Features
From Amateur to Pro: A Discussion with Derek Jones
Derek Jones has been making a living as a professional bassist since 1986. Photo by Lionel Hamel
The third featured artist in this series, “From Amateur to Pro” is bassist Derek Jones. Over the years, he has performed with such notable musicians as Bela Fleck, The Pete Escovedo Orchestra, Jeff Sipe, Orestes Vilato, Dori Caymmi, Crystal Gayle, and Kai Eckhardt. Derek has also performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with Conan O’Brien, CMT Live, as well as the 2001 & 2002 CMA Awards.
Originally from Vallejo, Calif., he started gigging as a teenager in 1986 and moved to Nashville in 1999 where he played with Nickel Creek, Jeff Coffin, and Jerry Douglas.
In 2004, he moved to Las Vegas to play bass and double bass in the Cirque du Soleil production of “KA” at the MGM Grand. You can catch a behind-the-scenes look at Derek at work in the October 2010 issue of Bass Musician Magazine.
Derek is an endorsing artist for Carvin’s SB-5000 (fretted and fretless) and proudly uses Genz Benz amps, Elixir strings, Eminence Bass, iGig cases, and Jim Dunlop effects.
Bass Musician Magazine: Based on your experience as a working musician, what are the one or two musical skills you see that are consistently lacking in bassists who trying to make the transition from playing at home to gigging for pay?
Jones: As far as musical skills go, I would say some of the newer players I’m seeing are lacking an overall musicality. We’ve all heard that music is a language, right? Let’s say you know all of your words in English, Spanish, Russian, or whatever language you speak. You are dialed in on your vocabulary and can conjugate verbs faster than anyone in your community. Yet, you don’t know how to inflect emotions or be articulate in your phrasing. As a result, your words are less impactful. When you are learning a new language, you learn nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and how to conjugate verbs. However, you really don’t communicate with anyone until you start conversing with them. Music is no different.
One way to fix that is through experience and it’s the one thing you can start doing right away. Practice your techniques and learn how to play your instrument at home, but get out of the house and play with people who are more experienced than you.
As a bass player, getting used to playing with other musicians is critical. You can spend all day working on scales, modes, and harmonic concepts and all that, but you need to learn how to communicate with an audience. That is what music is all about. If you can’t communicate your thoughts in a way that other people can understand them, then it’s kind of meaningless.
Derek playing his Carvin SB5000. Photo by Bobby Glad.
I’ll give you an example from my life on how I went from shedding in my room to gigging for money. When I was 14, I picked up the guitar and started jamming to MTV with my friends. We tried to learn all of these cool guitar licks and were so proud of our accomplishments, even if we figured out only one note!
That experience gave me the confidence to join the high school jazz band the following year. I wasn’t a great reader but I took the music home and worked my butt off and eventually became a better reader. I improved to the point where I was enjoying the musical relationship I had with the other 20 kids in the band.
Soon, that jazz band experience lead to an opportunity to play with a bunch of older cats in the Generation Gap Big Band.
That feeling of grooving with others through music got me hooked. We were communicating with each other and the audience. Whether I was trying to jam to Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden with my friends, or playing Glenn Miller-era oldies at the Moose Lodge, the music was no longer about me. It was about the music we made together. That was an addicting feeling and I didn’t want to play in my room anymore. I wanted to get out and get together with other musicians.
I think getting that experience is more difficult for the younger musicians today. With the advent of YouTube, I see a lot of these young kids playing fantastic solos. And so what? That’s not going to get you hired by non bass players. Think about that for a minute. Most people you work with are not going to be bass players. You have to bring a musicality that people want to be around.
Do your homework at home but get out and play. That will give you experience and improve your musicality faster than anything else.
Derek is also known as an outstanding upright bassist. Here, he’s performing with legendary jazz trombonist Bob McChesney. Photo by Linda Bell.
BMM: Along a similar line, what about personal or business skills that bassists should have but many don’t bother developing?
Jones: Now that you have all of these skills and learned all of these tunes, how do you sell that to someone else? Salesmanship.
How do you become a commodity that people want to pay their hard-earned money for to hear you play? Salesmanship.
When I first started to make a go of it as a professional bassist, I thought because I was a decent player I would automatically get work. I was wrong.
