Janek Gwizdala Podcast
Dive deep into the music universe with the podcast that unveils the journey of one of the most influential bass players in the music industry – Janek Gwizdala. Designed for bass enthusiasts and musicians alike, each episode is a sonic exploration into the world of groove, gear. technique, and artistic evolution.
Janek Gwizdala, renowned for his mastery of the bass, shares his life's narrative – from the early days as a budding musician to his current status as a sought-after sideman and solo artist. Whether you're a seasoned bassist or simply appreciate the magic of live music, join us as we unravel the layers of Janek's experiences, revealing the secrets behind his signature sound.
Expect in-depth conversations with Janek and special guests, offering unique perspectives on music, composition, and the art of creating an unforgettable groove. Explore the challenges and triumphs of a professional bass player, gain insights into the creative process, and discover the stories behind some of Janek's most iconic performances.
Whether you're looking for inspiration for your own musical journey or simply want to bask in the rich tones of the bass, "The Janek Gwizdala Podcast" is your backstage pass to the world of bass and music.
Subscribe now for an intimate look at the life and legacy of Janek Gwizdala's bass-centric career.
janekgwizdala.substack.com
Secrets of Mastery: Musician Meets Magician
2025-07-28 19:53:00
Jason was a full-time touring musician for years, playing hundreds—if not thousands—of shows around the world. Today, he’s recognized as one of the world’s leading card magicians. He was incredibly generous with his time, sitting down with me to explore the fascinating parallels between mastering both music and magic. We met at New York City’s legendary Birdland Jazz Club and went deep into the lineage Jason comes from—one that traces back to giants like Dai Vernon, his mentor Darwin Ortiz, and a rare circle of elite card magicians. These artists are keeping the craft alive and evolving, both through live performance and the modern era of video we currently find ourselves in. One of the performance's referenced in the interview is Jason's Magic Castle set. I highly recommend watching it for some context, and also to get your brain melted: He is touring constantly, and having been in the room while he handled the cards, I cannot recommend checking out a live show enough. Check out tour dates and everything else Ladanye. He is also @CardMagicByJason on all platforms. More soon, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Jason was a full-time touring musician for years, playing hundreds—if not thousands—of shows around the world. Today, he’s recognized as one of the world’s leading card magicians. He was incredibly generous with his time, sitting down with me to explore the fascinating parallels between mastering both music and magic.
We met at New York City’s legendary Birdland Jazz Club and went deep into the lineage Jason comes from—one that traces back to giants like Dai Vernon, his mentor Darwin Ortiz, and a rare circle of elite card magicians. These artists are keeping the craft alive and evolving, both through live performance and the modern era of video we currently find ourselves in.
One of the performance's referenced in the interview is Jason's Magic Castle set. I highly recommend watching it for some context, and also to get your brain melted:
He is touring constantly, and having been in the room while he handled the cards, I cannot recommend checking out a live show enough.
Check out tour dates and everything else Ladanye.
He is also @CardMagicByJason on all platforms.
More soon,
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Recreating Iconic Bass Tones with the HX Stomp
2025-07-23 15:03:00
Ever wanted to sound just like your bass heroes? We all have those iconic players who shaped the way we hear and play bass. For me, it started with revisiting Voodoo by D'Angelo and getting lost in Pino Palladino’s buttery tone. That led me down the rabbit hole of dialing in his sound—and others—using the HX Stomp. The result? A custom collection of 5 HX Stomp presets inspired by five of the greatest to ever do it: Marcus Miller, Pino Palladino, Tim Lefebvre, John Patitucci, and Victor Wooten. These players have shaped entire genres—and my own musical path—with tones that are instantly recognizable yet always evolving. Rather than chase every tone they’ve ever played, I zeroed in on some of their most iconic recorded moments. These presets are my best attempt to capture those sounds—the ones that made me stop and rewind. Check out all the HX Presets I have in the store, including this new collection of Bass Legends. They’re designed as a starting point for your curiosity, and I highly recommend diving deeper into each artist’s discography to better understand their origin story. As the years unfold, the fascinating part for me is where they’ve all ended up on the journey. With John Patitucci you might be a huge fan of the 80’s/90’s Ken Smith/Yamaha records, but haven’t explored the recent albums with the hollow body instruments. Marcus Miller might mean SLAP to you, but perhaps you missed his incredibly melodic finger style playing on fretless on records like Tales and Marcus . Wherever you’re at in your listening and discovery, just remember that curiosity is key, and these sounds could open up a whole new world of music. More soon, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Ever wanted to sound just like your bass heroes? We all have those iconic players who shaped the way we hear and play bass. For me, it started with revisiting Voodoo by D'Angelo and getting lost in Pino Palladino’s buttery tone. That led me down the rabbit hole of dialing in his sound—and others—using the HX Stomp.
