COURTESY PHOTO Rufus Reid

Writing the book
on contrabass

Rufus Reid brings his
standup act to Hawaii

Bass showcase

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By Gary C. W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com

CALL it the string bass. Or upright bass, double bass or acoustic bass. In classical European terms, the instrument is the contrabass. Whatever the description, it's the largest of the string family, and it'll be featured all of next week around Oahu as part of an ambitious festival devoted to this most formidable of musical instruments (see accompanying schedule).

Jazz bassist and scholar Rufus Reid is one of the special invited guests for the weeklong festival. He's been here since earlier in the week when he was sat in at the weekly Tuesday night gig at Studio 6 at the Musicians' Association building, playing with the creme-de-la-creme of the local jazz scene, specifically Rich Crandall, Gabe Baltazar and Noel Okimoto.

But before flying out to Honolulu, he spoke from his home in Teaneck, N.J., about a project he was also working on for some lucky students here.

"I wrote something for both the Iolani School string orchestra and jazz ensemble and just sent them my music," said Reid, who joined the students during class Tuesday and Wednesday "working with a couple of my own arrangements and then presenting a mini performance."

Reid made his name as a jazz performer known for his rhythmwork with the late tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, and later as partner in a band he co-led with drummer Akira Tana.

"I performed with Akira for 10 years until he moved back to California. It was wonderful working with the group, with six records under our belt that we're proud of.

"I last played here with Akira at the first year of the Hawaii International Jazz Festival. We spent three days there, and I did one workshop that was coordinated by Byron Yasui," Reid said.

"I'm working on getting together my own group at this time, although I've been composing more heavily for the last three years. While I used to be professor for 20 years, I now have more time to devote to my own projects. Playing the bass is still my foremost endeavor, but I balance out my writing with gigs."

Most students of the contrabass know Reid for his 1974 workbook "The Evolving Bassist," which is out in a new, updated edition.

"The book was initially for both acoustic and electric players -- electric players could learn more the classical bass, while classical players could learn jazz," Reid said. "I played both acoustic and electric early in my career, but, since I stopped playing electric, the electric bass has boomed into another animal."

Reid made his name on the acoustic bass and favors it because of its range. "You can play it without needing electricity, you can bow it and, overall, get more sounds out of an acoustic. Because of its depth and power, the instrument speaks well, with a richer, deeper and fuller sound.

"The instrument has grown over the past 50 years like no other instrument. Virtuosos are starting at a young age. At the recent gathering of the International Society of Bassists, where around 800 people participated, some were as young as 10 years old! Where the size of the instrument can be pretty imposing -- even for big people -- basses can be sized smaller so the kids can get all over it."

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Showcase of bass

The Second Hawaii Contrabass Festival starts Sunday and continues through March 31 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Kamehameha Schools campuses.

Classical virtuosi will join jazz, world music and funk proponents to celebrate the richness and depth of this grand instrument. The intensive eight-day festival of concerts, master classes, lectures and public forums with prominent recording artists, educators, composers and string instrument craftsmen is presented by the Hawaii American String Teachers Association with the National School Orchestra Association.

Guests include members of the Boston and Dusseldorf symphony orchestras, Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory of Music and New York Philharmonic.

There will be a series of mini concerts at the Kamehameha Schools Performing Arts Complex, 1887 Makuakane St.:

>> Sunday: Mark Deutsch from San Francisco performs and discusses his invention, the Bazantar, a five-string acoustic bass fitted with an additional 29 sympathetic strings and four drone strings; 4 p.m.

>> Monday: The Honolulu Jazz Quartet, featuring John Kolivas; 3 p.m.

>> Tuesday: John Gallagher and Darel Stark perform music for contrabass and violin by Frank Proto; Proto, Iggy Jang and Francois Rabbath will also perform Proto's new work "Nine Variants on Paganini"; 4 p.m.

>> Wednesday: Terra Nova (contrabassist Michael Gorman, soprano Vicki Gorman and percussionist Steve Dinion) plus Rufus Reid with a performance and discussion on the role of the jazz bassist; 4 p.m.

>> Thursday: Bassists Bruce Hamada, Glen Moore and Ben Wolfe, with pianist Jim Howard; 4 p.m.

>> March 29: Students from the Tainan National School of the Arts and Ngai, 2000 contrabass scholarship winner, in a special program of string ensemble repertoire; 4 p.m.

The public also will be able to see some of the participants in concerts throughout the week:

>> Monday: Glen Moore performs with dancer Peter Rockford Espiritu, at 8 p.m. in the UH-Manoa Orvis Auditorium. Costs $10 or $15 at the door. Call 956-8742.

>> Thursday: Mark Deutsch and a Bazantar recital on at 7:30 p.m. in the Atherton Performing Arts Studio, Hawaii Public Radio. Costs $15 general, $12 for HPR members. Call 955-8821 for reservations.

>> March 29: Rufus Reid and Friends perform at 8 p.m. at Orvis Auditorium. Costs $10 general; $15 at the door. Call 956-8742.

>> March 31 and April 2: The festival finale will feature internationally renowned Francois Rabbath and the Honolulu Symphony performing Proto's "Nine Variants on Paganini." The concert will be recorded for broadcast on National Public Radio "Performance Today."

Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" and Bruckner's "Symphony No. 8" will also be part of the program. Showtimes are at 4 p.m. March 31 and 7:30 p.m. April 2 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets are $15, $25, $30, $40 and $55. Call 792-2000.

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