1931 John Juzek Bass
Prague, Czechoslovakia
Flat back, gamba corners
3/4 (standard) size – 41 in. string length.
Restored by John Pringle and Robbie Link.
Original finish was over-coated at some point. We removed the back, secured or replaced all bracing and patches and re-lined the center seam of the back. Some decorative purfling on the upper part of the back has been lost or damaged and the neck block is pinned through the button with wooden dowels. The instrument is completely stable and plays well.
Asking $4,000 not including case or bow.
Local pickup only – Chapel Hill area, NC.
Pandemic Updates: Performances, Lessons, Resources
Lessons
All lessons are online for now using the free Zoom app. Obviously it’s not quite the same as being there in person but it’s adequate. For the time being I’m offering lessons for a flat $40 – an hour more or less. More about lessons here. And you can use the contact form to get in touch.
Performances
Jazz Take-Out: Alison Weiner and I are continuing our Tuesday night jazz at the Eddy Pub for the month of April live on Facebook. Tuesdays in April from 7-8 PM. You do not have to have a Facebook account to view and the videos will still be available after the live performance. Full info is HERE and you can make a tax deductible donation on this GoFundMe page set up by the Culture Mill.
You can also watch each of our 1 hour Tuesday night broadcasts HERE. Yes – it’s Facebook but you don’t have to be logged in to view. The shows should be listed most recent first in the thumbnail list.
Resources
Here’s a list of livestreaming Jazz Performances generated by Jazz Near You
For a more local list of online performances check out this list put out by the Triangle Music Collective.
The Triangle On The Cheap events calendar features free and cheap things to do every day in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and elsewhere in the Triangle.
Radio Around the World
I had totally forgotten about Radio Garden. Just spin the globe and listen! Zoom in and see the streets where your music is coming from.
“Radio Garden invites you to tune into thousands of live radio stations across the globe.
By bringing distant voices close, radio connects people and places. From its very beginning, radio signals have crossed borders. Radio makers and listeners have imagined both connecting with distant cultures, as well as re-connecting with people from ‘home’ from thousands of miles away.”
Eccles Meets Jazz
Music From Spain
The UNC Wind Ensemble, with guest conductor, Francisco Javier Martínez Arcos, will present an all Spanish program,
Suite #2 from the Three Cornered Hat | Manuel de Falla
Ritual Fire Dance | Manuel de Falla
Sucro Oppidum | Javier Martínez Campos
Abu Simbel | Ferrer Ferran
The Spanish bands use several double basses as well as cello so I’ll be joining this group of wind players.
Deep Listening
I often tell my students to “listen deeper”. The more you practice, the better you get IF you are listening to what you’re doing. It starts out simply – listen to your tone, your intonation, your rhythm. The more you listen, the more you hear aspects of your playing that are possibly not what you intended. You carry this further into dynamics and phrasing and articulation. There is no end. You can always listen deeper and hear more things to improve. And then you carry this out into the world and you notice more of the world around you – the tone of someone’s voice, a color in the leaves, a bird call you never heard before, the sound of a bicycle going past your house.
But enough of that – there’s always the Deep Listening Bot on Twitter to stir your imagination.
Lesson Fees
Notice: Lesson Info for “Stay at Home”
All lessons are currently online and I am charging a reduced flat fee of $40 per lesson (an hour more or less) during this time. Contact me HERE.
Current lesson fees for private instruction in my studio.
1 hour lesson – $60
45 minute lesson – $45
*30 minute lesson – $35
I am aware that most of my colleagues charge more for lessons but I feel it is important to keep music instruction accessible to as many people as possible. And to that end I will try to accommodate anyone who can not afford these fees. I also have some students who voluntarily pay more and I am grateful for that.
Lesson fees are to be paid at each lesson. Cash, check, or Paypal.
*30 minute lessons are for children who have a limited attention span. For others I recommend a minimum of 45 minutes. An hour is best.
A Sweet Short Bio
One of the things every performing musician needs is a good, short bio for programs, publicity, etc. Who is really terrible at writing good short bios? Most musicians, that’s who. I was more comfortable writing a whole page about my evolution and experience as a musician but always struggle with a concise, informative short bio. Friend and fellow musician Mary Rocap wrote this (partially extracted from info on this site and partially from herself) for a program I’m playing for her:
Robbie Link is the Triangle’s go-to double bass player. His expertise and experience are legendary. He is a much sought after session player, teacher, and collaborator. In the academic world he has taught double bass at East Carolina, UNC/ Chapel Hill, Duke and for 30 years taught bass and cello and coached the young ensembles at the Duke University Pre-Collegiate String School.
I think she did a pretty good job. Thanks, Mary!
What I’m Listening To
If you’re a Google Play Music subscriber you can listen to my playlist here: Robbie’s Mix
It’s a varied collection of things I’ve enjoyed listening to over the years – though there are many more things I’ve enjoyed listening to. These are just the ones I happened to save to this Google Playlist. I always listen to it in “shuffle” mode, though. I prefer to jump from one genre to another and be surprised.
Digitech JamMan Solo XT file import
Wasted almost an hour trying to find help on the web for importing music files from PC to the JamMan SoloXT loop pedal by Digitech. The pedal manual only has a short paragraph on using the PC software called JamManagerXT with a link to instructions on the Digitech site which is a dead link. The “help” menu item in the software links to the same dead link. Searching Digitech’s site showed no help files.
So – just in case it’s not obvious to you (it sure wasn’t obvious to me) you can’t drag and drop or copy and paste a sound file into a playlist in the JamManager software. You have to click on “library” and drag/drop or copy/paste there and then copy/paste from the library to the playlist. The file has to be a 16 bit, 44.1 kHz stereo file. (older JamMan pedals required a mono file). Be sure to copy the playlist to the device from the software!
Hope this helps….