An instrument of many names, the double bass will be taking over the jazz club Dizzy's on Sunday for its own summit.
Eight bassists from around the county and Mexico will be playing the instrument, which also goes by names such as string bass, upright bass and contrabass.
Rob Thorsen is coordinating the Double Bass Summit with Dizzy's owner Chuck Perrin. Thorsen will be performing with Gunnar Biggs, Bert Turetzky, Marshall Hawkins, Bob Magnusson, Mark Dresser, Jeremy Kurtz and Andres Martin.
To clear up any confusion, Biggs explained the difference between a double bass and a cello.
"The standup bass is the largest member of the string family. It has the lowest sound, and the cello has the second lowest," he said.
The all-ages event starts at 7 p.m. Perrin said past summits have drawn more than 130 jazz and bass students and enthusiasts, and will feature jazz, classical, tango, original and avant-garde music.
"Avant-garde music is brand-new stuff using extended techniques and sounds not normally heard," said Biggs in a recent phone interview.
Thorsen called it "a tricky term, but it basically means a modern, creative approach."
The musicians will team up for a set list that takes in everything from Michael Jackson ("Billie Jean") to Chopin (Prelude in C minor). The group will also tackle tango composer Astor Piazzolla and Chico Pinhiero. Most of the arrangements are credited to musicians participating in the concert, which will also include solo performances.
The bassists are not new to the music scene, having played with the likes of Sarah Vaughan and saxophonist Charles McPherson, who worked with jazz great Charles Mingus from 1960 to 1972.
The musicians all teach privately, and some also teach at schools such as San Diego State University, UC San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University and Idyllwild Arts Academy.
Latin, experimental, Hawaiian, Brazilian and classical are all genres that the musicians enjoy playing, but it always comes back to jazz.
"I'm totally a jazz guy," Thorsen said.
Perrin said that he initially suggested people to Thorsen that he would want to see play. Thorsen, who ultimately chooses the artists, said that this will be Biggs' first time at the summit.
"It's impossible to invite all of the people I want to, but I usually choose musicians who take the music into an individual direction. I choose people who try to use bass as a solo (instrument) as well as an accompanist. If I could invite everyone I wanted to, I would have like 15 more people," said Thorsen. "I try to choose people who are different from one another."
"People are going to be able to see world-renowned bass players for basically the price of a movie ticket," Perrin said. "None of us do it for the money."
The artists will have their recorded music available for purchase at the event.
Double Bass Summit
When: 7 p.m. July 25
Where: Dizzy's, San Diego Wine & Culinary Center, Harbor Club Towers ground floor, Second Avenue and J Street, San Diego
Price: $15
Info: 619-270-7467
