Phil Donkin on Fast Tempos and Transcription

January 25, 2024 Geoff Chalmers

Phil donkin - intervIew & performance

In this video, we meet one of the jazz bass world's most in-demand players, Phil Donkin, who has worked with artists including John Abercrombie, Shai Maestro, Gwilym Simcock, Kenny Wheeler and Jonathan Kreisberg. We discuss Phil's personal approach to improvised music and double bass technique. There's a range of topics, but one of the key themes is bravery in your playing. I found it hugely inspiring to hear the details of Phil's musical journey and approach to jazz bass; if you aspire to play gigs with the world's greats, it's well worth taking the time hear Phil's story.

Meet phil donkin!

Phil Donkin’s background in both electric and upright bass, combined with an education at the prestigious Trinity Guildhall School of Music and Drama, has laid the foundations for a fruitful career. Currently living in Berlin, Phil enjoys an extensive touring schedule and has made a name for himself as a sought-after sideman. After stints of living in both London and New York, he has worked with renowned artists such as Kenny Wheeler, Julian Arguelles, Tim Garland, Stan Sulzmann and Gwilym Simcock.

He has recorded multiple albums as a band leader, including Dimaxis and The Gate, Value, and a solo bass album, Walk Alone.

Interview/performance

Our discussion covers Phil’s musical origins, the journey from bass guitar to double bass, the four records that got him into jazz and upright playing, main influences, teachers and education at Guildhall, confidence and bravery within improvisation, playing and internalising fast tempos, transcription, right hand technique, and much more.

In addition to the in-depth interview, Phil performed a tasteful rendition of the jazz standard, Autumn Leaves. Be sure to stick around to see him in action and don’t forget to follow Phil via the links below.

I hope you enjoy this special interview/performance video. As usual, we have provided links to the people referenced in our conversation. There are also behind-the-scenes photos from the session; scroll down to check them out.

Timecodes

00:00 Introduction
01:03 Where have you lived and who do you play with?
03:04 How did you get into the bass & studying classical music
06:50 Four albums that inspired you
09:23 Bravery in music
11:48 Has your electric background affected your upright playing?
14:25 Moving from London to New York
18:11 Jam sessions and how to fit in
19:30 Moving to Berlin
21:57 Recording without a harmony instrument
25:13 Bass equipment
28:33 The key to playing uptempo walking bass lines
35:40 Transcription
40:18 What’s next for you?
42:15 Playing a different instrument
43:59 Improvisational approaches
45:07 Performance