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PASSAGES
Philip H. Albright, ISB member and professor emeritus of double bass at Ball State University, died November 30, 2010. He was 83 years old. Phil graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 1949. He later earned a Master's degree from Washington University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Eastman. From 1949 to 1958 he played in the National Symphony Orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony. In 1959 he joined the faculty of Ball State Teacher's College (later Ball State University) in Muncie, Indiana. For 41 years, he played with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, a summer chamber orchestra in Lake Placid, NY. The Adirondack Mountains were his second home and after retiring from Ball State in 1992, he moved to Lake Placid where he was a well-loved member of the community. During more than 33 years of teaching "Doc Albright" or "Dr. Pha," as he was known by his students, influenced the careers of many musicians who now perform in symphony orchestras and teach at schools, colleges and universities across the country. Memorial donations can be made to the Philip Albright Chair for Double Bass, c/o The Lake Placid Sinfonietta, PO Box 1303, Lake Placid, NY 12946.
As reported on the "All about Jazz" website by Doug Payne, after a long struggle with liver disease, jazz bassist Charles Fambrough passed away on Saturday, January 1, 2011. He had been awaiting an organ transplant match. He was born on August 25, 1950, and studied classical piano throughout his elementary and high-school years. He began playing the bass at age of 13, attempting to imitate Paul Chambers, the first jazz bassist he ever heard. He was well know for his stints with legendary pianist McCoy Tyner and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He made a number of critically acclaimed albums as a leader.
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ON SALE NOW!
Order print music, CDs, DVDs and videos, convention t-shirts, posters, back issues of magazines and more at the www.ISBstore.com.
Check out recent additions to the ISB Online Store! CDs, print music, books and more for sale by Jay Leonhart, Bass Instinct, Scott LaFaro, Bad Boyz of Double Bass, Paul Unger, Terry Plumeri, Whitney Moulton, The American String Project, Chester Biscardi, Jeremy Kurtz, Lynn Seaton, Arni Egilsson, Robert Meyer, Diana Gannett, Jon Hamar, Peter Kowald, Richard Wilson, Murray Grodner, L'Orchestre de Contrabasses, Jean-Philippe Viret, Arni Egilsson, Jim Ferguson, Donovan Stokes, Mark Morton, Paul Erhard and Atmic Vision, Kristin Korb, David Murray, Peter Kowald, Volkan Orhon, Leon Bosch, Peter Dominguez, Robert Oppelt, Francesco Fraioli, Jon Hamar, Zbigniew Borowicz, Peter Askim, Tom Knific, John Harbison, Ben Taylor, Yoan Goilav, Randall Kertz, Sher Music, Stefano Sciascia, Buell Neidlinger, Bruce Gertz, Tuomo Haapala, Adrian Mann, Rufus Reid, Thomas Martin, Hans Sturm, Mark Urness, J.C. Jones, Joelle Leandre, Mark Dresser, Bert Turetzky, Barre Phillips, Paul Ramsier, John Dahlstrand, Ben Taylor, Thomas Gale, Terry Plumeri and The Gary Karr Store! New additions arriving every month!
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News of Note
Tom Martinperformed Frank Proto's "Carmen Fantasy" on January 2nd with the Oxford (England) Philomusica. A great way to ring in the New Year!
Announcing auditions for the 2011 Chautauqua Institution summer program for instrumental music, June 25th through Aug. 15, 2011. Generous scholarships available for talented bassists ages 17-26.
Live auditions:
January 25, 2011 Juilliard School
January 26, 2011 Eastman School
January 27, 2011 Cleveland Institute of Music
February 1, 2011 Northwestern University
February 3, 2011 University of Michigan February 8, 2011 Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Tapes are accepted and the deadline for applications is February 1, 2011. Rep. for the audition is one movement of standard concerto and three excerpts of the standard orchestral literature. For more information go to www.ciweb.org.
San Francisco Symphony principal bass Scott Pingel will play the Karr-Koussevitzky Bass, gifted to the ISB by its founder, Gary Karr, in a series of recitals this spring, first at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on March 7th, at University of Washington on March 13th, playing the Vanhal concerto with The Academy Orchestra on April 3rd, with the Schulhoff Trio (with flautist Cathy Payne and violist Nancy Severance) on the San Francisco Symphony Chamber Music Series on April 10th, and playing the Bottesini Grand Duo at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on April 29th as a music scholarship benefit.
