hi it's Geoff here from discoverdoublebass.com that is the home
of online video double bass lessons and courses so if you're a double bass
player you want to learn more about it maybe you're new to the instrument maybe
a bit more experienced we've got something for you there's a whole bunch
of free lessons and the step-by-step courses we've got interviews gear
reviews and discussions like the one that we're having today about jazz
bowing and I'm really excited today because we're joined by a brand-new
tutor to the website and I thought it'd be good for you guys to meet him and we
could maybe have a little bit of a chat about this topic because I think for
jazz bass players particularly the bow can be a real challenge you know it's
one of those things that sometimes you can kind of basically leave it in its
case and not use it as much and we all know what an incredible world of sounds
there is available to us with the bow so today we're going to be talking about
jazz bowing with our new tutor at discover double bass, Olivier Babaz.
welcome. Hey Geoff. So Olivier is a French bass player and you live in Canada at
the moment yes I am living in Montreal fantastic and we've been filming all
week doing this new course about jazz bowing in a series of lessons and I'm
sure we'll be sharing those more with the audience but I mean Olivier in terms
of using the bow in jazz what is it that you think stops bass players from you
know using it as much as we can I mean there's certain players out there, Christian
McBride, John Clayton Jr who jump out as people who you know really have
integrated the bow into their playing but I'd say that's the exception and I count
myself amongst this that I love to practice with the bow and play classical
music but I find it a real struggle to to kind of you know mesh it into my
playing and certainly for you it feels I don't know I mean what's the percentage
of time that you're playing the bow do you feel that it's it's really part and
parcel of everything oh that's a lot of questions here that's a good question
playing bass with the bow is like playing another instrument it's a
different way of emitting a sound and for me it's almost two different
instruments it's really very different it's not like something you add to a
bass playing it's not like a pedal or a device that you add to something already
existing it's almost like something totally different it's almost like
having two different instruments so to answer your question
why so many of us are shy to use it is because it's very difficult and very
different from what we're used to do what we're used to do pizzicato and jazz
bass may be very difficult in certain areas but we're so used to do it that
when we take the bow and we didn't play it as much as the as the pizzicato it's
really another world and your second question is was how long and how much
time should we should we invest in it I mean it's all a matter of what you want
to do if you want to be fluent at a language you just have to speak with
this language all the time if you want to learn how to play the bow and in this
case in the case of our course how to improvise with it I mean you should we
should play the bow all the time if if we want to be good at the bow we should
practice even our pizzicato parts that we want to practice that we have to
learn for all bands I used to practice everything with Arco and I still do it
even if I will never play them with arco, it just it gives you opportunity to
work. - So walking bass lines perhaps? - Yes, walking bass lines, grooves, African
music with Arco I'm not saying playing them live with that I'm saying learn
when you learn when you learn a new repertoire for instance for a new band
you have probably 15 or 20 pieces this too to learn learn them with the Arco
at home and it will feel really easy and really natural when you when you play
them pizzicato and at the same time you will really develop some rhythmic and
sound and and pitch skills that are really gonna be useful for the rest.
it's just doing it the in quantity a lot and in quality very targeted to the
things that you want to do. - It's such an interesting thing because it's like this
entire new spectrum of sounds you know a friend of mine, a drum kit player I know was
saying it's a bit like him being us to go and do an orchestral percussion gig
it's completely them in there were similarities sure but you
the roles are so different and the the techniques that we need I mean how did
you when you were starting with your journey and the on the double bass were
you playing with the bow right from the beginning and maybe you could talk on
that a little bit and let us know where the bow came in and was it always as a
jazz context or perhaps as classical music, I'm not sure?
