The Christmas season is always a bit of a upright, almost like, “How could you do that required an upright I was just always available
departure for Worship musicians, and David because I’ve always seen you do this?” He to do that because I forced myself to learn
Curran is no exception. In this installment of asked if I went to school for it, or if I did all of how to do it. This tour is kind of echoing those
Worship Bass Talk we’ll get a chance to dip these things, and there are so many players on things too because it’s been a long time since
into David’s well of experience-born wisdom, upright that do, but I didn’t. I’ve played an entire set on an upright, and I just
kind of made myself available.
for some insights on what he’s learned from
Christmas past that set him up for success on It was mostly just filling a need for it, so I just Lauren Daigle’s Christmas tour! kind of threw myself in the need. I actually [WM] How have you approached learning this
started playing upright in a Folk band, and material in terms of a formula of sorts for form,
[WM] I love the fact that we’re catching I was surrounded by Jazz musicians in this feel, and so on?
you on the eve of your first show on Lauren’s Folk band and they kind of helped to groom Christmas tour. What are some of the things me. Then at Church occasionally we would do [David] This is very much Jazz 1940’s Swing
you’ve learned coming up, that really prepared special songs, especially around the holidays. era style music, and to someone that maybe
you for this moment that would be helpful for They would be like, “Hey, let’s do a Jazz version doesn’t do it every day such as myself, I think
other musicians to know? of this Christmas song just as a fun opener.” it’s almost like trying to figure out a world with
So, every once in a while, someone would no rules. But really there is a formula, it’s just
this say, “Oh, David is the upright guy.” And I never learning what the formula is. If you make a
morning, the first person that I met backstage, thought I was, I just had one and I used it when reference to a Nirvana song or Worship song,
was like, “Is that your upright bass?” and I was I needed it. Because it’s such a rare thing to we would already know what that pattern is.
like, “Yeah, it totally is”, and they were like, have, there is such a need for it. I try to make When I’m jumping into this kind of music I’m
“Wow, I had no idea you could even play that!” myself available for that. At Church on Sundays learning the songs, but I’m also learning the
They were seeing me in a new setting with an if we did a Frank Sinatra song or something that pattern for this style of music, which is honestly
[David
Curran]
Someone
literally
December 2018
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