Bass Faculty

David Ambrosio - Bass, Afro/Cuban Bata

Listen to David: "Hi Beck"
Neighborhood: UWS, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with David.

For more about NYJA's Afro/Cuban Bata Drumming Workshops, click here.

Bassist and Bata drummer David Ambrosio, originally from the New York area, has been a vital component of New York's Jazz scene for more than 15 years. Since the start of his career in New York City David has played with an extensive list of jazz greats such as pianist Kenny Werner, legendary vibraphone/clarinet duo Terry Gibbs and Buddy DeFranco, George Garzone, Joseph Jarmon and Ralph Alessi. David has toured and recorded with many groups that he is an integral part of including George Schuller's Circle Wide, the Matt Renzi Trio, Eri Yamamoto Trio, Vinnie Sperrazza Trio, Grupo Los Santos, Deanna Witkowski Quartet, Eric Rasmussen's School of Tristano, Adriano Santos Quintet, Rob Garcia's Sangha, the Schumacher/Sanford Sound Assembly and the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra led by Jim McNeely and Michael Abene. In 2001, while on tour in Cuba with Grupo Los Santos and Max Pollack's Rumbatap, David had the opportunity to work with Afro/Cuban folkloric music and dance ensembles. During that experience his interest and study of Afro/Cuban folkloric music, culture and Bata drumming began and, consequently, has become quite active in NYC's Latin music scene. As an educator Mr. Ambrosio has had much experience over the years. Since 1997 David has been on faculty at the Queens College Center for Preparatory Studies in Music where he teaches young developing artists in both Jazz and Classical genres. David was also among the first clinicians to work for the Colden Center's City High School Jazz Residency Program, now known as the Kupferberg Performance Center, where he continues to share his music in NYC public schools where students have very little opportunity to explore Jazz music. On numerous occasions David has toured in Central and South East Asia on behalf of the US State Department as a performer and clinician. David has a Bachelor degree in Classical Composition from Manhattan School of Music and Master's degree in Jazz Performance from Queens College. For more about David, visit www.myspace.com/davidambrosio.

Dan Asher - Bass

Listen to Dan: "Ice Age"
Neighborhood: Riverdale, Bronx (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Secondary instruments taught: guitar
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Dan Asher.

Bassist Dan Asher has been busy performing and teaching in the New York area for much of the past decade. After graduating from Lawrence University in 2001, his active schedule has included performances at legendary jazz venues such as Birdland, the Blue Note, and Smalls, covering a wide range of music including Jazz, R&B, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian. He is a member of the Broadway Boys, a talented group of vocalists and instrumentalists who continue to pack theaters and jazz venues all over the country with their improvisational takes on current Broadway repertoire. He has also maintained an active teaching schedule with private students and ensembles throughout the Tri-State area. For more about Dan, visit www.myspace.com/danashmusic.

Adam Bernstein - Bass

Listen to Adam:
"Perk Up (for Walter Perkins)"
Neighborhood: Park Slope, Brooklyn (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Secondary instruments taught: guitar
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Adam Bernstein.

"..regardless of format, Adam Bernstein is a brilliant tunesmith whose colorful vibes blind the shady music industry." - Home News

An accomplished composer, arranger and educator as well as bassist, Adam Bernstein led the successful folk/rock/klezmer/funk 14-piece big band All God's Children for six years. The Aquarian Weekly (NJ) named Adam "Best Bassist" and the band "Best Band" in 1993. He later performed and/or recorded with a wide range of talented musicians and dancers, including Levon Helm, Sahib Shihab, Perry Robinson, Walter Perkins, Ethel (string quartet), Teocinte (from El Salvador), Jack Hardy, Claire Daly, The Angstones, Solar, David Driver, Sean Altman and Jennifer Muller/The Works. In 1990 Adam toured Japan with Hilario Soto's Higher Culture, and in 1993 studied percussion at the Escuela Nacional De Danzaq Moderna Y Folklorica in Havana, Cuba. As a composer and arranger, Adam co-arranged the score for a television program on Groucho Marx that aired on the A&E network's popular series "Biography." He has composed many scores for dance, performed at Columbia and Rutgers universities as well as other performances spaces. In 1998, while continuing to perform and record, Adam turned his attention toward jazz education. He recently ended his tenure as jazz director at the Berkeley-Carroll School in Brooklyn, NY and worked on the faculty at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He received a proclamation for his outstanding work in jazz education from Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz on June 3, 2005. Adam Bernstein will be performing as part of The Laurie Berkner Band on the new season of NOGGIN's "Jack's Big Music Show." Adam played bass on Laurie Berkner's first three award-winning and critically acclaimed releases, 1997's 'Whaddaya Think Of That?', 1998's 'Buzz Buzz,' 1999's 'Victor Vito,' and 2008's 'Rocketship Run'. For more about Adam, visit www.Adam-Bernstein.com.

