The Phil Jones Bass and Labella Strings first annual West Coast Solo Bass Contest was held on Thursday night at NAMM at the Clarion Hotel in front of a capacity crowd.
The pre-selected finalists performed for a celebrity panel of judges that included bass legends Lee Sklar, Bakithi Kumalo, Bob Glaub, Oskar Cartaya, Jerry Watts, and producer Jeff Weber. The winners of the contest included Josh Cohen (1st place), Kirby Barber (2nd place), and Samual Smith (3rd place).
The Solo Bass Contest is a popular annual event that takes place each October at the LaBella showroom in New York City. As a result of the success of the NAMM event, plans are already underway to book a larger venue for the January 2021 contest as many interested attendees were turned away due to the capacity crowd.
