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I have a new album out today, my 4th as bandleader/composer. It's a quartet featuring some incredible improvisers - Rachel Musson on tenor, Alexander Hawkins on piano and Will Glaser on drums Have a listen here if you like:

I'm selling my bass. Probably a late-19th century Bohemian instrument, formerly block-less and once upon a time a 3 stringer, although it had a block fitted and a new neck sometime before I bought it. Recently serviced and set up by Laurence Dixon, who's been looking after it as long as I've had...

I'm currently deep in a bass search, and the two basses I've liked best so far are both Jacquet-Gand, late 19th century violin shaped basses. They're pretty similar to each other, and if I had only found one or the other I reckon each could be my bass for life... but sound-wise one of them has...

I don't normally post about my new albums on here, but this one is very important to me... Had the great pleasure of recording a duo record with Paul Dunmall, an astonishing saxophonist who's been a long term hero of mine, and now a pretty long term friend and colleague too... Improvised duets -...

I've got a new double album coming out today, 1 disc trio with Tom Challenger & Will Glaser and 1 disc octet with Kim Macari, Alex Bonney, Jason Yarde, Rachel Musson, George Crowley, Cath Roberts & Johnny Hunter... I'm very proud of this album, I have to admit! Definitely the most ambitious...

what would people recommend after Storch-Hrabe 57 studies, Hrabe 86 etudes, the Billie etudes book and the white Simandl etudes? Maybe something a bit less diatonic? I'm curious about the Frank Proto etudes, but unfortunately only available in the US and postage is ridiculous, more than twice...

Thoughts welcomed... I reckon the time has come for me to buy a good bow. I play jazz and improvised music rather than classical but arco has become a bigger and bigger part of my voice and my practice in recent years. I currently use a Brazilian 'D Muniz' bow which I got as a ridiculous...

sad news, the great Scottish bassist Ron Mathewson has passed away RIP Ron Mathewson (1944-2020)

Amazing playing! A track from a third solo album that hasn't (yet?) been released, recorded a few years ago Like the last Dave Holland link I posted on here, this is a fundraiser for one of London's greatest jazz venues, which was already struggling to survive and is now in even more trouble...

recorded in the late 90s but only released for the first time yesterday - it's really, really great

This has just been released - a duo recording by me and the great tenor saxophonist Tom Challenger, one of my favourite people to play with... It's also part of a fundraising drive to keep one of London's most important jazz venues alive, and there's plenty of other stuff on the Vortex...

A lot of us will have more time at home than usual at the moment, so in the spirit of using that time wisely - here's a thread on a fantastic improvising bassist who is not as well known as he should be... Here he is with Rashied Ali, and his brother saxophonist Lee Rozie, on a phenomenal album...

really good, very recent video interview with the great Dave Holland - plenty of fascinating detail and wisdom

I've started my own label, West Hill Records, and my first release is out today. the 2nd album by my trio Somersaults, with the incredible Tobias Delius (tenor, clarinet) and Mark Sanders (drums) I really love this group, probably my favourite context to play free in of everything I do. You...

Just had my first listen this afternoon, it's fantastic! Live Mingus from Detroit in 1973, with Roy Brooks, John Stubblefield, Don Pullen and Joe Gardner. More details here - Jazz in Detroit / Strata Concert Gallery / 46 Selden - BBE Records - Barely Breaking Even

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I decided recently to make a few short films of solo improvisations (and ended up doing some duos with the person filming too), will be putting them on youtube about once a week for the next few weeks... Here's the first one, if its of interest:

Hope no-one is offended by some self-promotion... My Quintet - featuring Alex Bonney (cornet), Mike Fletcher (alto), George Crowley (tenor) and Jeff Williams (drums) - have just released our 2nd album. You can stream, download or even buy a CD here:

here's a fascinating, in-depth interview with the great Richard Davis. Interview from 1993 but only recently transcribed and online: For Bass Maestro Richard Davis’ 87th Birthday, A WKCR Interview From 1993

I'm contemplating a specific travel bass which has a bridge that comes off every time you pack it up to travel. I've long since decided that the Realist is my preferred compromise when it comes to amplification, but I'm wondering whether taking a realist on and off regularly would be likely to...