Howard Britz - Bass

Listen to Howard: "Yaakology"
Neighborhood: Flatbush/Ditmas Park, Brooklyn (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Secondary instruments taught: piano (from age 5)
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Howard.

Bassist and composer Howard Britz grew up in London, England. He has performed and recorded with a many influential musicians including; bebop vocal legends Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross, Latin Jazz greats Danilo Perez & Paquito de Rivera, important Jazz artist such as Sam Rivers, Julius Hemphill, Kenny Werner, Uri Caine, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Kenny Wheeler and Tim Garland. The breadths of his musical influences in the Jazz, Latin, R&B and Gospel fields can be heard in his playing and compositions. Arriving in America in 1991 on a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, one of his first gigs was with Billy Pierce, the ex-Art Blakey tenor man. He received a Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1995. In 1995 he overshot New York and moved to Philadelphia, PA for, as he puts it, "romantic reasons." "I learned so much playing with the wonderful Philly musicians of the older and younger generations such as Mickey Roker, Sid Simmons, Uri Caine and John Swana, and the many soulful jazz/Blues vocalists--it was a great scene." Residing in New York since 1998, Howard has continued to play, record and teach. As a leader he has 3 CDs out under his own name 'The Future, The Past,' 'Made in Brooklyn,' and most recently, 'Here I Stand.' In 2008 he took his band on tour to England to great audiences and excellent reviews. He received a BFA in Music & Education, summa cum laude from The City College in 2005. "My goal is to be a contemporary player conversant with what's going on now but always in touch with the roots of jazz and Latin music, i.e. it's really important to groove and for things to feel good." For more about Howard, visit www.HowardBritz.com.

Doug Drewes - Bass

Listen to Doug: "Running Late"
Neighborhood: Astoria, Queens (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Doug.

Bassist Doug Drewes has been featured on several recordings, including albums by jazz guitarist Oren Neiman, Queens hip-hop artists Too Deep and Dj Buffalo, piano rock band Hugo, and NYC based hip-hop artists DXA. Doug has also performed throughout the U.S. with Greg Hopkins, the Oren Neiman Quintet, David White Quintet, Lady Luck and the Suicide Kings, Damien Pacheco Quartet, Dirty City Power, Coleman and Leigh, Tristen Gaspadarek, Hugo, Doug Kwartler, and the United States Air Force Band of Liberty Big Band. Three of his compositions are slated to be featured on the forthcoming Drewes Brothers album, a quintet co-led by Doug and his brother, Scott Drewes, along with a newly self-composed album featuring saxophonist John Liotta and drummer Nick DeGregorio . A former faculty member at Camp Encore/Coda, Doug currently teaches private bass lessons from his home in New York. Mr. Drewes received his Bachelor of music degree at the SUNY Purchase. He has studied bass with Dennis Irwin, Todd Coolman, Mark Helias, and Scott Colley. For more about Doug, visit www.DougDrewes.com.

Michael Feinberg - Bass

Listen to Michael:
"317 E. 32nd St."
Neighborhood: East Village, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 5-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Michael Feinberg.

"A vibrant young bassist/composer whose voice conveys a distinct musical vision, Michael Feinberg continues to bring fresh ideas to life with music that incorporates jazz, hip hop, and rock, as well as influences from his Middle Eastern and Eastern European heritage. Through the continuing school of experiences: performing, writing, arranging and leading multiple bands, Feinberg has proven that he is one of the rising jazz elite." - All About Jazz

At the young age of 22, Michael has already performed with some of the top names in jazz and creative music including Slide Hampton, Russell Gunn, Dave Samuels, Ira Sullivan, Jonathan Kreisberg, Jim Black, Andrew D'angelo, Shelly Berg, Jim Rotondi, Peter Evans, Dr. Alex Norris, Ambrose Akinmusire, Greg Gisbert, Sam Barsh, Bobby Broom, Ted Nash, and Brian Hogans among others. As a composer, Michael has been recognized by Down Beat magazine, the International Songwriting Competition (ISC), sand Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead where he was a resident in 2008. Michael will be releasing his second album as a leader entitled "Evil Genius" in August 2009 about which Lee Zimmerman of the Miami New Times says "[the album] proves to be a provocative work, but one that's readily approachable as well. Feinberg deserves kudos for demonstrating a degree of tastefulness and finesse that's exceedingly difficult to come by." For more about Michael, visit www.MichaelFeinbergMusic.com.

