Contrabassist Mark Dresser continues his Thursday evening residency at the San Diego Museum of Art on August 22, at 7 pm with a show featuring six bassists in various configurations, including bass legend Bert Turetzky, and Joe McNalley, who is the artistic director of the Hutchins Consort, and, like Dresser, a former student of Turetzky.

Also appearing will be three of Dresser's students: Scott Worthington an expert in contemporary music, Kyle Motl, an incoming doctoral student and Tim McNalley, who Dresser called "a gifted undergraduate student."

The concert will begin with "Alisei," by the late bassist Stefano Scodanibbio featuring four of the bassists, playing from the four corners of the room as an invocation. Next, Dresser will play "Five Outer Planets," commissioned by sculptor Robert Taplin. Each piece is in a different tuning and will be played to photographs of Taplin's sculptures of the Greek Titans.

An improvised duo with Turetzky and a piece for four bassists dedicated to Steve Lacy will wrap up the first set, and a trio with the McNalley's and Dresser all playing a Hutchins 7' contrabass violin will open the second. Also expect Dresser to interact with special video and animation screens, including "Chronicles of an Asthmatic Stripper," by Sarah Jane Lapp and a collaboration with Jeff Kaiser.

If you are even slightly interested in the state of the art of the upright bass -- there is only one place to be on the 22nd. Tickets are free to Museum members and $12 to the general public.

Photo by Anthony Cecena