Double Bass Talkbass DB forum "share your latest recording" thread

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Back in the day, we used to have a thread entitled "The Johnson Chronicles" where we shared recordings that we were featured on. Nowadays we have the "YOU on YouTube" thread, but not everybody makes a video every time they record music, so I thought it would be nice to start another iteration for audio files without video and see if it might grow legs. It would also be a nice break from so many gear related topics and let the membership get to know each other better as musicians instead of just consumers. That's what I remember being so great about the old threads like this.

A few suggested ground rules:
- Recordings should feature the Double Bass in the ensemble since we're on this side of the board.
- Link to only a single tune rather than a whole album or playlist so it doesn't become overwhelming to think of approaching listening to the content of the thread.
- And maybe limit contributions to one tune per week per person? Something like that. Not meaning to limit the thread to one tune per week, but only contributions by each individual so that potential listeners don’t get overwhelmed and bail.
- Links to audio files can be held on Dropbox or any cloud server and linked here.
- If anybody doesn't have access to a cloud server but wants to share a track, shoot me a PM and I can host a track for you in my Dropbox.
- Comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

I'll start with an arrangement I did this fall of Yardbird Suite that I wrote for one of my student groups, then recorded with our faculty jazz group from the U. I've always loved the tune but am tired of playing it in a beboppy way, so it came out as a sort of ECM hymn vibe.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[Lee Moses]

I'll start with an arrangement I did this fall of Yardbird Suite that I wrote for one of my student groups, then recorded with our faculty jazz group from the U. I've always loved the tune but am tired of playing it in a beboppy way, so it came out as a sort of ECM hymn vibe.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Fantastic in every way! Great recording, great playing by all, and I love your tone there!

 

[John Stephen]

Wow, that was terrific. Wonderful playing, and nicely recorded. I spend most of my TB time on the bass guitar side these days, as I don't play double bass any more, but I'll have to check in weekly on this thread. I hope it takes off and does well.

 

[trevorpell0]

Neat arrangement, I love an extended ending.

Here's a link to a track I recorded earlier this year with my band. The tune is called Sometime I Guess and is an original from our Vibraphonist, Al Marra.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Nice! I like the sparse texture a lot.

 

[marcox]

A few suggested ground rules:
- Recordings should feature the Double Bass in the ensemble since we're on this side of the board.
- Link to only a single tune rather than a whole album or playlist so it doesn't become overwhelming to think of approaching listening to the content of the thread.
- And maybe limit contributions to one tune per week per person? Something like that. Not meaning to limit the thread to one tune per week, but only contributions by each individual so that potential listeners don’t get overwhelmed and bail.
- Links to audio files can be held on Dropbox or any cloud server and linked here.
- If anybody doesn't have access to a cloud server but wants to share a track, shoot me a PM and I can host a track for you in my Dropbox.
- Comments are welcome as long as they are constructive.

Is there a reason why we couldn't link to, say, an individual track on Bandcamp or Spotify? Users can stream a song on both of those services without an account. Or is the intent to highlight more informal recordings?

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Is there a reason why we couldn't link to, say, an individual track on Bandcamp or Spotify? Users can stream a song on both of those services without an account. Or is the intent to highlight more informal recordings?

No reason you couldn’t do that - I was just making suggestions. Although I do think it would be best if the link could be to something that the person clicking on wouldn’t need to sign up for in order to hear the track.

For instance, I don’t have a Spotify account because I use another service, so whenever someone sends me a a Spotify link I can’t open it. You say that I should be able to stream the song above, but in practice I always get them bugging me to sign up. Same with FB and Insta videos. I can see the thumbnail, but they won’t play unless I sign up, which isn’t happening. Band camp has always been fine, though.

 

[crd]

I love the idea of this thread. Here is something from a releasing coming July of 2026 I am excited about:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I haven't ever written something with a bass lead so it was a challenge to pull off but I enjoyed putting myself in the hot seat. The long form was inspired by Mingus preference for 16 bar a sections.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I love the idea of this thread. Here is something from a releasing coming July of 2026 I am excited about:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I haven't ever written something with a bass lead so it was a challenge to pull off but I enjoyed putting myself in the hot seat. The long form was inspired by Mingus preference for 16 bar a sections.

Very nice! I like how easy the tune slips from static-ish harmony to blurry chaos, highlighting the thin edge between the two. Who is the alto player? He reminds me a little of Jacob Duncan with his sound and energy.

