CM : At what point do you feel you found your “ voice ” on bass ?

CM : How important is your main bass to your overall musical voice ?

Photo : Dave Peleschak , dp2 . ca

The Abeng , Rudresh Mahanthappa — Canadian Rich Brown has one of the most melodic and unique voices in the bass world today .

RB : I was in my mid-20s when I finally felt like I was saying something on the instrument . Just a few years before that , I fell into the same sort of rut that I did with blues guitar and found that so many electric bass solos were becoming increasingly and predictably pentatonic . It was at that point that I stopped listening to bass players and started to learn more from singers and horn players . I really wanted to gain a better understanding of melody , and a better understanding of the jazz language . To me , there ’ s no better source than singers and horn players for both . In listening to singers , I started to learn not just their melodies , but also all of the ornamental things that made their melodies more expressive . I did the best that I could to copy their vibrato , as well as any other vocal inflections that would make my playing more lyrical and more melodic . With the horn players , I gained a better understanding of different harmonies , but more importantly , I gained a better understanding of phrasing . Horn players have to breathe . They ’ ll play a phrase , take a breath , and continue . This was something that I struggled with because it was difficult for me to play through changes without pausing . I felt that the only way for me to connect the chords in a progression was to just keep playing . I had to learn to pace , and therefore shape my solos into something more melodic and even compositional . When these ideas were comfortably integrated into my vocabulary , I started to notice that I had discovered my own individual voice on the bass .

RB : I would say that it ’ s very important . My main bass is a KL Unity six-string made by the wonderful Canadian luthier Kenneth Lawrence . I ’ m very fortunate to be able to say that the sounds and tonal qualities that have been in my head for years seem to have been built into this bass . It has always been able to accurately articulate my thoughts and my feelings musically . Building a relationship and discovering your voice on your main instrument can be a beautiful journey . I do not subscribe to the idea that your relationship with music can be likened to a relationship with a woman – none of my basses have names – but I do believe there is an intimacy there that can be difficult to explain . Most people do feel a strong emotional connection to some form of art , whether it is a book or an album or a painting or even a poem . For a musician , that connection is intensfied when we find the instrument that best expresses our vision . As my main bass , my KL is a constant source of inspiration . I always feel as though there is so much music inside that bass that is just beyond my capabilities . It pushes me to become a better musician .