Ari Roland: Arco Art

Undaunted by the conventions of the typical double bass solo, Ari Roland has declared his allegiance to the bow. For the past 15 years Roland has performed almost nothing but arco solos. He captures some of the high drama associated with other instruments.

“I love the sound of bowed bass,” Roland said. “It doesn’t mean there’s not great pizzicato stuff out there. [But] I found that I could play faster with the bow. I found that I could slur things in certain ways. I found that I could sustain notes in certain ways. At this point in my life,” he added, “I really try and only do gigs [where] I’m soloing on every song. I walk the bass all night behind people, but I love soloing.”