A Tribute to Wes Wehmiller

Once I met Wes at Berklee College Of Music, I knew I wanted to do something musical with him, because he wasn’t just a special bassist, he was a special musician. But being a fellow bassist made it a challenge.

So when it came time for my Senior Recital, I thought of what we could do together that would be unusual but still exciting, and we both settled on this except from Telemann’s Sonata #1, a classical duet played in “round” form - which, for the non-musicians reading this page, means we played the same exact part, but he just started after I did, which created a series of harmonies and counter-melodies that made the composition what it was. I started and then Wes comes in two bars later (Wes is the slightly darker tone). And, of course, he nailed it.

This was recorded on November 6, 1992, in room 1A at Berklee College Of Music in Boston, MA. It’s one of many, many fond musical memories I have of him…