And again, I have to shake my head and laugh at the way I enjoy hearing other people playing guts when I could never do it because it’s diametrically opposed to the sound I hear in my head. But I can tell it’s your voice, and can appreciate the bouncy front end and fast decay. You really own it. You also sound like a fingertip player in the the LH, but I could be off there. Another diametrical opposition to my sonic concept if so, and again I have to laugh at the way I enjoy hearing it from other great players. Well done!

 

[crd]

Very nice! I like how easy the tune slips from static-ish harmony to blurry chaos, highlighting the thin edge between the two. Who is the alto player? He reminds me a little of Jacob Duncan with his sound and energy.

And again, I have to shake my head and laugh at the way I enjoy hearing other people playing guts when I could never do it because it’s diametrically opposed to the sound I hear in my head. But I can tell it’s your voice, and can appreciate the bouncy front end and fast decay. You really own it. You also sound like a fingertip player in the the LH, but I could be off there. Another diametrical opposition to my sonic concept if so, and again I have to laugh at the way I enjoy hearing it from other great players. Well done!

Thank you. That is Jon Irabagon. I love his playing and what he brought to the session. Both the horns use live fx rigs. The line I am playing isn't very Mingusy but the approach was inspired by his compositions like Mediations for Integration where motifs/shapes define a section rather than always changes.

I love bowing Spirocores but have spent so long playing guts that I always end up back with a gut set up in my instrument. I am lucky to play with some incredible drummers weekly and the only way I can seem to hang with them is with a low tension set-up. (It's easy to change your set-up but hard to change what you hear in your head. I used spiros on a release I had this year and was happy with the sound but I always seem to go back home to expensive, finicky guts.)

I do have a mostly rounded left hand approach. I can't seem to achieve a consistent vibrato any other way. I don't play classical music in public but I spend a lot of time teaching and doing my best impression of Rinat Ibragimov at home. (I have eased up on how hard I push this left hand approach in my own practice and with my students. We all have different finger shapes. My main classical teacher had seemly no fingernail but my fingers just aren't built like that. Even someone like Lauren Pierce who insists on completely rounded fingers seems to let their fingers collapse occasionally in thumb position.)

Thanks for starting this thread. I am looking forward to hearing everyone!

 

[Ben Noblit]

I love the idea of this thread as well! Will share when I have something to share.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Anyone? Bueller?

 

[oliebrice]

I love the idea of this thread. Here is something from a releasing coming July of 2026 I am excited about:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I haven't ever written something with a bass lead so it was a challenge to pull off but I enjoyed putting myself in the hot seat. The long form was inspired by Mingus preference for 16 bar a sections.

this is great! Look forward to the album

 

[oliebrice]

The most bass-featured tune on the most recent release I'm on:

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

@oliebrice Nice! Tell us a little about the group? I like the trumpet player’s sound, and the horn harmonies without a chordal instrument player is very intimate and cool.

Also, a little about the bass and strings - it’s a very resonant and growly sound, but the strings don’t sound high tension.

 

[oliebrice]

@oliebrice Nice! Tell us a little about the group? I like the trumpet player’s sound, and the horn harmonies without a chordal instrument player is very intimate and cool.

Also, a little about the bass and strings - it’s a very resonant and growly sound, but the strings don’t sound high tension.

Thanks Chris. It's a group that initially formed to play Andrew Hill and Booker Little compositions, and then gradually transitioned to originals which has been a really interesting way to approach developing a collective approach.

The bass is a gorgeous violin cornered French bass made by Jacquet-Gand, circa 1870s more-or-less... With spiro weichs, and was very new to me when that album was recorded

 

[crd]

The most bass-featured tune on the most recent release I'm on:

This is great. What a nice composition. You are getting a great unique sound, lots of personality.

Have you shared pictures of your instrument anywhere?

 

[oliebrice]

This is great. What a nice composition. You are getting a great unique sound, lots of personality.

Have you shared pictures of your instrument anywhere?

Thank you! Here's the photo that was on the dealer's site... It's true love, I've found the bass for the remainder of my playing life...

 

[Deleted member 393011]

Thank you! Here's the photo that was on the dealer's site... It's true love, I've found the bass for the remainder of my playing life...

You buy that from Tony Houska, by any chance?

 

[oliebrice]

You buy that from Tony Houska, by any chance?

I did