Life member Richard Feves, bassist, pianist, accordionist, composer, and arranger, died Sunday, November 23, 2025, in Santa Monica, California. He was 76 years old. 

Richard had a long career as a double bassist in Los Angeles, logging well over 1,000 recording sessions for motion pictures, television, and records. In addition to his recording work, he performed live with artists ranging from Leopold Stokowski to Jerry Garcia. 

Richard began his musical journey on piano and accordion at age five, but it was an invitation from his cousin, Julie Feves (bassoon AFM Local 47), to attend the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, that led him to take up the double bass. After Interlochen, Richard secured a position with the Portland Symphony Orchestra (now the Oregon Symphony) while finishing high school. After graduating high school, he moved to New York City to attend The Juilliard School, where he studied double bass with Stuart Sankey. 

After Juilliard, Richard briefly left for Europe to study conducting, then returned to the United States and relocated to California. In California, he performed with the Joffrey Ballet, the California Chamber Symphony, and many other regional orchestras in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Soon Richard established himself in the motion picture recording industry while also developing an interest in double bass pedagogy. His foundation, the Backstage Bass Society (BSBS), held annual conferences at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Maui, where the fine details of double bass technique were explored through workshops, seminars, and luncheons. Many of Los Angeles’s most in-demand double bassists attended these conferences to further refine right-hand technique and income tax strategies. 

Richard pursued many ventures outside of music. He founded a successful real estate business based on the model presented in William Nickerson’s How I Turned $1,000 into a Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time, which led him to split his time between real estate ventures in South Lake Tahoe and the studio recording industry in Los Angeles — a commute that inspired him to obtain a pilot’s license with an instrument rating. Richard also worked as a blackjack dealer in Lake Tahoe casinos and authored books on gambling and card games. During this time, he ran a bridge club in the San Fernando Valley, was an ordained minister, worked as a projectionist, and remained an avid crossword puzzler throughout. He later became a resident of Amsterdam for 20 years, where he cycled the countryside by day and performed music with family and close friends at night.   

Richard is survived by a musical family and countless colleagues in the music industry who continue to follow their passion and keep the dream alive. 

For information about a celebration of Richard’s life send an email to: ryanfeves@gmail.com.