Episode #182: Stephan Crump

Episode #182: Stephan Crump

From Improv Exchange Podcast by Leander Young

April 27, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 182

About this episode

Stephan Crump discusses his experiences as a bassist and composer in New York City.

On a recent wintry afternoon in Manhattan, Stephan Crump was doing what he has done countless times in the city—toting his upright bass, clad in a heavy black bag, along the sidewalk, as if he had a baby that was also a bear. Finding his car, Crump shimmied the instrument through the minivan’s side, climbed into the front seat, exhaled, and then grinned. In less than 24 hours, he would fly to Portland to teach “On Magnetism,” a long-accreting class on connecting more deeply with yourself and others through your instrument, and to play solo at the city’s jazz festival. But he knew he first needed to make the 40-minute trek from Brooklyn to Finlay + Gage, the legendary bass shop in Tribeca, to have his bass adjusted, so that he could make that connection himself. The sound post—that stout wooden dowel inside the bass that keeps it from collapsing on itself, and that the French call l’âme, or the soul—wasn’t sitting quite right. “It’s so personal, elusive, and mysterious. Yes, it’s a mechanical thing, but it has so much mojo to it. That’s why it’s called ‘the soul,’” Crump explained several days later from Portland, noting that the hassle of the errand had been worth it. The bass…

People in this episode

Host: Leander Young

Guest: Stephan Crump

Topics covered

  • music
  • bass
  • jazz
  • performance
  • teaching

Keywords

  • upright bass
  • sound post
  • musical connection
  • New York
  • jazz

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: On Magnetism

Places: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Finlay + Gage, Tribeca, Portland

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