In this edition of In the Spotlight, we are speaking with Douglas Weiss, an esteemed jazz double bassist and lecturer at Conservatorium Maastricht since 2024. With a career spanning decades, he has performed alongside some of the greatest jazz musicians and has shared his knowledge at institutions such as The New School and SUNY Purchase College. In this interview, Douglas reflects on his experiences, the evolving landscape of jazz, and the essential qualities that define a great musician. From blending tradition with innovation to the importance of collaboration across art forms, he offers invaluable insights for aspiring jazz students.
1. What do you bring to its Jazz Department?
I bring years of experience playing with the living masters of music, commonly referred to as jazz. My goal is to pass on the invaluable lessons I've learned while also applying my teaching expertise, developed over years at The New School, SUNY Purchase College, and in workshops around the world.
2. You’ve collaborated with artists across various disciplines, including choreography. How do you see the relationship between jazz and other art forms, and how does this shape your musical career and teaching style?
Working across disciplines expands one’s perspective. It helps me to think differently about the music I play and the nature of performance itself. In the past, I would simply stand on stage and play the bass😉. But through these collaborations, I’ve become much more aware of the visual aspects of performance and my own physical presence. Dancing will do that to a person.
3. How do you balance the traditional foundations of jazz with innovation and experimentation in your teaching?
That is a fundamental topic that we grapple with as improvising artists. On one hand, we want to know and honour the history and focus on our craft, so that we can be the best bass players that we can. At the same time we are called to be individuals and to express our own sound that is unique to our musical identity. The bassist Red Mitchell put it like this in his song ‘Big’n and the Bear’: “Be good if you care, be great if you dare“.
4. As a composer, arranger and bandleader, how do you guide students to find their unique voice?
In an ensemble context, I like to find ways of arranging the music to maximize each musician’s individuals’ contribution. I’m thinking about the overall presentation of a piece and how it can get its message across in the most direct way. For me, this approach has developed over the years of listening to the library of sounds that have been left us by the masters, and through the experience of playing with some of them. I love the way Ellington, Strayorn, and Basie, and before that, King Oliver, and Fletcher Henderson used to arrange for the individual personalities of their band members. I think all the greats did and still do that, from Miles to Art Blakey to Ahmad Jamal to Peter Bernstein, Eddie Henderson, to Brad Mehldau and on and on. So I bring that to the table. Beyond that, I’m always searching for the spark—that one missing element that can elevate the music and make it truly soar.
5. You have given education and workshops around the world, what has this international experience brought you? And what are the benefits of an international community?
Music is truly a universal language. I am definitely not the first one to say that, but I’ve experienced it firsthand—meeting people from all walks of life who are deeply connected to the legacy of artists like Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, Oscar Pettiford, Israel Crosby, and Jimmy Blanton. When like-minded musicians come together, we can share our experiences and create magic.
Blending my sound with others is not just something I do; it’s something I live for. It’s my soul mission. And helping aspiring musicians ‘get there’ is part of my mission.
Jazz, as we know it today, was created in the United States by Black Americans for whom the recent memory of slavery and the pernicious caste system designed to hinder their progress was an everyday reality. Yet they persisted, creating the blues, adapting church music to vociferous affirmation, and generally transmuting suffering into light in the process. I never lose sight of that history, and I ensure that my students don’t either.
But with the first wave of black US servicemen to come to Europe in 1915, bringing their music with them, then expats like Oscar Pettiford spawning an entire school of European bassists in Scandinavia, as well as the rise of East German free jazz in the 1960’s, the identity of the music has grown to encompass the world. It was destined to and has in fact slipped the bonds of a particular nation and as the great trumpet player Nicholas Payton has said, ‘You don’t have to be Black to appreciate and play it anymore than you have to be Chinese to cook and eat noodles.’
6. Do you have any tips for upcoming new Double Bass Jazz students?
Absolutely! Aim to practice at least 45 minutes a day. Focus on 3 standard tunes and devise your own way to arrange them, where you can play the melody in a way that you find pleasing, and find the harmony that you like, and make a nice version to share. Don’t rush - master the fundamentals first. Learn to walk before you run!
7. At last: If there’s anything else you’d like to share or add, we’d love to hear it!
Yes. We are at a crossroads in human history, where artificial intelligence is not so slowly coming to take over many of the jobs that used to be done by humans. There is also a crisis in truth, as we have recently seen that Meta will no longer fact check on its platforms.
Unfortunately, this is also happening in the music field. One can readily hear computer generated simulations of pop music, early blues, and jazz, so to be in the performing arts means more than ever that you have to be a flexible, dynamic presence, and ready to engage and collaborate on a human level.
As aspiring Artists we are on a journey and each person has their own path to uncover. I think we need to embrace the change, but to hold fast to the values that make for great music. Taste, feeling, storytelling, mastery of the instrument, knowledge of repertoire, and the ability to work well with others. These qualities never go out of style—they are what keep music alive and timeless.
Douglas Weiss’s passion for jazz extends far beyond performance—it’s a lifelong dedication to storytelling, mastery, and meaningful collaboration. As he reminds us, embracing change while staying true to the fundamental values of music is key to artistic growth. Whether through teaching, performing, or composing, his commitment to keeping jazz alive and evolving is truly inspiring. We thank Douglas for sharing his wisdom and experiences, and we look forward to seeing how his contributions continue to shape the future of jazz at Conservatorium Maastricht.