The result? A custom collection of 5 HX Stomp presets inspired by five of the greatest to ever do it: Marcus Miller, Pino Palladino, Tim Lefebvre, John Patitucci, and Victor Wooten. These players have shaped entire genres—and my own musical path—with tones that are instantly recognizable yet always evolving.
Rather than chase every tone they’ve ever played, I zeroed in on some of their most iconic recorded moments. These presets are my best attempt to capture those sounds—the ones that made me stop and rewind.
Check out all the HX Presets I have in the store, including this new collection of Bass Legends.
They’re designed as a starting point for your curiosity, and I highly recommend diving deeper into each artist’s discography to better understand their origin story. As the years unfold, the fascinating part for me is where they’ve all ended up on the journey.
With John Patitucci you might be a huge fan of the 80’s/90’s Ken Smith/Yamaha records, but haven’t explored the recent albums with the hollow body instruments. Marcus Miller might mean SLAP to you, but perhaps you missed his incredibly melodic finger style playing on fretless on records like Tales and Marcus.
Wherever you’re at in your listening and discovery, just remember that curiosity is key, and these sounds could open up a whole new world of music.
More soon,
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Subbing for TONY LEVIN Was Insane
2025-07-16 22:36:47
This past week has been one of the bigger musical challenges of my career when I was asked to sub for one of my all-time bass heroes Tony Levin in the band Stick Men. This episode takes a look at the process of learning their show in less than two days, transcribing and charting all the music, and playing 9 note phrases over an 11/4 time signature. It was a real highlight of my year to be trusted by these exceptional musicians, to be able to complete the assignment, and most importantly to have a fun and musically fulfilling time doing it. We of course wish Tony a speedy recovery, and the band a successful conclusion to their west coast tour this month. Be sure to check out the band and their tour dates . More soon, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
This past week has been one of the bigger musical challenges of my career when I was asked to sub for one of my all-time bass heroes Tony Levin in the band Stick Men.
This episode takes a look at the process of learning their show in less than two days, transcribing and charting all the music, and playing 9 note phrases over an 11/4 time signature.
It was a real highlight of my year to be trusted by these exceptional musicians, to be able to complete the assignment, and most importantly to have a fun and musically fulfilling time doing it.
We of course wish Tony a speedy recovery, and the band a successful conclusion to their west coast tour this month.
Be sure to check out the band and their tour dates.
More soon,
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
"Jazz Musicians Have It Easy" The Adam Neely Interview
2025-07-07 15:05:00
Adam Neely is a bass player, band leader, YouTuber and much more as you're about to find out in this interview. I sat down with him recently in NYC and got into what it takes to be a bass player and artist in 2025 and beyond. We talk touring as a band leader, breaking the YouTube algorithm, and a little nerdy pedal chat thrown in for good measure. This was the first time we were meeting in person, and it will hopefully be the first of many sit-down discussions as the music business evolves in the coming years. Enjoy, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Adam Neely is a bass player, band leader, YouTuber and much more as you're about to find out in this interview.
I sat down with him recently in NYC and got into what it takes to be a bass player and artist in 2025 and beyond.
We talk touring as a band leader, breaking the YouTube algorithm, and a little nerdy pedal chat thrown in for good measure.
This was the first time we were meeting in person, and it will hopefully be the first of many sit-down discussions as the music business evolves in the coming years.
