196: Andrés Martín on the creative process, the composer mind, and forging a bass scene

Today's episode features composer, teacher, and bassist Andrés Martín. Andrés has written works recently that have become quite popular in the bass community these past few years, and I've been looking forward to talking with him ever since hearing his music. Andrés is also the composer of Anna's Gift and is currently writing the music for Anna's Promise, the project spearheaded by Barry Green (a former Contrabass Conversations guest) that we featured on episode 189 of the podcast. We'll be playing excerpts from Andrés' music throughout this episode, and we'll start with an excerpt from the second movement of Andres' bass concerto. He's a distinctive and exciting new voice in the world of the bass and has captured the bass world's imagination for sure. Andrés is a great guy and a deep thinker about creativity and the compositional process, and I think that you'll learn a lot about inspiration and the composer mind from this discussion. Tracks featured:

• Bass Concerto No. 1 (excerpts from movements 2 and 3)
• Suite Para Contrabajo Y Guitarra Española (2009) III. Milongitana
• 43 by Andrés Martín and Donovan Stokes (excerpts from movement 2 and movement 3)
• Elegia Para Contrabajo Solo (2011)
• Andrés Martín solo CD Cera
• andresmartin.net

About Andrés: Native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, bassist, arranger, and composer Andrés Martín has performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles in Argentina, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, England, Germany and United States. Since his arrival in Tijuana (Mexico), Andrés has been immersed in teaching as well as performing as a soloist and chamber musician. He is a member of the "Orquesta de Baja California" and "Cuatro para Tango", a chamber ensemble with whom he has released four recordings. He also organizes and directs "Contrabajos de Baja California A.C. ", a Double Bass academy who celebrates an international double bass festival and chamber music course held in Tijuana every summer. As a composer and arranger, he works with a wide language which ranges from contemporary techniques to tango and rock. His work has been performed and recorded by very successful orchestras, ensembles, and soloists in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Japan and the United States.