Jam Pedals’ Shahzad Ismaily Interview

Shahzad Ismaily is a multi-instrumentalist perhaps best known for his bass work with Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog. He has also worked with Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, Tom Waits,  John Zorn, Shelley Hirsch, Nels Cline,  Graham Haynes,  Billy Martin (of Medeski Martin and Wood), and Burnt Sugar, among many others. Thanks to Jam Pedals we have this fascinating interview.

 

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Introducing: Matt Garrison

A bass guitarist like Matt Garrison surely deserves a mention in Guitar Moderne. His use of effects for looping, reverse sounds, and ambience, along with his forward thinking music and embracing of noise place him squarely in same camp as the guitarists featured here.

The son of legendary jazz bassist Jimmy Garrison joins the son of the elder Garrison’s bandleader, John Coltrane, in current legend Jack DeJohnette’s band for a concert broadcast in Europe.

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Spotlight: Peter Freeman

For the second bassist to be featured in Guitar Moderne, I can think of no one more fitting than Peter Freeman. But to call Freeman a bass player is like calling Rick Cox, with whom he has often worked, a guitarist—true as far is goes, but hardly the whole story. Like Cox, Freeman has been heavily involved in sound design for movies, and is as likely to be found programming drums, playing synthesizer, or manipulating electronics as plucking a four-stringed instrument.

His work producing the legendary Jon Hassell, alone, has earned him an esteemed place in the annals of electroacoustic music. I first spoke to Freeman for a piece on Hassell for the late EQ magazine. I am including the transcript of that first conversation with Freeman as a bonus.

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Spotlight: Daniele Camarda

I admit to a previous prejudice against solo bass efforts. My feeling had been: if you want to solo, play a solo instrument—something I had trouble considering the bass to truly be. A few bassists have begun to change my mind: Victor Wooten’s soulful and musical live performances; Steve Lawson’s awesome looping work, and now Sicilian six-string bassist Daniele Camarda’s unique approach.

Camarda employs the astounding technique and great tone that allowed him to hang with jazz luminaries like Avishai Cohen, Chris Cheek, and Daniel Zamir, in the service of a modern style that includes echoes of world music, classical guitar, minimalism, electronica, and jazz. It is all there on his new solo outing Sound Act. I have included samples of two tunes from that record, as well as live videos. Camarda fears the live performances represent places from which he has moved on, whereas I felt strongly they would still be of great interest to Guitar Moderne readers. I am proud to present Daniele Camarda as Guitar Moderne’s first bass player spotlight.

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