Enjoy,
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Top 5 Bass Albums Every Musician Should Hear
2025-07-03 20:40:24
This episode of the podcast started life a couple of days ago as a post on my newsletter, and has now become a deeper dive into the inner workings of some of the most legendary bass players we all know and love. You might have heard of these bassists, maybe heard these albums. Perhaps you've even heard these exact songs before! But if you leave with nothing else from this episode, I want you to think about all the places your mind hasn't yet wondered when you listen. Before you leave, don’t forget that our 4th of July “Independence Bass” sale is now live! Get 30% off all orders over $80, and get free shipping worldwide on books, CDs and Vinyl. No promo codes needed. It all happens automatically at checkout. More soon and happy practicing! Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
This episode of the podcast started life a couple of days ago as a post on my newsletter, and has now become a deeper dive into the inner workings of some of the most legendary bass players we all know and love.
You might have heard of these bassists, maybe heard these albums. Perhaps you've even heard these exact songs before! But if you leave with nothing else from this episode, I want you to think about all the places your mind hasn't yet wondered when you listen.
Before you leave, don’t forget that our 4th of July “Independence Bass” sale is now live! Get 30% off all orders over $80, and get free shipping worldwide on books, CDs and Vinyl. No promo codes needed. It all happens automatically at checkout.
More soon and happy practicing!
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Switching Basses?! How Hard Can It Be...?
2025-06-18 15:03:00
You might be a bass player who owns more than one bass, but has had difficulty switching between them. You are not alone! This was me for the longest time. I used to be so tied to one specific instrument that I missed out on a lot of opportunities to play music. I've since shed that security blanket and am sharing the process in today's episode as I highlight how much easier it has become to switch between 4 very different basses. The Vital Information East Coast tour starts tomorrow, all dates are linked below. More soon, Janek
You might be a bass player who owns more than one bass, but has had difficulty switching between them. You are not alone!
This was me for the longest time. I used to be so tied to one specific instrument that I missed out on a lot of opportunities to play music. I've since shed that security blanket and am sharing the process in today's episode as I highlight how much easier it has become to switch between 4 very different basses.
The Vital Information East Coast tour starts tomorrow, all dates are linked below.
More soon,
Janek
Me and THUNDERCAT on SBL?!
2025-06-11 22:07:18
Playing a Thundercat song on SBL wasn't something I had on my bingo card at the beginning of the year, but that's exactly what happened! I had a blast shooting the video and was (in a very rare instance for me) quite happy with the performance. I think it was a product of being surprised by the material, feeling comfortable around the crew, and just letting it happen. Massive thanks to Sharon for doing such a great job of hosting the segment and being open to trying something new with the format, and to the whole crew with Scott and Mattie for our mega day in the studio here in Los Angeles. Check out the new Chordal Harmony Bundle if you want to dig deeper into some of the chords and voicings I’m breaking down in today’s episode. More soon, Janek
Playing a Thundercat song on SBL wasn't something I had on my bingo card at the beginning of the year, but that's exactly what happened! I had a blast shooting the video and was (in a very rare instance for me) quite happy with the performance. I think it was a product of being surprised by the material, feeling comfortable around the crew, and just letting it happen.
Massive thanks to Sharon for doing such a great job of hosting the segment and being open to trying something new with the format, and to the whole crew with Scott and Mattie for our mega day in the studio here in Los Angeles.
Check out the new Chordal Harmony Bundle if you want to dig deeper into some of the chords and voicings I’m breaking down in today’s episode.
More soon,
Janek
Did I Just OFFEND 8,641,398 Soundgarden Fans?!
