Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 70

ANTONELLA
Interview by Rául Amador

Antonella Mazza
antonellamazza.net
facebook.com/AntonellaMazzaBass
Twitter @antonellabass
Some of the band(s) I Play With:
session player, I play with
everyone calls me... almost
Gear I Use:
Warwick Streamer Custom shop V
strings Pink Barbie, Warwick CV
4 strings Custom shop, Warwick
Streamer fretless 4 strings,
Markbass combo Mini CMD 121P
Endorsed By:
Warwick Basses, MarkBass amps,
ErnieBall Strings

What made you decide to play bass?
It happened by accident, I never really
‘decided’. I’ve always loved music, and as a
young child, I received a guitar as a present
from my dad for Christmas. My friends and I,
(we were around 11 years old more or less)
decided to put together a Beatles tribute band.
They all wanted to be John Lennon, and as I
was the youngest, they decided I had to play
Paul McCartney’s role. One of them had an old
bass he gave me, but only for rehearsal time!
It was love at first sight and after a couple of
months, I bought my first bass.
How/Where did you learn to play?
I started out as being self-taught when I was 12,
until I was accepted to the Music Conservatory
at the age of 16. I had an excellent teacher
who, fortunately for me, played classical and
jazz music, on both acoustic upright as well
as electric bass. He was talking about Gary
Karr and about Jaco, James Jamerson and Ray
Brown, so I grew up mixing artists, styles and
instruments naturally.
Who are your musical inspirations, both
male and female?
First double bass player I had heard was
Charlie Mingus, on a tape (Tape!!! Oh my
gosh… don’t ask me how old I am!) I didn’t