Virtual Duets

Session #1

with Michael Bisio and his Solo Double Bass “Travel Music” (2011 -AMB Music ASCAP )
Album Details: http://michaelbisio.com/travelmusic.shtml

“Virtual Duets” is a series of home – recordings. I record myself playing double bass over famous Music Albums. I have recorded myself playing over music tracks taken from (mostly) solo albums by musicians who I appreciate and admire. I am creating duets that never have existed and probably will never (who knows?). All the recordings are made with almost one take and minor audio editing (mostly to fix the scratches and mix roughly the sound). Playing over recordings has been my personal exercise for many years. Now due to lock down this practice was even more intensive.

“Virtual Duets” is a way to connect to artists and show my audience, my influences and how I interpret their own music.

Stay in tuned! More recording will be released. Until now I have found many colleagues-musicians (Berlin, New York, Greece, etc) who really enjoy my interpretation and gave their permission to publish the “Virtual Duets”. The recordings is a part of my experiment and none of them, are used for commercial use. If someone has a problem please send me a msg. For all the others, please try to share it, send it your friends, like my Facebook page, subscribe to my website and YouTube.

The first session comes with one of my big influences, Michael Bisio. He is a double bassist based on NY and a major figure of free jazz scene. I first listened to his recordings with Matthew Shipp, Ivo Perelman. This AWESOME trio or duet has a great sound and history with discography and lives. I think these players are really inspiring and I admire them because they keep on their Art, in hard times and difficult country like USA its Music Business. Michael’s origins are mostly from Jazz scene, but he shows great artistry with the bow. If you want to support him, I totally recommend to buy one of his last albums “Requiem for a New York Slice” with the cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and downbeat lyricism of cornet player Kirk Knuffke. It’s an album that I listen from the beginning until the end. This albums really show the potential of Art of Improvisation and collective composition.

In the Virtual Duet with Michael Bisio, sometimes even I, I couldn’t tell who is who. This makes me somehow happy. Can you guess and tell when I or Michael plays?

I would like to thank Michael Bisio for his generosity to give his time to listen to my music and give me the permission. Thanksss a lottt.

Take care, keep on with Art

“improvisation is attitude of life”

Best,

George Kokkinaris