Double Bass Top 5 Orchestral Bassists

[Johnny L]

I found the LSO Principal on Youtube playing the stuff for the youtube symphony contest:



I remember reading about him in one of the old bass mags I have...coming across as being humble, frank and honest in the interview. I thought that was pretty cool and so even if I hadn't ever heard him play I'd give him a top 5 spot for that alone.

Rinat Ibragimov!

 

[chicagodoubler]

Sorry LetterK but the CSO section does NOT play "short" or "off the string" at home. The section may adapt in big halls on tour but the guys play full note values from what I've seen on stage and in lessons.

FWIW, Bruce Bransby is the most aggressive and articulate orchestral bassist I've ever seen, though Ju-Fang Liu is in the same ball park. Wonder why....

 

[LetterK]

Sorry LetterK but the CSO section does NOT play "short" or "off the string" at home. The section may adapt in big halls on tour but the guys play full note values from what I've seen on stage and in lessons.

????

Are you seeing something that I'm not? No good musician plays full note values all the time - you have to do what's right in context. Not everything is legato.

Half the CSO section studied at Juilliard - ask them about style sometime!

 

[Dr Rod]

the CSO section does NOT play "short" or "off the string" at home.

I saw them playing a Mozart symphony in their hall and Joe Guastafeste had his mute on (never seen a mute marking in Mozart and Co.) and he was playing so off the string one could say he was throwing his bow.

 

[Dr Rod]

????
No good musician plays full note values all the time - you have to do what's right in context.

Thank you very much.

 

[chicagodoubler]

Excuse my lack of clarity above. The previous reply was an attempt to argue with LetterK's argument that CSO and NYP are uniform in style and on vs off string playing.

The idea that one technique or style works universally in every hall is just wrong. Every different conductor asks for varying degrees of on and off the string from bass sections... in all the times I've seen and studied with these guys it's been far more on the string, full, and less percussive than many other sections out there, especially New York... Not saying by any means that the CSO plays everything legato, but compared overall in style to other orchestras out there, I find it to be far more "in the string," whatever that means.

Regarding Guastafeste... I have no idea how he does what he does. Have you seen his setup? His big orchestral 5 string was strung with Spirocores when I played it 10 years ago. Have you guys ever seen any other major players with Spiros?!!!!

Bass and Love. Off to the shed.

 

[Dr Rod]

Nor does a whole section by practice play everything off the string. The idea that one technique works universally in every hall is just wrong.

Nobody said you should play everything off the string.

Nobody said one technique works universally in every hall.

 

[chicagodoubler]

Oh, you haven't met those guys?
I know a few...

 

[Dr Rod]

Regarding Guastafeste... I have no idea how he does what he does.

Since this is a top orchestral player thread, I guess we can talk about Joe.

I heard that just a few years ago he was playing recitals with the Bach cello suites on a smaller bass. I heard that his intonation was still impeccable after all these years.

 

[BMason]

My personal bias aside, Ed Barker. He has the most infallible work ethic and attention to detail which has made him the musician that he is today -- beyond compare.

 

[Paul Warburton]

Have you guys ever seen any other major players with Spiros?!!!!

Good 'ole Bert.

 

[BMason]

Have you guys ever seen any other major players with Spiros?!!!!

This guy seems to think they're okay.

Probably not very good, though. I mean that bow!

 

[koricancowboy]

This guy seems to think they're okay.

Probably not very good, though. I mean that bow!

When did Matthew Broderick start playing bass???

JK I know it's Edgar. The question is, if this is the Top orchestral player thread, what orchestra does he play for again?

 

[Uncletoad]

This guy seems to think they're okay.

Probably not very good, though. I mean that bow!

He does have an excellently tailored trouser.

You suppose that cardboard on the floor is to catch his droppings?

 

[BMason]

The question is, if this is the Top orchestral player thread, what orchestra does he play for again?

I suppose Lincoln Center counts for something, though he captains an entirely different battleship for it. I think the significance of his using the Spiros relates to the "in-the-string" phenomenon. Edgar plays almost exclusively into the string, so perhaps Spiros actually work well. More "in-the-string" orchestral bassists seem to have more individual string choices, while an "off-the-string" section has a fairly uniform setup.

 

[koricancowboy]

He does have an excellently tailored trouser.

You suppose that cardboard on the floor is to catch his droppings?

Trousers to die for if I say so myself. I think the cardboard is for his breakdance encore.

 

[Uncletoad]

Can somebody explain "in the string" and "off the string"?

 

[Dr Rod]

Can somebody explain "in the string" and "off the string"?

If you let the bow hair leave the string and attack again from the air, this is an off the string stroke.

Many people find that spiros are difficult to control off the string, I don't. I personally love them, can't do without them, and in a completely different league, so does Joe Guastafeste.

 

[chicagodoubler]

Golly gee Edgar sounds good but... image coach?
My Grandmother said: "he sounded wonderful but looked like an unmade bed." FWIW, he uses an entirely different instrument and setup for alot of chamber music aka Lincoln center...

Not sure Spiros have anything to do with articulation. On darker basses, like Joe's, they might be the only option. On my bass they sound like a chainsaw.

Back to orchestral players, the young guys are kicking alot of butt these days- Owen Lee, Jeremy Kurtz, etc...

 

[quenoil]

I'm pretty sure Bill Schrickel in the Minnesota Orchestra uses Spiros, course Joe Guastafeste was his teacher... I'll nominate him also as a fabulous orchestral player that not many people know about. Passionate about orchestral playing and literature, and knows more about it than anyone I've ever met.