Russell Hall
Jazz Double BASS TUTOR
Russell Hall
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Russell Hall migrated to the United States in 2007 where his double bass studies progressed quickly through the rigorous programs of The Dillard Center for the Arts and The Juilliard School. Russell deeply understands the jazz tradition, having studied with many of the double bass world's most renowned artists including Ron Carter and Ben Wolfe. Still, he is also an artist looking forward with his own distinct approach to the double bass.
As a first-call bassist in New York City, Russell has performed with some of the biggest names in music including Joey Alexander, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Roy Hargrove, Kathleen Battle, Christian McBride, Emmet Cohen, Russell Malone, George Coleman and many more.
Well known for his work with the Emmet Cohen Trio alongside drummer Kyle Poole, Russell also leads his own bands, including Bessie and the Rainbowkids to much critical acclaim.
Russell Hall joined the Discover Double Bass faculty as a jazz bass specialist in 2022 where he presented his course, Bessie’s Bass Busters.
Russell Hall is well known as a member of the Emmet Cohen Trio and bassist for the wildly popular ‘Live From Emmet’s Place’ series. In this video, he was joined by non-other than the great Christian McBride for a tasteful double bass duo!
Bessie's Bass Busters by Russell Hall
In his Discover Double Bass course, Russell Hall teaches the most important lessons from his years of playing and studying jazz bass. The course comprises 45 videos over five hours and covers a wide range of topics on jazz bass playing, including right and left-hand technique, playing popular jazz standards, building bass lines, improvising solos, developing rhythmic skills, and much more. Bessie’s Bass Busters is a fresh approach to jazz bass to help you break new ground and take your playing to the next level!
Russell Hall in the studio.
Many of the videos feature piano and drums accompaniment by Russell Hall’s trio (Bruce Dudley on keys and Josh Hunt on drums) and play-along tracks with three mixes of each recording are provided:
Full band
Piano and drums only
Double bass only
Detailed transcriptions of Russell’s bass lines and solos are included in the course.
Take a look behind the scenes of the recording sessions:
“These lessons are designed to show you how to act as an accompanist and a soloist with the same mindset, maximum music!”