We were lucky to catch up with Nick Panoutsos recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been my solo bass album, Monos. The album is comprised of eight tracks of solo upright bass, including two traditional Greek songs and six original compositions.
I began writing music for solo bass in 2019. Over the 2020 lockdown, I experimented more with it, partly to fill the void I and most other musicians felt from not playing with a band. During this time, I worked out techniques to play a melody and bass notes in a way that supported each other to tell a story.
Around the same time, I began digging deeper into Greek folk music. This music not only helped me reconnect to formative family memories, but influenced my approach to writing melodies from different scales and using different meters. What stood out to me most was how simple and honest these folk melodies felt, yet they could be heartrendingly bittersweet.
The sound of acoustic bass by itself has been a symbol of sanctuary, focus, and clarity to me for many years. Writing and recording the music of Monos provided a chance to capture these feelings and share them with the world.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a musician and educator based in NYC. My main instrument is bass (both upright and electric), but I teach a wide variety of instruments, including piano, guitar, & drums.
Most nights of the week, I perform at different venues throughout the city with local jazz trios & quartets. During the days, I teach private music lessons to young musicians. Though most of my students are children, I’ve also taught several private and group lessons to first-time adult music learners. Every summer, I travel to my home state of California to teach at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, leading the bass masterclass and a couple student combos.
My music education began with piano lessons starting at the age of five. But it wasn’t until middle school that I fell in love with music. After performing on bass guitar for the first time in the seventh grade talent show, I was hooked on playing and couldn’t get enough of learning new songs and genres. In high school I began playing upright bass, and after a few months, started playing jazz gigs around my hometown of San Jose, California. I knew I wanted to pursue music as a career by that time, so I moved to NYC to earn an undergrad degree in music. Since graduating, I’ve been working as a musician by night and a music teacher by day. My biggest joy in being a musician is connecting with other musicians on the bandstand- “locking in” to become in sync with their rhythm and harmony.
As for my own music, I lead a quartet called Ithaki that performs throughout NYC. We are a quartet of improvisors whose style is contemporary jazz meets Greek traditional music. We released our debut album on Slow & Steady Records in 2022, featuring saxophonist Sunhyun Yoo, drummer Kobi Abcede, trumpeter Camerahn Alforque, and myself on bass. We are currently working on developing our next project.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The goal is always to make music that inspires emotion. This might take the form of a fast walking bassline, played with the propulsion and excitement that one might feel driving down a stretch of open highway. Maybe it’s a contemplative solo bass composition that transports the listener to a mossy grove in a forest somewhere. Maybe it’s the soaring harmony between two horns that inspires the same awe one feels looking out at a valley from a mountaintop.
The music that inspires me most has this ability to transport me to another place. Achieving this with my own playing and compositions is what keeps me motivated every day.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Engaging with art in your own neighborhood is a big part of supporting a creative ecosystem. This can look like going to see local live music, gallery openings, comedy jams, or poetry readings. For us musicians, ticket sales from live shows typically make up much more of our revenue than what we make from streaming, so for anyone wondering how to best support their favorite local or touring artist, go see them play!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nickpanoutsos.com
- Instagram: @vegbass
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NickPanoutsos
- Other: Bandcamp: https://nickpanoutsos.bandcamp.com/album/monos
Image Credits
Seiji Yamashita
Eli Edwards
Andrew Thomas
Michael Dondero