Dan Styffe, co-principal bass of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music, will premiere a new bass concerto by Swedish composer by Rolf Martinsson, with conductor Jukka Pekka Saraste and the Oslo Philharmonic Orch in Osklo on April 7th. The performance will be recorded for CD release.
Watch The Ohio State University Double Bass Ensemble play a special arrangement of the Edgar Meyer/Victor Wooten duo "Lonesome Pine Special" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiU72qjdHdw.
The 2011 Recital Music Composition Competition for Double Bass is open to composers of any age or nationality, and works written in any style or idiom. Categories for unaccompanied double bass or bass with piano or string orchestra, and works for one or more double basses with other instruments. Competition rules at www.recitalmusic.net, competition deadline is April 15, 2011.
Jeff Campbell, jazz bassist and professor at the Eastman School of Music, and his family band were guest artists with the Rochester Philharmonic, playing six concerts in December. Check it out at http://www.rpo.org/s_7/s_153/p_1158/Campbell_Family_Band/.
Travel alert for bassists! Found on the U.S. Airways website, local airport/government regulations state that any baggage over 70 pounds is not accepted for travel from:
MAN - Ringway International Airport, Manchester, UK
LGW - London Gatwick, London, UK
GLA - Glasgow International, Glasgow, UK
LIS - Portela, Lisbon, Portugal
MXP - Malpensa, Milan, Italy
ARN - Arlanda, Stockholm, Sweden
BRU - Brussels Airport
LHR - London Heathrow, London, UK
SNN - Shannon, Shannon, Ireland
DUB - Dublin International, Dublin, Ireland
Pop-up orchestras, the brainchild of Manchester, England-based double bassist Heather Bird, were organized to give simultaneous renditions of Lalo Schifrin's "Mission Impossible" theme in the streets and shopping centers of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff and Liverpool in December. The Guerilla Orchestra is protesting proposed government cuts to teacher funding for conservatory and university level music education, which would substantially increase the debt burden for young musicians when they graduate.
ISB board member and 2007 convention co-host John Schimek, professor of double bass at Oklahoma City University, is a candidate for election to the American String Teachers Association board of directors. Vote bass!
Learn more about the life and legacy of the late, great bassist Red Mitchell at the newly relaunched website www.redmitchell.com.
The ISB is a partner organization in the Music Teachers National Association's (MTNA) "Year of Collaborative Music." From March, 2010 through March, 2011, we have encouraged ISB members to present concerts and events that promote the role of the bass in small ensembles. This is an inclusive initiative, open to amateurs and professionals in all styles of music: jazz, rock, classical, folk, free-form improvisation, and everything else that our members play. It can include classical chamber groups, bass ensembles, jazz combos or any other small group. As a part of the yearlong celebration, MTNA has designated January 22, 2011, as the International Day of Collaborative Music (IDCM), one special day devoted to collaborative music making throughout the world. We are hoping that ISB members around the world will create events that celebrate this ideal, and we will post news of those events, both past and future, on a year-long calendar residing on the ISB's website, which can include links to audio and video performances. For more information and to view a calendar of performances plus a list of chamber music resources, go to www.isbworldoffice.com/news/MTNA_Collaborative.htm. |
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Upcoming Events & Reminders
Click herefor guidelines and entry forms for the 2011 ISB Double Bass Competition, orchestra and age 14 and under divisions. Attention, bass makers, click here to download rules and entry form for the 2011 ISB Maker's Competition.
Click here for news and to learn about the ISB's participation in MTNA's "Year of Collaborative Music." Make plans to celebrate the Summer of Bass Love at the 2011 ISB Convention, June 6-11, at San Francisco State University. Stay tuned for details and mark your calendars!
JANUARY
The Abreu Fellows from the New England Conservatory of Music's El Sistema USA program will be the featured keynote panel presentation at 8:30 AM, Sunday, January 16th in the Anaheim Hilton's California Ballroom during the 2011 NAMM Show. .
The Vecchione/Erdahl Duo, Carrie Vecchione, oboe, and Rolf Erdahl, bass, will present a recital of original works for oboe/bass duos by Tim Goplerud, Andrea Clearfield, Adrian Mann, and Margi Griebling-Haigh on Sunday, January 23, 2011. Free and open to the public. Owatonna Arts Center, 435 Garden View Lane Owatonna, MN. This activity funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
On January 21, 2011, 6:30 PM at the Recital Hall of the Strauss Performing Arts Center of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Jeremy Baguyos (double bass) will appear on the BOCH faculty recital. He will perform the Duetto for cello and double bass by G. Rossini with David Low (cello) and jazz arrangements with the Continental Trombone Quartet.