Take some business classes and find out how to market yourself. If you want to make a living at this you have to know how to run a business. Who is your competition? What is expected of you? Don’t hide yourself in a bubble and not know what other bass players are doing. You have to be in your community and be a vital part of that community.
Derek playing his fretless Carvin SB5000. Photo by Bobby Glad.
Look at the bassists who have risen above and figure out how they got there.
Also, take a look at yourself from the perspective of the person who will hire you. Again, that’s rarely going to be another bassist who was blown away by your YouTube solo. You have to look at what traits people want to have for their gig.
Another important consideration is your personality. Are you enjoyable to be around? That’s called “bus chops.” Who do you want to be with 22 hours a day on a tour bus? You don’t want to be with a jerk, so don’t be that jerk.
You also want to be around musicians who have a strong identity on who they are as artists. They’re going to bring it to the table every day. As bass players we have to sound good, but it’s more important that we are recognized for making everyone else sound better.
I’ve found the key to accomplishing a lot of this is by surrounding yourself with people who are better than you. And I mean better to the point that you’re wondering why you’re even there. That keeps you humble and searching. Surround yourself with people who inspire you.
Now, here’s where it gets tricky for many people, including me. How do you find an appropriate balance between pleasing everyone and pleasing yourself. Thelonius Monk said, “A genius is the one most like himself.”
Growing up, I wanted to be everyone’s bass player. I figured if I could do that, I would get a lot of work. As a result, over the years I kind of lost who I was. I lost the joy of playing music. I forgot what made me want to play when I first started. When you’re playing music as a professional and music is providing a living for you and your family, it’s easy to lose that passion and get lost.
I’m 42 now with a great family and an amazing new baby and I’m finally starting to find my musical soul again. What I’m finding is that I can’t thrive as everyone’s bass player. Pleasing everyone else will only take you so far. I can thrive, however, as Derek Jones.
There’s only one Nathan East. There’s only one John Patitucci. There’s only one Edgar Meyer. Learn what they did and the path they followed. Be inspired by them and learn from them. But do not copy them.
Derek with the Nathan Tanouye Orchestra. Photo by Bobby Glad.
There’s only one you. Be your own musical inspiration.
On a more practical note, I’d like to add, it’s really the simple things that will keep you working beyond your first gig:
Be over prepared.
Show up early.
Don’t get cocky.
People are going to remember more when you mess up than when you get it right.
It takes longer to develop a good reputation and only an instant to create a bad one.
Give everything you’ve got on every single gig.
BMM: Speaking of gigs, there seem to be two schools of thought: Take every gig you can to build your experience and network; or be very selective and cultivate your music credentials and reputation. What are your thoughts on building a successful gigging resume?
Derek with Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns. Photo by Bobby Glad.
Jones: In the beginning, you should take everything you can get. Over time, you will earn the right to be selective. However, you will probably think you earned the right before you do.
I moved from the Bay area to Nashville when I was 30. I quickly went from having a good rep in San Francisco to no rep in Nashville. No one in Nashville cared what I did in San Francisco. They only cared about what I was doing right now. And at that time, I was doing nothing!
I thought I would be doing pretty good within six months of my move. I was wrong. The Nashville community pretty much told me to take a number and get in line. So I did. And I went back to taking every gig I could take.
That move was a big lesson and a big shock to my ego.
I had to build my reputation in Nashville from the ground up. I eventually did and was able to be selective again about what gigs I would take. But, it’s scary to say no to a gig when you’re trying to move up.
I would caution people to be careful of their egos. If you have a hang up with certain gigs or playing with certain people, really look and see if the problem is with you. Don’t let your ego take over. At the same time, if you don’t want to take a gig because it’s not right for you, then don’t take it.
Also, I find it’s better to get a part time job to cover your expenses than take really horrible gigs for money. Keep honing your craft after work and wait for the gigs that you want to do.
There are no absolutes. As you become more professional, you need to market yourself and make a living. But you have to do it so when you go to bed at night, you’re proud of what you’ve accomplished that day.
BMM: Where does jazz come in to play for a working musician? Is it still critical to learn?
Jones: Knowledge is knowledge. Everything you learn adds to your self and your humanity and experience in life. Jazz is a form of music. It is not any less valid or more valid than any other musical genre. It’s part of the musical language. What you learn in jazz can be used in anything. Duke Ellington said there’s only two forms of music: good and bad.
