Aaron Lumley (1981) is a Canadian double bass player living in Amsterdam since 2019. Working with the extended sonic range of the acoustic contrabass, Lumley is an exploratory musician who plays on an instrument tuned in fifths using a self-made bow. He currently plays bass in Bioluminus (with Ada Rave and Onno Govaert), Old Adam on Turtle Island (with John Dikeman, Marta Warelis and Sun Mi Hong), Leo Svirsky and the River Without Banks, Bhajan Bhoy & his Raga Arkestra, plus collaborations with Marielle Groven, Nora Mulder, Jasper Stadhouders among others. Lumley’s most recent solo record, Aaron Lumley Plays the Doghouse Bass (STABLE WORKS), was released at the Bimhuis in late 2019.
Originally a guitarist, Aaron Lumley was inspired to teach himself to play the double bass at the age of 25 after meeting Dutch bassist Wilbert de Joode. This self-guided path eventually led Lumley to Europe to study with both de Joode and German bassist John Eckhardt. From 2006-2018, Lumley was primarily active in the underground music scenes in Toronto and Montreal, working with a wide range of Canadian artists, musicians and composers including David Prentice, Isaiah Ceccarelli, Joshua Zubot, Michel Lambert, Matthew ‘Doc’ Dunn, Émilie Girard-Charest, Eschaton, Not the Wind Not the Flag, The Kyle Brenders Ensemble, and Jean Derome’s Résistances. Lumley has also played bass for internationally-renowned musicians like Arto Linday, Hamid Drake, Dave Rempis, Duke Garwood and Matt Valentine and contributed basslines to several award-winning recordings including Olivier Alary’s soundtrack for the documentary, The Prison in Twelve Landscapes, and Esmerine’s Dalmak (Constellation Records).
Long-running connections with the Amsterdam experimental music community eventually brought Lumley to relocate there with his partner, composer/multi-instrumentalist Marielle Groven in 2019. Currently active projects include:
Bioluminus (Ada Rave / Onno Govaert / Aaron Lumley)
Old Adam on Turtle Island (John Dikeman / Marta Warelis / Sun Mi Hong / Aaron Lumley)
Swimming to Zaal (Nora Mulder / Jasper Stadhouders / Aaron Lumley / Onno Govaert)
Jasper Stadhouders & Aaron Lumley
Marielle Groven & Aaron Lumley
Leo Svirsky and the River Without Banks
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