The Ohio University Bass Ensemble, Garry Wasserman director, will present a performance on Saturday January 22nd, 2011 at 1 PM in the Glidden Recital Hall on the Ohio University's Athens, Ohio campus. In observance of the Music Teachers National Association's International Day of Collaborative Music, the program will honor the memory of the late George Vance with works featuring Vance's arrangements of Beatles tunes as well as works by Tony Osbourne, Charles Gounod, and others. The group is composed of bass students from Ohio University and community bassists based in Athens. Admission is free. For more information, go to www.finearts.ohio.edu/music/home.htm, the OU bass facebook page at www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Ohio-University-String-Bass-Department, or call 317-345-6151.
ISB member Robert Docs and pianist Grace Baugh-Bennett will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the New Millennium Duo with a performance at Indiana University Southeast (New Albany, IN) on Sunday, January 23, 2011. The program includes works by Bottesini, Cerny, Hindemith, Berkeley, Hertl, and Marangoni. Mr. Docs has been a member of the Louisville Orchestra since 1980.
FEBRUARY
The 2nd Annual Chicago Bass Festival, February 6, 2011 in Highland Park, IL, hosted by Midwest Young Artists (MYA), is a learning event for the Midwest area double bass community. Admission to dozens of masterclasses and clinics, catered lunch and festival t-shirt included in the registration fee, $75 early bird (before January 15th) $100 after January 15th. For more information go to www.chicagobassfestival.com. Victor Wooten will give a 4-day workshop at The Haven Center, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, February 7-11, 2011. For more information go to http://www.haven.ca/programs/victor-wooten.html. On February 10, 2011 at 12:30 PM, Mark Morton, assistant professor of double bass and John Gilbert, professor of violin at Texas Tech University, will perform Giovanni Bottesini's "Grand Duo Concertante" at the Texas Music Educators Association's Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Join David Murray, Butler University Professor of Bass, for Butler Midwest Bass Day, Saturday, February 12, 2011, 9 AM - 5 PM, in the Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall at Butler University, Indianapolis, IN. The guest faculty includes Hans Sturm (Ball State University), Diana Gannett (University of Michigan), Phillip Serna (Valparaiso University) and luthier Nick Lloyd. Activities include student and clinician performances, lectures, demonstrations and masterclasses. For more information email dmurray@butler.edu or call 317-940-8404. ISB member Andrew Raciti (assistant principal bass, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) will play the U.S. premiere of Macedonian composer Zivojin Glisic's "Concerto for Double Bass and String Orchestra" with the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music Chamber Orchestra. The free concert will take place in Mills Hall on the UW campus on February 13, 2011, at 7:30 PM. Visit www.music.wisc.edu for more details. The Vecchione/Erdahl Duo, Carrie Vecchione, oboe, and Rolf Erdahl, bass, joined by Ann Benjamin harp, presents a program of oboe/bass/harp trios and oboe/bass, oboe/harp, bass/harp duos on Sunday, February 13th at 2 PM. $12 general admission, $10 seniors and students at the Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville, MN. This activity is made possible, in part, by funds provided by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) from an appropriation by the Minnesota Legislature.
MARCH
The Vecchione/Erdahl Duo, Carrie Vecchione, oboe, and Rolf Erdahl, bass, presents a "Lunch and Learn" recital of original works for oboe/bass duo on Friday, March 25th at the Rochester Arts Center, 40 Civic Center Drive SE, Rochester, Minnesota. Works by Goplerud, Mann, Clearfield, free and open to the public, brown bag or reserve lunch for $8.50 at 507-252-1314. Lunch at 11:30, program 12:00-12:45 PM.
APRIL
Gottfried Engels is teaching a course for double bass at the State Academy for Music in Heek, Germany, April 15-21, 2011. For more information go to
www.landesmusikakademie-nrw.de/kursangebot/instrumental/kontrabass/.
On April 16, 2011 at 7 PM, Mark Morton, assistant professor of double bass and Renee Skerik, associate professor of viola at the Texas Tech University School of Music, will perform Evan Chambers' "Fischerstreet Duo" for viola and bass in the Hemmle Recital Hall.
