Yesterday, Apple has launched the iPad with it’s new iBooks (E-Book reader and online store) features. I think the iPad will be great for sheet music. All iPhone Apps, like iRealBook, will run there, too. Pretty interesting.
Today, Jesper Bodilsen from Danmark stopped by to try out the Eminence and the Chrisopher RN. He is currently on tour with guitarist Ulf Wakenius, and while talking about travelling with the bass and double bass transportation in general, he told me that at his hometown Copenhagen, almost every bass player owns a Christiania bike. These bikes have two front wheels and a luggage space for up to 100 kgs. You can easily put a full size double bass and a small amplifier into the compartment. As I like riding a bike more than driving a car, I lik the idea of the Christiania bike. But a drawback is that you probably can’t go staircases with the Christiania. I keep my bikes stored at the basement (10 steps or something like that), and my local train station has maybe 30 steps and no elevator. Seems to be an insurmountable obstacle …
“A convention for all who love the double bass” – after the great success of Bass 2008 in Paris, the next big double bass event is announced to take place at Berlin in October 2010. Participants and guests can expect numerous musical double bass highlights and many different possibilities to interact with other experts in the field: Internationally reknowned professors, double bass soloists, publishers, instrument, string and bow makers will present themselves. Moreover, there will be competitions and workshops for all age groups. And, of course, you will be able to exchange and mingle with other double bass fans from Europe and all over the world. More informations at the Bass2010 website.
On Sunday night, bassist Ben Williams won the prestigous Thelonius Mink Competion in his hometown Washington. The six judges, including Ron Carter, Charlie Haden and Dave Holland, winnowed the list to three (Joe Sanders from Milwaukee, Matt Brewer of Albuquerque and Ben Williams) and those finalists performed Sunday with singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and a rhythm section of pianist Geoff Keezer and drummer Carl Allen.
“The crowd favorite was 24-year-old Ben Williams, who grew up in Northeast D.C. and graduated from Davey Yarborough’s jazz program at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He pulled hard at the strings, building up a powerful rhythmic attack on Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” locking eyes and trading musical ideas with the ebullient Bridgewater.” reports Matt Schudel/Washington Post.
More about Ben Williams at his MySpace page.
My posts at www.DoubleBassGuide.com and www.Kontrabassblog.de (my German double bass weblog) can now be followed at twitter: www.twitter.com/jonaslohse.
While I was setting up this, I also fixed a configuration mistake at my FeedBurner account, where you can subscribe my posts via email. So this service should properly work again now, too.
Massimo Biolcati has released an early (0.3 beta) version of his new software, the iRealBook Editor.
This Mac OS X software runs on your Mac only (not on your iPhone), but is a very helpful tool for the iRealBook iPhone App.
Feautures:
• Create and edit iReal Book songs on the Mac (OS X 10.5 Leopard minimum required)
• Many times faster and easier than using the editor on the iPhone/iPod
• Open song and playlists you’ve sent from your iPhone/iPod directly from the Apple Mail on your Mac
• Send the new songs to your iPhone/iPod via Apple Mail
• Save the songs to your Mac
• Full Copy and Paste support (Also between open songs)
• Full Undo support
iRealBook Editor is available for free download at www.irealbook.net
Every two years, the International Society of Bassists gives its Distinguished Achievement Award, the Society’s highest honor, to a bassist who has demonstrated and attained the highest level of excellence, and whose career has had significant influence on the worldwide double bass community. The 2009 Distinguished Achievement Award honoree is jazz legend Ron Carter.
Mr. Carter received a rousing standing ovation by the audience and an etched granite memento of the occasion during a surprise presentation at the close of his headlining concert with guitarist Russell Malone at the recent ISB convention at Penn State University.
In addition, the ISB also gives a number of Special Recognition Awards, presented biennially to recognize those who has contributed their special talents, knowledge and support to furthering ISB ideals. 2009 recipients include:
Composition – Peter Askim
Lutherie – Michael Krahmer (one of the Pöllmann Bros.)
Scholarship – John Goldsby
Teaching – Francois Rabbath
Solo Performance – Renaud Garcia Fons
Jazz Performance – Rufus Reid
Orchestral Performance – Klaus Stoll
Historically Informed Performance – Rob Nairn
Young Bassists Ambassador – Cathy Elliot
Special Merit – L’Orchestre de Contrabasses
Friend of the Bass – Sue Haug, Director of the Penn State School of Music
Friend of the Bass – Barbara Korner, Dean of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
Friend of the Bass – Russell Bloom, Assistant to thFriend of the Bass – Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
Helene LaFaro Fernandez, younger sister of the great double bassist innovator Scott La Faro, has published a biography of his brother. Scott died at the age of 26 in 1961, just two weeks after some of the most famous trio recordings in jazz, the Village Vanguard sessions produced by Orrin Keepnews (= “RE:
Person I Knew”) with Bill Evans and Paul Motian.
I’ve got my copy of this book last weekend – highly recommended!
Amazon Affiliate-link: Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro
Phil Palombi has recently published a book with transkriptions of Scott la Faro’s solos: www.philpalombi.com/lafaro
On Wednesday, the Frankfurt Musikmesse will open the doors. I’ll be there, too: hall 1.2, booth B40. I’m looking forward to meet you there!
