John Ferrara: Zeros and Ones
Today we’re sharing an amazing video of John Ferrara performing “Zeros and Ones” from his latest solo album, A Lesson in Impermanence. The song has complicated passages and implements two different polyrhythms, but ultimately it’s about breaking things down to work them out.
“I named this song ‘Zeros and Ones’ because it’s a phrase I gravitate towards a lot when I’m talking about breaking things down,” the bassist explains. “I tell my students to do it whenever they’re learning something complicated and I’m asking them to play it at whatever pace it needs to be in order to see it through. In a broader sense, I use the phrase to mean ‘take yourself on your own terms,’ to start from where you are and don’t force anything. Like most things we learn from while studying music, this can also be applied to how we live our lives, and with immense benefits.”
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
