C
an there be any doubt that Janek Gwizdala is the
hardest-working man in bass? Sure, there may
be in-demand utility anchors with more gigs and
sessions, but when it comes down to plying his
art and his brand, Janek’s passion, energy, and output are
unmatched. He’s arguably the first new-media bass star,
with an omnipresence on social media that he has been
cultivating since the dawning days of MySpace. The South
London, England-born Gwizdala is the very definition of
bass entrepreneur, balancing recordings and tours as both
a leader and a sideman, an online education empire, vlogs
and podcasts, and generally being on the leading edge —
whether the discussion is playing concepts, gear, or the
bass world’s inner circle. (We won’t go into his gifts as a
tennis player and magician.)
For me, the Janek experience began circa-1999 at
Berklee College of Music, when I was in Boston to do a sto-
ry on the famed school for Bass Player. I attended Bruce
Gertz’s advanced jazz harmony class and happened to sit10 BASS MAGAZINE ; ISSUE 4 ; bassmagazine.com
CHANGE
BEGINS
AT 40
Janek Gwizdala Takes
A Collective Approach
For The Union
By Chris Jisi