Jazz is very improvisational language. You have to dig deep in yourself. It’s 10 percent your own ideas and 90 percent reacting to everyone else.
Studying jazz makes you a better musician. Jazz brings an intensity and focus to what you do. It sharpens your attention to detail. When you’re studying jazz, you learn about other forms of music.
More important than genre, however, is that being a better bassist is really about listening. You have to listen to many, many forms of music. Go to YouTube and get on the page for different countries like Bulgaria and Greece. See what music is popular there. If you’re not listening to music, you’re not going to leave your bedroom.
BMM: Any parting advice you’d like to give to our aspiring professional bassist?
Derek as you’ll see him when he performs with Cirque du Soleil’s “KA.”
Jones: First of all, be able to play. You do have to have a certain amount of technique and ability.
Second, get out there and play with everybody. Don’t just hunker down in your room and make YouTube videos. Go out into your community and be a part of it. Find out who the bass players and drummers are in your area and go listen and meet them. Don’t just talk to the bassists. Meet the drummers, sax players and piano players and find out what they’re looking for when they want a bassist. You’ll be amazed at how many of these people are really cool. They may give you one nugget of information that may end up being a paradigm shift in your life.
Don’t limit yourself to “I’m just going to be an ‘insert-style-here’ bass player.” You never know. I didn’t figure on working with Cirque du Soleil and here I’ve been for the past seven years.
You can’t have a right place or a right time unless you are out there playing. If there’s an open door, go in.
The more mistakes you’ll make, the faster you’ll learn. Figure out what you need to learn each time you fall down.
Realize that you are never at the top. There’s always more to learn. Always.
Also, don’t surround yourself with negative people. Throughout the history of music, people have always said, “It’s hard out there.” It’s always been hard to make a living as a musician. There are no good old days. Don’t listen to those people.
If there’s a desire in your heart, it’s there for a reason. Don’t deny it and don’t belittle it. Let it grow.
The fact that you can put your finger down on a metal string and press it against of piece of wood and have that resonate with someone else’s sound, and then communicate with an audience who aren’t musicians and who don’t care how you do it, then man, you’re doing it. You’re making music.
I’ll leave everyone with this thought: You are never ready. You don’t prepare. You begin. If you try to prepare for something, you are going to be preparing for a long time. Just begin!
When I heard that American Vanity, formerly known as Burn the Jukebox, was gearing up to release a new album this summer, it felt like the perfect moment to catch up with bassist and vocalist Virginia Franks.
With a fresh name unveiled just this past January and a clear shift in musical direction, the band is entering an exciting new chapter, one defined by both sonic evolution and a deeper, more focused message.
In this conversation, Virginia opens up about the inspiration behind the upcoming record, how she crafts her distinctive bass tone, what fans can expect from their upcoming tour, and where she sees both herself and the band heading next.
Join me as we dive into it all.
Here is Virginia Franks.
Photo, Devin Kasparian
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Features
Interview With Bassist Bjorn Meyer on ‘Convergence’ … Exploring Sound, Space, and Innovation
By Guest Contributor, Joe Barth
Joe Barth talks to Bjorn Meyer about his new album and exploring new musical territories with the electric bass.
Above photo courtesy: Björn Meyer © Fredrik Gille / ECM Records
Bjorn Meyer was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1965 and has lived in Switzerland since 1996.
Starting on the piano, trumpet, and guitar, he turned to the electric bass at age eighteen. In 1996, the Nyckelharpa player Johan Herdin, percussionist Bazar Bia, and Bjorn formed the trio Bazar Bia. Since then, he has worked with Persian harpist Asita Hamidi, oud player Anouar Brahem, and pianist Nik Bartsch. Convergence is Bjorn’s second album on the ECM label.
JB: Before I ask about the new Convergence album, tell me about yourself. You grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. During your teenage years, you played guitar in punk-rock bands, then, at age eighteen, switched to bass. What was musically most helpful in your personal development as a bassist?
BM: My first encounter with the electric bass was pure luck and changed my life in an instant. Music had been an important part of my life from childhood, but always as one of many things I was interested in, like a very rewarding hobby. The bass changed all that. I had finally found my voice, and all the sounds I had heard and accumulated for so long without knowing how to make them real could finally burst out. I gladly spent every free minute of every day exploring this new universe, and that gave me a focused motivation that was hugely important.
