John Goldsby: “It’s expected nowadays that you know how to play Brazilian music, or funk, or hip-hop, or metal. A lot of younger bass players can do it all“

Bassist, bandleader, composer, teacher, clinician, and author John Goldsby is a dream interviewee, and not just because he’s an interesting guy with a wealth of experience. A journalist to the core, having contributed to this magazine for many years, Goldsby even supplies a tailor-made bio for features such as this. Details like this make our job both easy and fascinating. 

Since 1994, Goldsby has held the position of solo bassist with the Grammy Award-winning Westdeutscher Rundfunk Big Band (Cologne Radio Big Band). From 1980 to 1994, Goldsby was a fixture on the New York jazz scene. He has authored The Jazz Bass Book, Jazz Bowing Techniques For The Improvising Bassist, and Bass Notes.