Double Bass Bryn Davies

[Steve Killingsworth]

Contrary to what IBMA seems to think there are actually bluegrass bass players whose last names are not Bub, Wilborn, Bales, or Raines. Her solo begins about 6:45 but don't miss the fills throughout the rest of the tune.

 

[BobKay]

Steve - thanks for posting. Solo aside (which was great) the rest of the piece is an excellent example of adding musicality to the bass lines with fills outside of the root-five box. In this example, she is much more than a "timekeeper" or "foundation." Her playing adds as much color and depth to the entire piece as any of the other players.

 

[Steve Killingsworth]

Exactly! Two or three times a year someone posts about going beyond root-5. This is a great example of how to do that without getting too obnoxious or resorting to parlor tricks.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Exactly! Two or three times a year someone posts about going beyond root-5. This is a great example of how to do that without getting too obnoxious or resorting to parlor tricks.

She's playing the melody. That's the whole key, right there.

 

[Holdsg]

IBMA = the MLB All Star Game of bluegrass, the cats that are out there "killin' it" every night are looked over for the "name" musicians that haven't pushed the envelope in YEARS.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

IBMA = the MLB All Star Game of bluegrass, the cats that are out there "killin' it" every night are looked over for the "name" musicians that haven't pushed the envelope in YEARS.

Really? Last year's winner was a guy I'd never even heard play, a Dobro/guitar/fiddle player who is a producer and who also owns a record label, Tim Surett.

 

[james condino]

Tim is a great fellow who plays with Balsom Range and lives right down the road!

j.
www.kaybassrepair.com
www.condino.com

 

[Jeremy Darrow]

IBMA = the MLB All Star Game of bluegrass, the cats that are out there "killin' it" every night are looked over for the "name" musicians that haven't pushed the envelope in YEARS.

Nominees for IBMA awards are chosen by IBMA's professional members. If you don't like the results of the awards, than by all means please join and vote!


Bryn is one of the best, It makes me happy to see her getting some love here.

 

[WarEagle]

What a great player! Even if you had no idea who she is, I would be thinking, even before she ever hit a note, that she's got to be awesome. Just look who she's playing with!
Thanks for posting.

 

[MollyKay]

I have had the good fortune to take a workshop with Bryn where she demonstrated her perfect pitch and ability to recognize a chord by its tone. She is a great bass player and under rated on the festival circuit.

She played with Tony Rice and Peter Rowan many, many times. She could drive the melody note for note…and you guys are being really well behaved. Anytime I mention her playing in a circle of male bass friends they all get weak in the knees. Her playing is fine, but her stage presence is really fine. She can make love while playing bass…and make every man wish he was the bass. Just saying…girl crush.

 

[BobKay]

To borrow from Andy Griffith (No Time For Sargents?) : "I don't see a woman bass player, I just see a bass player." At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Jay Corwin]

She's "easy on the eyes" as my grandfather would say.

 

[mpf]

I have been fortunate to see her play several times over the years. So great, so inspiring. After my wife saw her for the first time, however, it was made very clear to me that if I were smart, I would no longer mention how great she is.

 

[martinc]

Contrary to what IBMA seems to think there are actually bluegrass bass players whose last names are not Bub, Wilborn, Bales, or Raines. Her solo begins about 6:45 but don't miss the fills throughout the rest of the tune.

Steve: Saw this video a while ago and I agree with your comments.
Bryn has great feel and timing and actually plays music on the bass. Fits this band perfectly....one of the reasons I think is that there is no banjo. Nothing against banjos ( I played and taught bluegrass banjo for 25 years) but depending on the material it's absence in some cases allows the other instruments, especially the bass, to "breathe" more.

 

[anightintunisia]

After my wife saw her for the first time, however, it was made very clear to me that if I were smart, I would no longer mention how great she is.

Hopefully for you your wife doesn't read the talkbass forums.

 

[tspag01]

I've been a big fan of Bryn's work with Justin Townes Earle for a long time. I just happened to Google her today and came across this old TB thread, and also found this update in Wikipedia:

Davies has lived in Knoxville, Tennessee since 2014 and received a bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Tennessee in 2019. As of 2020 she is employed as a safety engineer at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and continues to play bass as a sideline to her new career instead of as a full-time profession. [Bryn Davies (musician) - Wikipedia]

And this in her LinkedIn profile:
After a 20-year career as a professional bass player, I developed a passion for clean energy development, math, and science. I have been working at Y-12 for five years and am a qualified nuclear criticality safety (NCS) engineer. I have been the lead NCS engineer for Manufacturing Operations at Y-12 since October of 2022. I received my Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering with a concentration in nuclear safety in May of 2024 from UT Knoxville. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryn-davies-40595812a/]

Wow! She is literally a Nuclear Engineer! What an impressive and cool human being!

 

[Jason Sypher]

She’s such a great player and performer. Nice to see her recognized here.