Double bass master and great composer Barry Guy gave us a music lesson in this interview. I hope musicians that read this find it really inspiring like I did.
In a way the double bass chose me. Before graduating to the instrument I played trumpet, Horns, trombone (valved) euphonium in the school wind band and a one stringed tea-chest bass in the dixie band. At one point the guys decided to upgrade the image and the number of strings on the bass instrument. So that's when I had my folks purchase a proper grown-up double bass. It all started at that point.
How big is the role of improvisation in your own compositions? Do you like to improvise over the work of other composers too?
The role of improvisation is (naturally) paramount in my compositions that are written for creative improvising musicians, but less so for players that are from a different musical tradition. I have a great interest in the writing of all composers and of course that includes improvisatory strategies.
How do you see/feel this balance between the double bass and the violin? Is that the sound that you got in your head when you compose?
Before writing anything, the composer has to visualize the soundscape whether it be violin and bass or twenty tubas! Your question about "see/feel the balance between the bass and violin" presumably refers to the duo with Maya Homburger. Maya plays a baroque violin which is a different animal to the modern instrument in many ways, but crucially the sound colours are arguably more differentiated and beautiful.These qualities I try to bring out, not only from the instrument itself but in relation to my own instrument, so I look for textures that enhance the sound spectrum of both instruments and place them in the best context of aural balance and support.
Do you think that will be possible some day for you to record Bach pieces or Telemann´s pieces, as Maya did, but with only the double bass? Would that be interesting for you?
NO. I enjoy playing some of the Bach cello suites at home, but I prefer to hear them played on the original instrument rather than the bass. There seems to be a spate of recordings at present which attests to the continuing advancment of bass techniques, and of course the problems of performance fill many pages in jounals dedicated to bass playing. In general I do not follow the line of species-hopping to fill repertoire gaps, however I can see the case for interpreting old musics that have a flexible instrumentation and invite serious thoughtful performances.
When you compose your own material, do you prefer to work on a special tonality or is your work completely atonal?
I compose in a way that is appropriate to the soundscape I am trying to envisage. The question of tonality or atonality does not really arise in terms of a method for generating musical thought. In the end it all depends on what you want to hear from the musicians that are the ultimate link in what hits the air-wave.
How different is your role in all the different projects that you have? For example on the collaborations with Mats Gustafsson/Raymond Strid or with Paul Rutherford/Phil Wachsmann...
My role is to listen, play and contribute to the music with the utmost integrity.
How is your work with the London Jazz Composers Orchestra?
I am not sure what you mean by "How is my work with the LJCO"....but let me make this interpretation: The years I have been writing for , and organising the group have been pleasurable, exh austing, frustrating, joyous, money losing, but ultimately exciting. I would not have missed it for the world. And although we are not doing concerts every year now, the joy is still there and the band is alive.
How do you compose your material? Do you translate what you have in mind to paper and then to the instrument or do you prefer to compose playing some instrument? Is the double bass your main composing tool?
I could write a book on this and it's not easy to answer in a short sentence.
Suffice to say that imagination begins the process, the players feature heavily in my internal questioning of what, how and why, which is often liberated by graphic gestures as a means of defining the larger picture. There after it's hard work with exhileration and depressions in equal quantities. I do use the keyboard for defining some parameters - more as a means of checking ideas, but not as the generator of music.
How different is doing solo concerts compared to working with other peopl e? Are those concerts more intimate and more experimental?
The obvious thing to say about the difference between solo and ensemble concerts is that in solo you generate the whole scenario yourself whilst in an ensemble you are part of the combined discourse. Either situation can be intimate and experimental. The focus is just different.
Why did you choose the London City Sinfonia to perform your "Falling Water" and "After the Rain" compositions?
Since 1973 I played principal bass in the City of London Sinfonia. I new the players well, the conductor and the general attitude of the orchestra, which was refreshingly open and of considerable ability. "After the Rain" was written for the excellent strings of the orchestra (as a commission) and "Fallingwater" (another commission from them) was not only a celebration of the orchestras 25th year as the CLS, but also it represented my last concert before moving to Ireland and therefore terminating my principal bass position.
Do you record all your improvisations and performances to have refreshing material to work with? Or do you prefer going to a studio and letting the music flow in there?
Recording improvisations is not a high priority in terms of the need to document everything. Depending on the circumstances we record live or in the studio, whatever seems appropriate to the concept. Often people record concerts for their own archives which sometimes works out to our advantage since we can negotiate for the tapes retrospectively.
Every musician has its own approach to music (specially when they play different instruments). How does the vision that other musicians have affect the final result of your compositions?
As I said earlier , I have a clear picture of the musicians I write for when composing, so their own individual musical signatures are important. In fact, I would say vital to the original structuring of a piece. Luckily these strong voices have also generated strong compositional ideas which in turn has allowed other musicians to enter the soundscape. I use the word lucky, because not every composer has the fortunate scenario of world class players interpreting the music.
BARRY GUY - DISCOGRAPHY ON MAYA RECORDINGS
Barry Guy/Barre Phillips - "Arcus"
Connie Bauer/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton/Evan Parker/Barre Phillips/Irene Schweitzer Elsie Jo
Barry Guy - "Fizzles"
Evan Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton - "Imaginary values"
Barry Guy & The NOW Orchestra Witch Gong Game II/10 - "Study"
Evan Parker/Barry Guy - "Obliquities"
Paul Rutherford/Phil Wachsmann/Barry Guy Iskra/Nckpa - "1903"
Barry Guy/Mats Gustafsson/Raymond Strid - "You forget to answer"
Paul Plimley/Barry Guy - "Sensology"
Mats Gustafsson/Barry Guy - "Frogging"
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