2025-06-05 22:56:46
It all started as a very innocent comment about not being a huge Soundgarden fan. Over 200k views and 1k comments in the first week later, and the dumpster fire that YouTube comments can become has been quite an eye-opening ride. The irony is, I don't hate Soundgarden at all. I've even seen them in concert at the old LA Forum and had a great time. The way in which most of the outraged commenters on Musora's video we shot with Vital Information think it's wrong that I don't choose Soundgarden as my go-to band, is quite astonishing. If I asked them to listen to microtonal ambient clarinet music and they weren't a huge fan, should my response be the same? Should I think any less of them? Of course not. In this episode we break down the Soundgarden controversy, my clinics in Europe with Ian Martin Allison, and one of the worst travel weeks of my 30+ year career. Make sure you check out the new vinyl copies of the Mystery to Me 20th Anniversary release that just arrived while I was on tour in Europe. All pre-orders shipped today, and there are a few copies left that are available in the store while stocks last! More soon, Janek
It all started as a very innocent comment about not being a huge Soundgarden fan. Over 200k views and 1k comments in the first week later, and the dumpster fire that YouTube comments can become has been quite an eye-opening ride. The irony is, I don't hate Soundgarden at all. I've even seen them in concert at the old LA Forum and had a great time.
The way in which most of the outraged commenters on Musora's video we shot with Vital Information think it's wrong that I don't choose Soundgarden as my go-to band, is quite astonishing. If I asked them to listen to microtonal ambient clarinet music and they weren't a huge fan, should my response be the same? Should I think any less of them? Of course not. In this episode we break down the Soundgarden controversy, my clinics in Europe with Ian Martin Allison, and one of the worst travel weeks of my 30+ year career.
Make sure you check out the new vinyl copies of the Mystery to Me 20th Anniversary release that just arrived while I was on tour in Europe. All pre-orders shipped today, and there are a few copies left that are available in the store while stocks last!
More soon,
Janek
When You're Not Ready for Tour...
2025-05-28 22:46:12
When life happens and what you actually need to be doing to get ready for recording, performances, or clinics gets put on the back burner, it can feel a little hectic and out of control. I found myself waking up today, the day before leaving for Europe, and feeling very underprepared with my playing. Today’s episode takes a look at the idea I’m using to inject some confidence and stamina back into my playing, so I can hit the ground running in Germany and play to the best of my ability. The final few tickets for our Bass Bash event in London on June 1st are AVAILABLE HERE , as is a mint-condition Fairfield Circuitry Randy’s Revenge that is flying out of the pedal library this week to make room for something new. I was also given a couple of fun new toys by Tosin Abasi yesterday, so we take a quick look at them towards the end of the episode. More soon, Janek
When life happens and what you actually need to be doing to get ready for recording, performances, or clinics gets put on the back burner, it can feel a little hectic and out of control.
I found myself waking up today, the day before leaving for Europe, and feeling very underprepared with my playing.
Today’s episode takes a look at the idea I’m using to inject some confidence and stamina back into my playing, so I can hit the ground running in Germany and play to the best of my ability.
The final few tickets for our Bass Bash event in London on June 1st are AVAILABLE HERE, as is a mint-condition Fairfield Circuitry Randy’s Revenge that is flying out of the pedal library this week to make room for something new.
I was also given a couple of fun new toys by Tosin Abasi yesterday, so we take a quick look at them towards the end of the episode.
More soon,
Janek
How to Get Better Faster
2025-05-21 15:04:00
It's not clickbait, it's not a hack, it's not a shortcut, and there is no avoiding the work. This is literally how you get better faster than you’re doing it now. Laser focus on small pieces of information for as much time as you can during your practice sessions, will help give you the freedom to play without thinking when it comes to be onstage. More soon, Janek P.S. There are crazy delays on the Mystery to Me Anniversary Vinyl, and I must apologize to everyone who pre-ordered the album. I was expecting to ship in mid-April, and that is already a month gone. The latest from Discmakers is May 15th-Jun 4th as a delivery window. As soon as they’re here, they’ll be on the way to you!
It's not clickbait, it's not a hack, it's not a shortcut, and there is no avoiding the work.
This is literally how you get better faster than you’re doing it now.
Laser focus on small pieces of information for as much time as you can during your practice sessions, will help give you the freedom to play without thinking when it comes to be onstage.
More soon,
Janek
P.S. There are crazy delays on the Mystery to Me Anniversary Vinyl, and I must apologize to everyone who pre-ordered the album. I was expecting to ship in mid-April, and that is already a month gone. The latest from Discmakers is May 15th-Jun 4th as a delivery window. As soon as they’re here, they’ll be on the way to you!