Michael Bates recently released an album titled Metamorphosis: Variations on Lutoskawski. This album contains Michael’s arrangements and is based on arrangements of the composer Witold Lutoslawski, with music for clarinet, violin, bassoon, double bass, drums, plus string quartet. It’s a hybrid of jazz, classical, and improvisation and is a wild ride of styles and textures. We talk about the genesis of this idea, what it was like traveling to Poland to record this album, plans or touring with this ensemble, future projects with the Lutoslawski quartet, and more. Check out the promo for this project on YouTube, give the album a listen on Spotify and Apple Music, and follow along with Michael’s inspiring work on Instagram!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Timestamps theme music by Eric Hochberg 00:00 Introduction and Album Promotion 00:08 Discussing Michael Bates' New Album 01:02 Catching Up with Michael Bates 01:16 Exploring Lutoslavsky's Music 04:03 The Making of the Album 09:55 Sponsor Shoutout: Carnegie Mellon University 12:05 Deep Dive into Lutoslavsky's Music 16:32 The Composing Process 22:51 Finding Inspiration in the Backyard 23:31 The Art of Balancing Work and Rest 24:19 The Challenges of Being an Early Riser in the Music Industry 25:19 The Ideal Environment for Writing Music 26:22 Drawing Inspiration from Ludo Slavsky 26:43 The Journey of Creating the Album 31:03 The Influence of Polish Musicians and Culture 34:25 Future Projects and Plans 36:48 The Role of Instruments in Music Creation 42:03 The Power of Podcasts in Connecting Musicians 42:52 Wrapping Up and Looking Forward