Barre, a San Francisco native, moved to New York during the ’60s and made a name in trumpeter Don Ellis’s band, saxophonist Archie Shepp’s groundbreaking free-minded group (appearing on 1965’s New Thing at Newport), and alongside vibraphone great Bobby Hutcherson. He later moved to London and formed an influential trio with drummer Stu Martin and British saxophonist John Surman. While in London, Barre made the first recording of solo bass improvised music, Journal Violone [Opus One], in 1968. He subsequently signed to ECM Records, making a duet recording with Dave Holland, Music From Two Basses, and trio work with pianist Paul Bley and saxophonist Evan Parker. Barre and Dave Phillips, in separate interviews, talked about their work together and on their own.
How are the duo shows going?
Barre Fantastic, although in a family band there’s always a danger performing in public—sometimes it’s atrocious. David, who’s a wonderful musician and bass player, proposed this to me and we’re doing a very low-profile tour. Musically, it’s extremely interesting. We feel a commonality about the way the music can work, what the bass sounds like, and what it can do.
Dave It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and this has been the first opportunity for us to dig in and really go for it. It’s heavy and intense.
How would you describe the music that you make together?
Dave Barre’s music is diverse; it goes from very simple, melodic playing to very abstract. The scope of what we’re doing goes from sounding like a violin duo playing Mozart to playing completely improvised and free. We’re using the instrument’s full range of textures, like harmonics and ponticellos (bowing near the bridge), because both of us really like to play with the bow—as well as lots of percussive things, like snapping your left hand against the bass.
Barre It’s a sharing experience. The music is neither heavily improvised nor heavily written. There’s an aspect of using traditional themes and playing pieces from those themes. We play a lot of harmony, defined rhythms, and a lot of un-complex rhythms. It swings. Other pieces can be longer, like a 20-minute, fully improvised piece. It’s fulfilling that we can use more contemporary-sounding notes, phrases, and textures. It even goes into the noise area, although there’s not much noise in what we’re doing. It’s more rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic, but spread over a couple of centuries. We’re covering a lot of ground—not just from typical jazz, baroque, or Bartók, and it’s very satisfying.
What are the challenges inherent to playing in a two-bassist duo?
Dave Letting go of your ego and letting the music take over. That’s something I’m getting better at no matter what I’m playing, be it a Broadway show or chamber music. It’s about the music coming out—it is its own entity, and we’re just contributors. The big challenge is not getting in the way. You have to open yourself up and go for it.
Do you come from similar places, in terms of tonality or timing?
Barre I played in an orchestra throughout my student years, but I’m mostly self-taught. Dave went the other direction and received degrees from Juilliard and Mannes College of Music. But when we pick up our bows and play together, we basically have the same sound and approach. The harmony and rhythm of popular music and jazz is there, but there’s also a classical influence that comes out in how we play the instrument. I’m talking more about the sound of a bow and string and the articulation we associate with classical music, rather than references to a particular composer.
Dave I’m not at the level that he is; I’ve got only 25 years’ experience to his 50. He has it down way deeper than I do at this point, but there’s something about my time that makes me think I got my blood from him, for sure.
Barre, you’re credited with the first-ever recording of solo-bass improvised music. How did that happen?
Barre It was an accident. I was playing in the studio, and composer Max Schubel was recording for an entirely different thing. He said, “That’s fantastic. I want to put it out. I think it should exist on its own.” I said, “Really?” And, he said, “Yes, absolutely.” After thinking that it was really presumptuous, I said, “Okay, go ahead and release it.” A few years later they were telling me it was the first-ever record of solo bass playing, and I said, “I’m sorry, it’s not my fault.” Somebody had to be first!
BARRE PHILLIPS
CAN BE HEARD ON
Robin Williamson,
The Iron Stone [ECM, 2006]; Joe Maneri/Barre Phillips/Mat Maneri,
Angles of Repose [ECM, 2004]; Barre Phillips,
Camouflage [Victo, 1989]; Dave Holland/Barre Phillips,
Music From Two Basses [ECM, 1971]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
John Cage, The Complete String Quartets: The Arditti Quartet [Mode, 1989]; Jacques Demierre and Isabelle Duthoit, Avenues [Unit, 2008]
GEAR
Bass 1991 Jean Auray e-size upright with Thomastik Dominant strings. “The body is asymmetrical—thinner on the upper bout and wider on the lower bout, so the player is closer to the fingerboard than on a symmetrical instrument.”
Bow Carbow carbon fiber bow
Rig “I haven’t played amplified for the last 15 years. I play a lot of big halls completely acoustically, like people did in the old days. I think technology from the last 20 years has deformed acoustic music.”
DAVE PHILLIPS
CAN BE HEARD ON
Freedance, Live [Freedance, 2005]; Dave Phillips Quartet, Prayer [Freedance, 2003]; David Phillips & Freedance [Naxos, 2000]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
John Coltrane Quartet, Ballads [Impulse, 1962]; Keith Jarrett Trio, Standards Vol. 1 and Vol 2 [ECM, 1983]; Jethro Tull, Aqualung [Chysalis, 1971]; Manu Dibango; King Sunny Ade; Milton Nascimento
GEAR
Bass 1880s Charles Brugere upright with Thomastik Dominant strings and David Gage Realist pickup
Bow Bernd Dolling
Rig Walter Woods amp with Gallien-Krueger Neo112 1x12 cabinet