“Bass is a function, not an instrument,” insists Sebastian Steinberg as he pauses to sip his tea before jumping back into his commentary on the limitless possibilities of frequency. His insights on his instrument and its role in music shift from master class to abstract within the same sentence, but every word he speaks is full of intention and the deep knowledge that he’s amassed throughout his 62 years. His statement about bass makes more sense as he elaborates that as a kid he primarily kept to himself and passed the time mimicking birds, nature, and the city noises of his hometown Boston, where his earliest inclinations were based solely on the sounds around him and not yet the instruments that create them. His point is solidified as he reflects, “I really wanted to be a train when I was a little kid, and bass was the closest I could get to that.” There’s never a dull moment when talking with Steinberg, which is perfectly expected if you’ve ever heard his bass play