Gary Karr: Life on the G String

Book excerpt: Gary Karr: Life on the G String chronicles the extraordinary international career of a double-bass soloist. Launched in 1962 by Leonard Bernstein, in a Young People's Concert at Carnegie Hall viewed on television by seven million people, Karr quickly gained legendary status for his virtuosity and inimitable lyricism, his infectious sense of humour, and the pioneering spirit that led him to found, in 1967, the International Society of Bassists, and he continues to perform and record at age seventy-five. In this account of Karr's professional and personal development, his own words punctuate the narrative and engage the reader in a lively, revealing conversation. Emotional, surprising, and entertaining, his story will appeal not only to his many fans and fellow-bassists, but to all musicians, music-lovers, and biography enthusiasts.