2019 has really flown by this year in a most wonderful way. Reflecting back on this overcast and increasingly dark Danish afternoon, I’m grateful for all the new projects I’ve been involved with that have pushed me to grow, learn more about myself, and make my music stronger when I get back to my trio material.
Back in January, I met with Helle Marstrand and Ida Hvid to play some bass trio things, eat lunch, and get to know each other better. During lunch, Ida said, “Do we want to pursue this? We should get some jobs.” After a brainstorming session, she came up with the name of Blonde Bass. We all started making phone calls right then and there and suddenly had a bunch of concerts booked. We had the jobs. Now we needed the arrangements.
We all brought in material and worked on the arrangements together. Committed to the band, we’ve met regularly for rehearsals and enjoyed a lot of good food. (Between me and Morten, we’ve been known to cook for friends.) I think we’ve all become stronger players in the process.
For me, I’ve had to pull my bow out again and remember what it is like to make it sound pretty. I’ve also given myself some pretty high parts, so that has required a bit of extra thumb position time. I’ve got muscles now that I haven’t had since graduate school. Wahoo!
Playing in a bass ensemble with 2 others that sing AND play, has been a real joy. Ida and Helle are joyful spirits that know how to work hard. Nobody is the band leader in this group. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. We help each other and we’re all committed to the band.
Looking ahead to 2020, we’ve got a more concerts in the book. We’ll be getting together shortly to work on some new material. I can’t wait to dig in!
If you want to hear this stuff for yourself, you can follow us on Bandsintown. I will also be providing updates in my emails and there might even be more videos posted on our YouTube Channel.
Do you have an idea for a song for us? Put it in the comments below.
