  You can also check out prior podcasts with Lauren here.   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you a ..read more

Sebastiano Dessanay recently released his 377: double CD.  This remarkable project, which we discussed in early 2020, featured Sebastiano visiting the 377 municipalities of Sardinia traveling exclusively by bicycle: one a day for 14 months.   We talk how this album evolved out of his epic journey, his book covering the journey, and much more.  Enjoy, and be sure to check out Sebastiano and his cool project on his website, bandcamp, YouTube, and Instagram!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all thi ..read more

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Dan McCain is a bassist, composer/arranger, and band leader who has recently released his debut album, Moments in Time.  We dig into Dan’s background, the Philly jazz scene, the story behind this album, and more.   A big shout-out to Katie Thiroux for connecting us, and be sure to check out Dan’s new album on bandcamp or Spotify and also give him a follow on Instagram!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   ..read more

Nataly Linares is a bassist and educator originally from Bogotá, Colombia.  Since December 2020, she has been working with young students and teachers through the Festival Internacional de Contrabajo Infantil with teachers from Mexico, Spain, United States and Germany. She also works with the International Society of Bassists helping the Young Bassists Program.   We talk about the inspiration behind this festival and what the 2023 festival will look like in Colombia.  Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect wi ..read more

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of double bass restoration with Zachary Martin and Scott Pingel.  Zachary is internationally renowned for his repair, restoration and maintenance services, and Scott had him come to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for a residency covering basic emergency setup and repair.   Enjoy, and be sure to give Zachary a follow on Instagram and check out his website for a video covering the work that he does.   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass dou ..read more

Allan Jay Santos recently launched his podcast Touching Greatness, and it was a pleasure to be his guest for episode 6!  This “turn the tables” episode features Allan interviewing me, and the conversation goes into all kinds of interesting territory.   Enjoy, and if you dig this episode, give Allan’s podcast a follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free a ..read more