Two important things helped me on my way and shaped me a lot at that time:
First of all, I realized that so much music that I was really interested in, as a guitar player, had resonated with me mainly because of the bass players involved! As a newly emerged bass player, I had a big library of music I could revisit. I learnt many important lessons by figuring out what made the music I loved work.
Second and definitely not less important: at the time I lived close to a house where many great musicians from Stockholm had their rehearsal spaces, jam sessions, and a general meeting point. Often there was a bassplayer missing — and I was five minutes away — so from the very early days as a bassist I could play with fantastic, experienced musicians from many different styles. From the very beginning, I was surrounded by role models and mentors who later on became colleagues and bandmates.
JB: Bjorn, to learn more about what shaped your musical values on the bass, to you, what are the three most influential bassists, and please give us a particular album they appeared on that you really connected with?
BM: There could obviously be many more than three, but – and this connects to the answer above! (Bass players “behind” guitar players)
Bass player: Jimmy Johnson
Album: Alan Holdsworth – Metal Fatigue.
I was (and still am) absolutely fascinated by Alan’s playing and compositions but the real magic was when I realized what Jimmy was doing to keep it all together, weaving fully logical basslines through “impossible” chord changes! And then there are these two very short fills at around 2:55 in the title track. 2 times 2 bars that I still remember the very first time I heard on Swedish radio. Time stopped, and I found myself trying to understand how to create such bass parts and how to adapt Alan’s unique chord voicings for the bass.
Bass player: Carles Benavent
Album: Paco De Lucia Sextet – Live One Summer Night
I had been intrigued by flamenco and the work of Paco De Lucia for a long time. My sister gave me the LP for Christmas, and this sextet redefined anything I had imagined possible. It taught me a lot about how to approach strong musical traditions with deep respect and still find my own space within and make the music even stronger.
It is absolutely incredible how Carles takes part in every function in the group – from rhythm and chords to melody and harmony – without ever losing the bass function of keeping all the sounds together and allowing the others to shine.
The bass solo in “Alta Mar”, the comping — if you can call it that — in Solo Qiero Caminar”.
Also, the studio album Solo Qiero Caminar was a game changer, just listen to the duo version of “Monasterio de sal.”
Bass player: Anthony Jackson
Album: (for once not a guitar player) Michel Camillo – Why Not!
I had been a fan from hearing Live In Central Park by Simon & Garfunkel but his playing with Michel Camillo was another ear-opener for me. Maybe also because my main working band at the time was a Latin-jazz band, so I guess it was a good match.
Having said that, Anthony was a huge inspiration across styles and genres over all the years we were fortunate enough to have him with us!
… that was already three … and I didn’t even get to mention Steve Swallow, Marcus Miller, Aston Barrett, Jaco Pastorius, Skuli Sverrison, Meshell N’Degeocello, Carol Kaye, Pino Palladino, and all the fabulous upright players that have inspired me so much – Charlie Haden, Palle Danielsson, Scott La Faro, Miroslav Vitous, and Eberhard Weber.
.. but the three I mentioned were definitely very important at the time!
JB: Convergence is you recording alone with your six-string bass. Your music has (for lack of better words) a very ethereal sound. How do you describe your music?
BM: The idea of an electric bass as a solo instrument triggers very diverse and often contradictory expectations. Many people have some idea of what a bass can do, and they expect anything from “root notes and fifths” to fast, equilibristic slapping frenzies with the comment, “How can you do that for more than three minutes per show?”
If I were to describe this program, I tend to use a few different approaches depending on who I am talking to:
Electric bass in acoustic space — I think it sums it up very well and gives some idea of what to expect without putting the music in a certain genre. For me, it is very important to share the music’s acoustic experience rather than focusing on the instrument’s electric character.
This music is also a mirror of my musical and personal journey through this life. The bass allows me to express myself without the risk of having my words misunderstood, and everything has a place in this music. Even though there are compositions, performing solo allows a unique freedom of interpretation depending on my state of mind that day.
Generally, I would be very happy to just say – new music for electric bass guitar!
JB: The album opens with “Convergence,” a song with deep textures, loops, and very staccato melodic figures. Talk about this.