I am initially I'm more of a blues and groove guy I began with guitar I still
played a lot and then of course I played bass and very soon I became a bass
player and naturally became an acoustic bass player because it's the acoustic
version of the electric bass that's my path so no I didn't come from classical
didn't come I don't come from classical but very soon with the double bass I
wanted to, I was intrigued by it and through the music I played with all the
bands I was working in. More and more acoustic it became the more and more it
made sense to explore with the bow so I started playing with it really a lot on
my own for a few years until I realized that I had to had to learn it properly
so I went to Conservatoire just for that and my journey continued but I have to
say one one influence major one really drove me to to that it was Edgar Mayer
who to me really made the bridge between my my more blues and almost rock but
still acoustic flavor and an influence and this kind of who knew territory of
not only the classical but I mean on an instrument level Edgar Mayer really was
was doing the bridge between this whole world and he really drew me his
influence drew me to explore with it I love the way that he uses the bow in
bluegrass I really yeah there's some great players like we were talking about
Paul Kowert recently Ethan Jodziewicz I'm not sure if I
pronounced his name correctly but there were some great players and the sort of
the newgrass scene absolutely used in the bow and and and it's a style who
relates to the more it's a style to who that style bluegrass and all the culture
around relates to the Jazz culture you know in a natural way which can be a
nice bridge to start with the Arco I don't I'm not saying to play bluegrass
to learn the arco I didn't do but to listening to what the bass can do
especially those players and at once again especially Edgar Meyer who's a incredible
composer as well so who's giving himself some great opportunities to use the bow
as well it's really interesting to use that kind of crossover style to to see
where the bow can fit because then you can bridge with the blues and the Jazz
yeah I know the shouts out would be for Craig Butterfield yeah yeah and he plays
like I mean both Craig in yourself did a lot of videos where you're playing jazz
melodies with the bow you know Donnelly and created what was incredible
it's just case yeah it really is ridiculous isn't he and both of what you
you know you're both doing some really cool stuff with you know with jazz and
the bow and crazes has done a lot of stuff with bluegrass I know you've done
a lot with gypsy jazz just before we move on do you feel the bass players
have to have the samanda book you know do you have to do you have to play
classical music I mean for me I think those are two different questions gone
on because Simon though is one approach let's go blaze you can learn classica I
didn't go through Simandl so what did you I want did you tell how I went from
a more cello oriented perspective and and worked on some cello etudes with my
bass teacher at the time nice so and through the back streets slowly but
Simandl yeah I love that that I don't think that I don't think that anybody
has to do anything in a certain way the only thing is the amount of work and
inspiration you keep in the work you do because if you're
doing if you're practicing but it's just a mechanical way of doing it and just
okay I get to get this right absolutely no it really has to make sense all the
time so you I mean for me it's as important to practice as to stay
inspired and to listen to musicians and of course great bass players and you
talked about some of them and yeah but in a lot of other instruments and styles
as well I really think that being inspired especially in an exploratory in
in in such a exploration mode staying inspired by a lot of things is as
important as the practice you do but don't get me wrong we really have to put
the hours in it to make it work well what are we maybe sort of wrap it up by
giving us some ideas about people to listen to for this inspiration I mean if
I just we mentioned Craig Butterfield I mean if you're talking about jazz Slam
Stewart is really to me to me is the reference I mean there's so much
material out there it's so good every time I transcribed a lot of Slam and
every time it's it's really good and it's very easy to analyze and understand
how it works as well because it's extremely clear the fact that he's
singing as well makes it easy to to to hear to understand Major Holley they
did a great album together as well Major Holley is a great great jazz bow guy
outside of the the real jazz stuff of course all the other great innovators
Renaud Garcia-Fons, Mark Dresser in the more modern jazz aspect Stefano Scodanibbio
have could have been new I think yes sorry that name is horrible to pronounce
yes absolutely it's this guy has really composed incredible stuff and it's
really interesting to see and a lot of all the great jazz guys and of course
all other instruments I mean on cello very close Rushad Eggleston great great
really incredible musician doing incredible stuff on the cello Stefan
Brown German guy Mike Block violinist plenty of great violinist to check and
other instruments that have a nice sound relation to the bowed bass if you were
going to check a trombone player or even baritone sax by a saxophone baritone
player it really it really has some similarities with the way the sound is
created with the bow in it it can be a nice tooth can be nice examples it
was a lot of great music that Olivier and I'll provide links below
guess the other person that jumps out in my mind is is always Paul Chambers well
I mean there's so many we could go on for you know for a long time talking
about bass players that use the bow in jazz but it's just such a wonderful
world of sounds and it's a different experience for people absolutely
encourage everybody to be using the bow I mean we talked about using it to
improve your understanding of your intonation when practicing scales
what-have-you but also it's just an incredible instrument in and of itself
so um listen there's been really great speaking to you and I've had a wonderful
time this week hearing you play it's just a thrill to hear the bow used so
comfortably in a jazz context and you know we'll be sure to be sharing some of
your lessons just before we wrap up where can people find you online where's
the what have you been been doing with you know yourself what can people learn
more about you of course I've got my website olivierbabaz.com
you can find me I'm quite active on Facebook still personal page
and artist page you can I regularly produce music videos different kind
mainly based on kalimba or just bowing that those are my two main things and
you know Instagram Twitter everything on the web and of course in Canada live in
your clubs and in the scene and I'd like to also let people know that Olivier
does these workshops where he's teaching jazz and the bow in person in module I
believe every now and again so definitely make sure that you subscribe
to his social channels and if you haven't seen this is a completely
separate thing but his bass and kalimba videos if you haven't seen them you need
to see them because they are unlike anything that you
I've ever seen if that sentence makes sense I'll post a link for you below so
I'm sure that you'll enjoy those and we'll be sharing more material from
Olivier including a discussion between us about equipment and what you need in
terms of equipment on the bandstand as an improvising bassist with the bow
thanks for watching and we'll see you next time