Vladimir Torres - Recording a Solo Album

Interview with Vladimir Torres

In this interview, filmed in Paris in the spring of 2022, I meet one of the double bass world's most exciting players to discuss their solo album 'Music for a Locked in Double Bass'. Vladimir Torres is an innovative artist who fuses pop and jazz influences with a deep sense of groove and tasteful solos. In addition to arrangements of popular songs and jazz standards, Vladimir is also a composer, and we feature his piece Se Acabó at the end of the interview.

In our discussion, we focus on Vladimir’s experience as a self-taught musician, as well as recording his solo album, which features classic pop, jazz and contemporary music by artists including The Beatles, Charles Mingus and Michael Jackson.

I hope you enjoy this video with Vladimir Torres and his stunning solo performance! 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.

Discussion Notes

In this video, Geoff references Dave Holland’s 1978 album Emerald Tears as an early solo double bass recording. It’s worth adding that Barre Phillips’ 1968 recording of solo bass improvisations, issued as Journal Violone in the US, Unaccompanied Barre in England, and Basse Barre in France, is generally credited as the first solo bass record.

Timecodes

00:00 Introduction
00:44 Touring
01:56 Origins Story
03:36 Songs from his solo bass album
10:56 Developing double bass technique
13:24 Inspiring bassists
14:34 Double bass gear
18:31 Performance of Se Acabó

Vladimir Torres Links

Website
YouTube
Facebook
Pirastro Artist Profile - Website

Discussion Links

Chris Jennings - Website
Marc Johnson, Overpass - YouTube
Larry Grenadier, The Gleaners - YouTube
Petros Klampanis, Rooftop Series - YouTube
Or Bareket - Website
Yves Deloffre, Luthier in Besançon - Website