BM: The album starts with a distorted chord progression – somewhat inspired by Alan Holdsworth – that I simultaneously feed into a loop through a shimmer reverb that I slowly fade in, played backwards. I find this texture very inspiring, and since it is all created live, it always turns out a bit different.
A pattern in 14/8 is presented – like a teaser – before an improvised part takes off in another direction. The pattern comes back in two versions: the original 14/8 (28/16) and a shortened 27/16 version. I loop the shorter version and play the original one on top, creating the rhythmical displacements you hear at the end.
I find such layering of patterns of different lengths very interesting, and it is a natural part of my vocabulary after many years of playing various kinds of minimal music with Don Li’s Tonus, Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin, NEN, and many others.
JB: The album consists of nine of your compositions. Were these songs all composed for this project? Talk about that process.
BM: Yes and no. I didn’t sit down to deliberately compose a fully new repertoire with this album in mind.
However, from the very first concert I played to release my first solo album, Provenance, in 2017, I noticed that the material and my playing were already shifting. Creative accidents happened, and new ideas emerged during concerts, soundchecks, and travels. After almost six years and many concerts, I had a tour in Japan and realized that there was nothing left of Provenance in the program. Then it took some time for Convergenceto emerge — during which the material continued to evolve.
In hindsight, I can see many stages of the development of Convergence that were definitely meant to become a new repertoire in its own right. One aspect of the name of the album reflects the convergence of ideas, moods, emotions, life, and time into this moment.
JB: Talk about the six-string bass you used in this recording. Did you use amplification, or was it mainly recorded directly?
BM: I play an MTD 635 (#160), an instrument that found its way to me by very lucky coincidence in New York in late 1995. I have played this very instrument on everything involving electric bass ever since.
As I mentioned earlier, the acoustic component is very important to me, and I am very lucky to have the support of producer Manfred Eicher for this approach. We recorded in a big, wonderful-sounding room that often hosts symphony orchestras and recordings of large film-music projects. The sound engineer Michael Hinreiner knows the room very well and was also very keen on the idea of making an acoustic-style recording.
I had a pair of Genelec 8030 Studio monitors and a small subwoofer behind me for the full signal (bass and effects) and a pair of satellite speakers further away, where I sent effects only (delays, reverbs, etc., but no direct bass signal) in order to fill the room and have a spatial experience.
This setup was then recorded using a lot of microphones to pick up all the aspects of the room, but also close miking on the instrument to pick up the acoustic sound. Much like you would approach a serious recording of any acoustic instrument, like a classical guitar or a cello.
Obviously, the line outputs of the bass and the effects were also recorded, but very little of that was used in the mix. I am very happy with the result, and I think you can really have the experience of sitting in the room with me when listening to the album.
JB: “Drift” is filled with harmonics. Tell us about that song.
BM: After Jaco’s “Portrait of Tracy,” anything involving harmonics on the bass is a bit sensitive. However, the range of the six-string and playing harmonics with a bit of a scraping sound with the plectrum does add another texture that I find very inspiring.
The piece started out as a reflection on the ice breaking on a river after a strong winter. Deep cracks forming, small pieces of ice breaking loose into the stream. Obviously, that is only my very personal picture. Some have said that it reminds them of northern lights, which is also a beautiful thought!
B: I love the sense of movement you create in the song “Motion.” Talk about this composition.
BM: Thanks! It took me a long time to become fluent in playing it and for the piece to develop to its current form. It started with the plucking pattern in 11/8 and the first two chords. For a long time, I couldn’t find a way out of this tonality, but the more my right hand started feeling comfortable in any tempo, I started hearing a harmonic development that the left hand was kind enough to accommodate.
“Motion” is a good example of two things that inspire me: I like it when odd meters still can have a dancing quality to them, and I often find this kind of incremental approach to harmony very interesting.
JB: This is your second ECM album. What do you appreciate about working with producer Manfred Eicher and ECM Records?
BM: It is my second solo album on ECM, but I have been lucky enough to work with Manfred on four albums with Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin and two albums with Anouar Brahem. All very different productions.
