Working with loops

Last October at Berlin2010, I attended a concert of bassist Andreas Bennetzen from Copenhagen/Danmark. He demonstrated and explained his concept of working with live recorded digital loops and electronical effects. I was really courious about his concept, since I also own a Digitech Jam Man Looper and soon figured out that working with loops on stage is much more demanding than expected …For me, the foremost problem is to isolate a loop recording from the loops you’ve already recorded before. When you use them as a playback, the bass (as the large microphone that it is) captures them again, along with the new loop, resulting in a unwanted multiplication … That’s why Andy uses a rather ugly solidbody electric upright bass that doesn’t capture any feedback. Besides that, Andy doesn’t use anthing special: a e-guitar effects processor (phaser, flanger, echo, reverb etc.) with integrated volume pedal, and a digital looper.Andy has recently put some of his tracks at SoundCloud, where you can hear and download them.

Lutherie workshops at New Hampshire

The Violin Craftsmanship Institute offers weeklong hands-on workshops, taught by internationally prominent craftsmen (mostly trained at Mittenwald/Germany). These workshops are sponsored by the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (15 minutes from seacoast resort town of Portsmouth and an hour north of Boston)

Obtain information, download a brochure, and register at: www.learn.unh.edu/violin

Walking Bass

Pianist Joe Alterman relayed a humorous story about famed jazz guitarist Jim Hall: “The other day I ran into Jim Hall on the street in front of the jazz and contemporary music building of the New School in New York. Jim was walking his  dog. I introduced myself, and we ended up talking for a while. As we spoke, student musicians were walking by oblivious to who he was. Jim told me he’s rarely recognized by them anymore and asked if I’d like to see something funny.

“He walked up to a student holding a bass and asked,  ‘Is that a walking bass?’ The kid just shook his head and walked away. Jim was laughing so hard. He said, ‘I do that all the time. I think it’s funny. They just think I’m a strange old man now.’

“Boy, if only that kid knew who he had just brushed off!”

found at www.jazzwax.com

Chicago Bass Festival

The Chicago Bass Festival is an event for the Chicago-area double bass community that highlights the talents of the bassists in our major performing organizations and teachers at our academic institutions while creating a learning event for the next generation of double bassists.
“Come learn, share, and explore the vibrant Chicago double bass scene and work with some of the United States’ most talented and acclaimed double bass clinicians.”
The Chicago Bass Festival takes place on Sunday, February 6, 2011 at the Bennett Gordon Hall at Ravinia in Highland Park, Illinois (30 minutes north of Chicago).