Solo Bass brings together two amazingly inventive and innovative pieces for the advanced bassist. Each piece explores a wealth of soundscapes and colours, with musical and technical challenges in equal measure, demonstrating the solo potential of the double bass in contemporary music which is both evocative and original.

Syrinx: Requies I, D.M. There were two sources that I drew upon for “Syrinx: Requies I, D.M.”. Initially, I was asked by David Heyes to write a short solo bass piece to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Claude Debussy. Colours of early 20th century French music immediately began to be conjured up in my head and I heard the double bass as having the kind of impressionistic sound Debussy may have been drawn toward had he written for the instrument outside of his orchestrations. As March and the centennial approached, we were once again reminded of how evil one can be toward those not like ourselves. A series of mail bombings targeting African Americans in the Austin, Texas area terrorized the people of the region and among the first victims was a young, 17-year-old bassist named Draylen Mason. Social media was adorned with pictures of this young man with his bass, some posing with bassists I know in the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Weeks after his death, his family received word that he had been accepted to Oberlin Conservatory for the subsequent fall. “Syrinx: Requies I, D.M.” memorializes the expressive legacy of Debussy while reminding us of what music can do best, “express the inexpressible”, after the pain of indescribable and unforgivable loss. Syrinx: Requies I, D.M. was premiered on 11 December 2025 at Ford-Crawford Hall (Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, USA) by Matteo Prevosto-Riou. Proto-HautoAho (moto perpetuo) Proto-HautoAho (moto perpetuo)” pays tribute to two of the most influential double bassists of our time, Frank Proto and Teppo Hauto-aho. The moto perpetuo captures their inspiring and continued energy with musical gestures that pay homage to Frank’s “Sonata 1963” and Teppo’s “Kadenza”. Dedicated to David Heyes and his “Frank Proto, Teppo Hauto-aho Birthday Project”. Bon anniversaire! [Programme notes by John M. Kennedy] Composer and bassist John M. Kennedy creates music described by James Newton as “coming out of contemporary music and the jazz tradition from multiple eras”. His work has been featured internationally at festivals such as June in Buffalo, the Hear Now Festival, the Soundways Festival in St. Petersburg and three World Saxophone Congresses. John Kennedy’s compositions range from solo works to chamber, choral, operatic and orchestral music, with recent projects exploring American cultural diversity, improvisation, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in musical creation. As a double bassist, he performs regularly in orchestral, chamber and jazz ensembles in Los Angeles.

A Professor of Composition