I am fascinated by his enormous dedication to music and very inspired by his way of listening. Knowing that he is listening changes my focus as a player. From being concerned with playing “right” it becomes all about playing in a way that allows for a deeper level of experience. Taking risks and adapting the performance so that the music translates well to someone who is attentively listening. He has the ability to ask or suggest things that allow me to shift focus away from the microcosm of “my composition” to the macrocosmic dramaturgy of the music.
This overview also applies to the full album, in how he balances the tracks and puts the track list together. For example, the idea of opening with “Convergence” was far from my original plan, but it turned out exactly right. Not to mention the choice of cover picture, a very unexpected but perfect match for me.
JB: Do you view the entire album as a kind of symphony or tone poem with multiple movements?
BM: I definitely see the album as a whole body of work in itself and a thoughtfully curated dramaturgical statement. But I still see it as a collection of separate compositions rather than multiple movements. The album has one sequence, but in a concert situation, I can freely choose another path to adapt the dramaturgy to the room, the audience, and the setting.
Having grown up listening to LPs, it is very important to me that listening to the full album adds an extra dimension to each song’s experience. Especially in this age of streaming and separate songs put together in more or less random playlists, I think it is more important than ever to at least try and compose as deep listening experiences as we possibly can.
JB: The album ends with the reflective “Nesodden.” Is there any connection with the peninsula in Norway?
BM: Yes – the song was written in a small cottage at Nesodden, overlooking the fjord running into Oslo. I was performing at the jazz festival there and arrived a day early due to travel issues. Sitting there, I saw a family of geese and two canoe paddlers in a beautifully respectful interaction. I guess it had something to do with who could land first or something, but all of a sudden, this whole tune had formed. I did rework some minor details over time, but the song was like a gift from Nesodden. It very seldom happens in that way.
JB: You moved to Switzerland a few years ago. Talk about the gigs you do in Europe and how you make a career in music work for you.
BM: You are kind – it has already been 30 years.
One thing I really appreciated coming from Sweden was how well-connected Switzerland is. In four to five hours, you reach Paris, Milano, Munich, and many other comparatively large cities by train or car! This makes touring so much easier than from Stockholm, where you either spend a full day just to reach the country’s border, or you have to fly all the time, which I don’t really like.
Interestingly, both Sweden and Switzerland are quite small countries, yet they have very strong, yet distinct and creative music scenes. There are also many interesting venues and festivals. Since I am involved in quite a few different projects all across Europe, Iran, and North Africa, my touring schedule will depend on which projects are active at the time. At the moment, my focus is on my large ensemble, Garden of Silence — 9 Musicians from 3 continents — on the one hand, and the solo project on the other.
I feel so very blessed to have the opportunity to present this music to so many fantastic audiences and to be part of so many inspiring collaborations.
Like everywhere, the economic situation for live music is changing quite rapidly, also here. However, I am confident that we will always need this form of human interaction, being in the same space at the same moment in time, sharing the same experience. Music is such a strong healing power, and we need it more than ever.
Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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Harvie S is an American jazz double-bassist. He recorded numerous albums as a leader and co-leader, with over 400 recordings as a sideman. He has been a professor of jazz bass and ensembles at the Manhattan School of Music since 1984. He has a new album coming out on 20 March: “Bright Dawn”, where he features the bass as a melodic instrument.
KB: Did you always want to be a musician growing up?
In my childhood days, I wanted to be a professional football player. When I hit my early teens, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I finally decided that music was calling me. No one supported my decision, especially my guidance counselor at my High School. I decided to go to Berklee College and enrolled as a pianist.
KB: Why did you pick the double bass?
I was always listening to Jazz in High School, but I had a cheap stereo and the bass never came through, so I was not into the bass. I bought the Riverside Bill Evans “Waltz for Debby” recording and could hear the bass on that. Scott LaFaro made a huge impact on me. I realized what you could do on the bass through that.
In my first year at Berklee, I made the decision to get a bass and give it a try. No lessons, but I started working immediately and took to the instrument fast, even though I really didn’t quite know what I was doing. Berklee at the time didn’t really have much of a bass department (they do now), so I stayed as a composition major and piano minor. I was doing gigs on both instruments, but leaning towards the bass. In my senior year, my hero, George Mraz, graduated, and I was chosen to replace him. I was amazed by that, but it inspired me to do better.
KB: What double basses have you used over the years? Which one are you using now?