Archie Shepp with Wilbur Little, Clifford Jarvis and Siegfried Kessler. Was curious about Wilbur Little as musician friends who have or do live in Amsterdam have often told me how great he was. Not a huge amount of recorded legacy, but he sounds great on a Tommy Flanagan trio album with Elvin...

I use a markbass micromark 801 and a D-Tar Solstice preamp. The amp was marketed as a practice amp, and is incredibly small and light - including the preamp it's still only 7.9kg, which I carry in a bag on my back while wheeling the bass... This is a surprisingly workable lightweight and cheap...

I've been working through the Jimmy Lyons Black Saint/Soul Note box set recently, which includes the album 'Give It Up'. There's some great bass playing on there from someone who's name I didn't recognise, Jay Oliver. Digging around online I've found a very interesting album he did as a leader...

Here's a recording of a solo gig I did last week, if anyone fancies a listen... There's plenty of sections I’m not all that pleased with, but I quite like the idea of using soundcloud more like a gig than an an album, so I left it intact and posted the whole thing: [Invalid or Expired Link...

My debut album as bandleader / composer has been released! It features the wonderful Mark Hanslip (tenor), Alex Bonney (trumpet), Waclaw Zimpel (clarinet) and Jeff Williams (drums) You can hear a track here: Invalid Link Removed

Heard last night that Stan Tracey passed away, aged 86. Wonderful pianist and composer, arguably the first British jazz musician to find an original voice and have a significant impact. There's a good obit here: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/dec/06/stan-tracey

anyone ever rented a bow in New York? Gage have quoted me $40 a day which seems a lot... anyone know somewhere cheaper? I need a french bow for 3 days - 25/26/27th november

I'll be playing an improvised solo set, followed by a trio with Ken Vandermark and Tim Daisy, at Elastic on the 14th November. Details here: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

hello does anyone here travel on buses or trains in Chicago with a double bass? is it doable? I'm in Chicago for a month, and will be hiring a bass. I do it in London all the time, so i'm quite used to schlepping a bass on and off public transport, but wondering if anyone does here...

I've fairly recently switched to spirocores after a decade of using hybrid 'gut-like' strings (mainly innovations, sometimes animas), and in the 6 months or so since I switched have twice had strings break on me during a gig. This never happened before I switched. Unlucky coincidence, or are...

enjoy!

The great Cellist Janos Starker has died. Surely one of the greatest string players of our time.... here he is playing Kodaly's incredible Sonata:

just heard that this has been released for the first time - a quartet of Ware, Clifford Jordan, Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell! Anyone heard it yet?

courtesy of Ethan Iverson on twitter, here's Jimmy Garrison playing 'All The Things You Are' in 1974, with Warren Chiasson and Beaver Harris. Audio only, but it's fantastic...

I've got a new record coming out, with Ingrid Laubrock (tenor) and Javier Carmona (drums). This is what the record label blurb says about it, for what its worth: "Exploring an endless textural palette beyond the boundaries of tonality, conventional rhythmic organization and preconceived...

Just released (download only) on MiniLoop records: BABs are James Allsopp on bass clarinet, me on double bass and Alex Bonney on laptop processing James and I in real time Diving Bells | Loop Collective

Has anyone here tried carrying a bass in a case with shoulder straps, with the buggy attached? Wondering whether the wheels would get in the way, and bash your legs? and also whether the buggy strap interferes with the should straps? My case has shoulder straps and little wheels, but one of...

apparently the great Italian bassist Stefano Scodanibbio has died, aged only 57. One of the greatest modern classical bassists in the world

Did my first ever solo gig last week. If interested you can hear a couple of pieces from it here: Invalid Link Removed and here: Solo at St. Leonards, Part 2 by olie brice on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

anyone on here working/worked on Berio's Psy, and be interested in discussing fingerings etc? I'm find it challenging, though rewarding,work!