Little Funk Suite

These 3 rather curious fictional dances for 4 double basses were inspired by an encounter with the double bass player Alexandra Scott. The vivid stories about each dance are entirely made up... or are they? The performers should feel free to adapt the music in their own way to make it "their own" as one would often do in popular music.

1. Boogaroola

The Boogaroola was invented in the 1940s by the legendary Boogie Woogie bassist Svenja Shakinsdottir. Born on the independent Skandinavian Honkytonkobsen Island, she achieved recongnition wide beyond her native country, mainly however in Eastern Europe, which might be due to her frequent use of irregular rhythems and unusual harmonies. She was, in fact, nicknamed “The Devil of the Boogie Woogie”. Boogie purists in South-West Dakota, once even organised a ritual burning of a double bass with her head painted on its back, shortly after the release of her legendary album “Boogie stenska grövsen arnhem slat!” (English translation: “Boogie stinks like armpit sweat!”)

2.Slowmotion

In 1964, Tatjana Basanova, from Bottesinovsk in the former Soviet state of Djingelistan distanced herself entirely from playing any fast notes on the double bass. She released 17 albums of “Slowmotions” strange, but mostly harmonious slow pieces all dedicated to her love of her life, violinist Sergey Stringovsky, who she married later on and lived happily with for over 84 years. Once they were together, she abandoned “slowmotions” and wrote music for various soft erotic movies, which earned her several “Vanya” nominations, (the equivelent of the “Oscar” of the Soviet porn industry.)

3.Rockit

The first and last ever “Rockit” was written by Adriana Kontrabaja in 1973 and would have changed the face of jazz, rock and funk forever, if the music would still be available. Unfortunately the last copy of the vynal record was destroyed by her daughter, a renown viola player in Dragone, the Capuzzinian village they are from, when she tried to squeeze it into a CD player. Apparently it was a refreshing, adventures and innovative mix of various popular forms. Unfortunately, what we now know as a “Rockit” is a somewhat monotone, repetitive, primitive, yet loud and ferocious type of rock, mostly played by slightly too many double basses and sometimes interrupted by a few bars of Viennese Waltz.