Sebastian Schaffmeister from Cologne/Germany has been collecting recordings of (mostly) unaccompanied, (mostly) improvised double bass music. He has published an impressive list of recordings of what he found so far on his website www.solodoublebass.blogspot.de.

But after years of research and collecting, he thinks about giving up this obsession and looks for a new home for his treasure:
“I am now getting to the point of having almost everything that has been done in this genre since 1964: 400 recordings (if not otherwise indicated CD, more than 60 LP, the rest is 3-inch CD, DVD, MP3, Flexidisc, Cassette) including all major contributions and many extremely rare items. As this effort has become more and more obsessive, I think that I have to let this go and am now looking for a new home for the COMPLETE collection or at least the major part of it. The ideal place being a library, I will consider every other serious offer. The collection is located in Cologne, Germany (please do not ask for single items!).“

The ISB is about to launch a new podcast called “Speak Low,” hosted by Bass World editor Kyle Gassiott, and it needs theme music!

Here’s how to enter:

• Entry is free, but if you’re a double bassist you must be a current ISB member (http://www.isbworldoffice.com/join.asp).
• Entry should be from one to five minutes long, of any musical style and never before commercially recorded (unless the composer self-released the CD) for solo bass or double bass in a featured role in an ensemble. Remember, this will be a theme for a podcast show called “Speak Low,” so take your inspiration from that idea.
• The winning theme will be featured briefly at the beginning and end of the podcast as background music for a voiceover. The composer’s name will be announced at the end of every podcast where the theme is used.
• The composer will allow the winning entry to be used by the ISB in perpetuity and without compensation, for any purpose, but he or she will own the copyright and be able to record and perform the music in the future.

For an example of how theme music works really well in an audio broadcast, check out ISB memberBen Allison’s composition for the National Public Radio show “On the Media” at www.onthemedia.org and click on “This Week’s Show” at the top of the page for a listen.

Submit your entry BY SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 as an MP3 file along with name, address, telephone, cell phone and email address to info [at] ISBworldoffice [dot-com]. ISB members will have a chance to vote for their favorite and ISB will announce the winner sometime in October.

Bass2012 Copenhagen

Update: Kristin Korb has published a review of Bass2012 at http://isbconvention.com/bass2012-and-beyond-conventions-keep-us-together/