Good question. I have owned over 30 basses in my life. I would buy and sell a lot, and quite truthfully, I let some great basses go. About 12 years ago, I got a Jusek bass made in the 1920’s that Barrie Kolstein had completely restored after it was in an accident. He made it better than it ever was. I love this bass. He then turned me onto a Prague 100-year-old bass. I decided on this bass to use a gut G string and added a C-extention. This is my power bass, and my Jusek is great for trio work I do with Alan Broadbent and others. It bows really nicely. I used it on my new recording. I also have a Busetto bass, which is kind of a travel bass with a small body, and I use it around town and can take it on the bus. It sounds so real. Probably isn’t made anymore.
KB: What equipment do you use with your double bass?
I am very concerned about equipment. So concerned that I invented a bass amp called the “Upshot”. It is a completely different design where the sound goes up rather than straight out. For some reason, it projects perfectly and sounds like there is no amp, but has plenty of volume.
I also designed it to fit in a backpack which frees your arms when you carry the bass. It only weighs about 13 pounds. Acoustic Image was making it, but unfortunately, the owner, Rick Jones, passed away, and the company disappeared. I have some spares, so I can still use it. I use Heritage strings because I was involved with the development. Great strings, but maybe hard to get now. I use the Planet Wing pick-up, which, in my estimation, is the best there is, and it is such a simple design.
I use Weidoeft rosin, which Barrie Kolstein invented. Best rosin I ever used.
KB: You are teaching bass at Manhattan School of Music: What is the first thing you teach someone who is new to bass playing?
I really spend a lot of time working on how to get a sound. After that, timing and intonation.Then a lot more.
KB: Are there people you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
I never got to play with Billy Higgins or Jack DeJohnette. I would have really liked that. I’ve been blessed and have gotten to play with many of my heroes. On my website, you can see the list.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in all music genres, and why these?
Hard question to answer, but I love the bass lines Ron Carter played on the Miles Davis recordings.
Israel Crosby with Ahmad Jamal
Ray Brown with Oscar Peterson and others
Luizão Maia & Elis Regina
Bobby Rodriguez with Tito Puente and Alegre All Stars
Scott LaFaro with Bill Evans
James Jamerson with everybody
Gene Taylor with Blue Mitchell
Butch Warren with Herbie Hancock
Thelonius Monk (with Wilbur Ware) on everything he ever did
I know I left out a lot, but it’s a good start.
KB: You have a new CD coming out in March… What can you tell me about it? How excited are you?
I’ve made over 20 recordings as a leader and over 20 recordings as a co-leader, but I never did a bass feature project. On “Bright Dawn,” I decided to feature the bass as a melodic instrument. I don’t play all the melodies, but more than in the past. That’s for sure. I wrote all but 2 compositions. I carefully picked the band and was able to get Peter Bernstein, Matt Wilson, and Miki Hayama for the date. I know their playing and have recorded separately with them in the past. I tried to make the music fit with their style so they could shine (and they did).
I am very happy with the result, and I was involved with the mix. Actually, in the past 10 years, I have assisted many musicians in mixing their recordings. I believe the mix to be essential in getting the message across. I have also been doing recordings, and I have recorded over 12 CDs as a recording engineer, mixing assistant, and producer. I enjoy the process so much. I like a hands-on approach to music that I record, and it has been working very well.
The importance of music to me is to tell a story and inspire others to fulfill their potential. Just playing notes is not the way for me. I’ve had a hard road to travel all my life, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’ve had a blessed life.
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Since 2012, Tom Doyle has been holding down the low end for UK alt-rock heavyweights Don Broco, helping to shape the band’s groove-driven, genre-blurring sound into one of the most distinctive in modern British rock. With thunderous tone, razor-sharp precision, and an instinct for hooks that hit just as hard as the riffs, Doyle has become a crucial force behind the band’s ever-evolving sonic identity.
As Don Broco gear up to unleash their highly anticipated new album, Nightmare Tripping, this feels like the perfect moment to dive into the mind of the man anchoring the chaos. From his musical roots and influences to the gear and techniques that craft his signature sound, Doyle opens up about the journey so far and what lies ahead.
Join me as we explore Tom’s evolution as a musician, the creative process behind Nightmare Tripping, and his vision for the future in a band that refuses to stand still.
Here is Tom Doyle.
Photos by Ton Pullen
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