Seven Double Bass Duets

American composer Dave Anderson (b. 1962) created Seven Double Bass Duets in 1996. The unique scoring should be the first clue that Anderson himself is a professional double bassist. Currently with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Anderson has been a fixture on the New Orleans scene for the past 30 years. While gigging with dozens of musicians in everything from bop and jazz to funk and hard rock, he has produced an extensive body of music for more than just bass. About his decision to compose Seven Double Bass Duets, Anderson writes:

"Bass players are always searching for new material. As far as duets go, we have raided the Bach two-part inventions, Bartók’s violin duos, and many other sources from many musical periods. Modern composers have written some wonderful material, but bassist’s solo and chamber repertoire is still very small compared to all other string instruments . . . When writing my bass duets, I could not avoid a humoristic approach. After all, we bassists are always regarded as accompanists and solos are viewed as a “lower” art. The range of our instrument is huge and I wanted to use all of it including the use of the low C (and B!) extension and high harmonics. Both parts are intentionally equal and the melodic material is passed back and forth."

The humor starts with the titles themselves, including Kibbles & Kibbitz, Blew Cheeze, and Parade of the Politically Prudent Pigs—which Anderson describes as “Jimi Hendrix and Sergei Prokofiev meet Rush Limbaugh.”

(c) Jason Stell