JULY
Miloslav Jelilnek will give solo and chamber music masterclasses July 16th through August 7th, 2011, in Brandys nad Labem and Prague, Czech Republic. For more information and an application, go to http://www.ameropa.org/main.htm
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Festivals, Competitions & Auditions
Mark your calendars for the 2 nd annual Jazz Education Network Conference, January 6-8, 2011 in New Orleans. For information go to www.JazzEdNet.org.
Click here for guidelines and entry forms for the 2011 ISB Double Bass Competition, with divisions for jazz, solo, orchestra and ages 15-18 and 14 and under.
Attention, bass makers, click here to download rules and entry form for the 2011 ISB Maker's Competition. |
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Music Bringing Us All Together
The ISB is a partner organization in the Music Teachers National Association's (MTNA) "Year of Collaborative Music." From March, 2010 through March, 2011, we will be encouraging ISB members to present concerts and events that promote the role of the bass in small ensembles. Click here for more information and to view a calendar of performances plus a list of chamber music resources.
Click here to view and listen to video clips from 2009's "Deep Tones for Peace," held on a worldwide virtual stage, featuring Mark Dresser, Barre Phillips, Henry Grimes, Chi-chi Nwanoku, Bert Turetzky, William Parker, Rufus Reid, Irina-Kalina Goudeva, Thierry Barbé, J.C. Jones and others in solo and ensemble performances.
Listen to "The Cool Jazz Set," hosted by ISB member Paul Pearce, to hear some of your favorite jazz artists each week live at 7 PM EST at www.wdce.org, or later at www.cooljazzset.com.
Young bassists and their teachers, go to the Kilenny School of Ireland, www.kilkennyschoolofmusic.net, to find free downloadable sheet music and play-along mp3 files. |
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Benefitting the ISB
 Sales from "Lynn Seaton Live" at the 2003 ISB Convention, with Lynn Seaton, bass, Bill Mays, piano, and Tim Froncek, drums benefit the International Society of Bassists. Listen to both originals and favorites from Lynn's amazing ISB convention debut. Buy here!
Ovidiu Badila began to study music at the age of six in Romania, and gained international renown, winning numerous prizes for his virtuosity. He was professor of the Staaliche Hochschule fur Musik of Trossingen in Germany and had recently started teaching at the Musik-Akademic der Stadt Basel in Switzerland before his untimely death in 2001. Here is a two-disk recording of his final recital, complete with the artist's lively commentary, given at the University of Washington in Seattle and hosted by Barry Lieberman. Barry released the CD as a tribute to Ovidiu Badila's brilliant and far too brief life and career, and has donated copies of the CD to the ISB. All sales benefit the International Society of Bassists, purchase here!
A portion of sales from the required piece for the Age 14 and Under Division of the 2011 ISB Double Bass Competition, Song and a Dance for Double Bass & Piano, written by Blaise Ferrandino and published by Ludwin Music, www.ludwinmusic.com, will be donated back to the ISB by the composer and publisher.
The first and only biography to date of jazz bassist Scott LaFaro has been published by the University of North Texas Press. Written by his sister, Helene LaFaro Fernandez, Jade Visions tells the story of one of the 20th century's most influential jazz musicians. Best known for his recordings with Bill Evans, he played bass a mere seven years before his life and career were tragically cut short by an automobile accident at age 25. The winner of the 2010 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research in Jazz, it combines an intimate look at his family along with insights into LaFaro's music and career by Gene Lees, Don Thompson, Jeff Campbell, Phil Palombi, Barrie Kolstein, Chuck Ralston and many others. Hardback, 352 pages, including never before published photos. $25 plus shipping and handling at http://www.isbstore.com/miscellaneous.html.  The perfect companion to the Scott LaFaro biography Jade Visions is the newly released CD, Pieces of Jade. Listen to some of LaFaro's earliest recordings with pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca, plus a 1966 interview with Bill Evans, over 20 minutes of an Evans and LaFaro rehearsal, and "Memories for Scotty," a solo piano tribute by Don Friedman. A must-have for fans of jazz and every bassist now available at the ISB Online Store, with a portion of proceeds from sales benefitting the ISB's Scott LaFaro Prize fund. $15 plus shipping and handling at http://www.isbstore.com/miscellaneous.html.
The George Vance Young Bassists Education Fund, established in honor and memory of the late George Vance, and will be dedicated to offering educational opportunities for young bassists. Send donations payable to the International Society of Bassists and addressed to the George Vance Young Bassists Education Fund, International Society of Bassists, 14070 Proton Rd., Suite 100, LB 9, Dallas, Texas 75244. The ISB is a 501(C)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. |
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