Victor Wooten, Dave Holland and Mohini Dey will be at BassFest '25
BassFest is the only festival in the world programmed around the bass. So there will be jazz, classical, global, funk, hip-hop and pop in Theater Zuidplein on 8 and 9 November. With bands, orchestras and soloists. On double bass, bass guitar and viola da gamba. Besides more than 18 live performances in one weekend, there are also exhibitions by instrument makers, a basscinema and more.
BassFest programmes a number of acts exclusively for the Netherlands and organises a number of unique collaborations. For instance, the festival is bringing American legendary bassist Victor Wooten to the Netherlands. The bassist won five Grammy Awards, is the first person to be named Bass Player of the Year three times by Bass Player magazine and was named one of the ten best bassists of all time by Rolling Stone in 2011. Living legend Victor Wooten is also on hand with his The Wooten Brothers, bass guitarist Vincen García and American classical double bass phenomenon Xavier Foley will also play at the fifth edition of BassFest (formerly Dutch Double Bass Festival).
Mohini Dey is a young Indian bass sensation. She grew into a global name thanks to her virtuosity, fluid jazz fusion style and collaborations with luminaries like Steve Vai and Zakir Hussain.
Moroccan Mehdi Nassouli is one of the leading representatives of contemporary Gnawa music. A master on the guembri (a three-stringed bass lute central to the Gnawa tradition), he combines traditional African, Arabic and Gnawa influences with elements of jazz, reggae and rock. He has already played with Fatoumata Diawara, Herbie Hancock and Alpha Blondy and for BassFest he is looking to collaborate with Amsterdam-based crossover ensemble Marmoucha Collective
Classical, jazz, global and pop at one festival
Because the bass is indispensable in every style of music, BassFest programmes across styles. Apart from the acts already mentioned, the Dave Holland Trio, Spanish Vincen García, Dutch double bassist Sasha Witteveen and James Oesi Trio will also be present.
BassFest also gives the youngest talents a stage. From the Codarts Conservatorium in Rotterdam and Conservatorium van Amsterdam, several ensembles play with their best bass students.
Fifth edition
Artistic director is solo bassist James Oesi: "Without many people realising it, the bass is an enormously versatile instrument: essential as an orchestral instrument, powerful as a soloist in chamber music, indispensable in a jazz band and the basis of every good hip-hop song. I want to show the world how beautiful the bass is; appealing to all kinds of music lovers whom we want to touch the heart with this festival."