Tim Ferguson - Bass

Listen to Tim: ""
Neighborhood: West Village, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Tim.

Bassist Tim Ferguson has been a highly regarded fixture on the New York scene for the last 20 years, playing and touring with his own projects and as a side-man with a variety of acclaimed jazz artists, including Don Friedman, Cecil Bridgewater, Mel Lewis, Eddie Harris, Tony Scott, George Cables, Stefon Harris, Vanessa Rubin and the world famous Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Also a prolific composer, his works have been performed in concert by a variety of ensembles throughout the U.S. and Europe. An active educator, Ferguson teaches privately as well as having taught for a number of New York area schools and institutions, and has performed clinics throughout the US and Europe. He is co-author of "The Total Jazz Bassist" and "The Bass Line Encyclopedia," both published by Alfred. He is a 1977 graduate of the Interlochen Arts academy, has studied with John Schaeffer, member emeritus of the New York Phiharmonic and has a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from William Paterson College in New Jersey, where he studied with world renowned bassist and educator Rufus Reid.

Lindsey Horner - Bass

Listen to Lindsey:
"Last Look Home"
Neighborhood: Inwood, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 9-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Lindsey.

Bassist Lindsey Horner is one of the more versatile musicians in jazz and modern music. He has most often been heard with musicians on the cutting edge recording and performing with artists such as Greg Osby, Bill Frisell, Bobby Previte, Dave Douglas and Muhal Richard Abrams. As a leader he has produced four recordings, NEVER NO MORE, MERCY ANGEL, BELIEVERS and the recently released DON'T COUNT ON GLORY. Through the '90s he performed as a member of the Myra Melford trio, an association which yielded four highly acclaimed discs. He is a member of the co-operative group JEWELS AND BINOCULARS/MICHAEL MOORE, LINDSEY HORNER, MICHAEL VATCHER PLAY MUSIC OF BOB DYLAN. His European connections include playing with guitarist Philip Catherine, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, saxophonist Matthias Schubert and the great Belgian tenor player, Erwin Vann. Lindsey also has deep roots in Irish music having toured and recorded extensively with singer/songwriter Susan McKeown, Scottish fiddle master Johnny Cunningham and traditional Irish music legend Andy Irvine. For more about Lindsey, visit www.LindseyHorner.com.

Bennett Huxley Miller - Bass

Listen to Bennett: "I Can't Help It"
Neighborhood: Bushwick, Brooklyn (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Bennett.

Bassist Bennett Huxley Miller began his professional career as a bassist twelve years ago at the age of 16 in his native Cincinnati, Ohio. Having studied a diverse range of instruments including the bodhran (an Irish drum), the marimba, and the saxophone, he began studying the electric bass at the age of twelve. Bennett quickly found a deep love for the instrument and its role in varying musical styles. After studying upright bass for less than two years, he was given a merit scholarship to attend the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Here, he earned both his Bachelors and MasterÕs degree in jazz bass performance. During this time from 1999 to 2006, Bennett studied closely with many great jazz musicians including Dave Holland, Danilo Perez, Cecil McBee, John Lockwood, Billy Hart, Herb Pomeroy, and Bob Moses. In 2004, he began composing an all-original repertoire for his project, the Bennett Miller Band. This group played frequently in venues around the New England and New York areas. In 2006, the BMB was selected to participate in the third annual Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions, which provided the opportunity to perform and work closely with a team of world-renowned musicians including bassist Christian McBride and his band. Despite gaining a reputation as a top call bassist and teacher in the Boston area, in October of 2006 Bennett moved to Brooklyn, NY. During this time, he continued touring nationally as founding bassist of two-time Boston Music Award winning Afro-Pop group, The Superpowers, and began touring nationally and internationally with EMI artist Julian Velard. 2007 was a significant year; Bennett and two colleagues started the production company Glass Eye Music. Since its inception, Bennett has co-scored and produced the music soundtrack for a full length documentary, co-produced and released four albums, and worked as a bassist, audio engineer, and producer on many others. Also in 2007 Bennett joined the faculty of the Urban Assembly School of Music and Art, an inner city charter high school in downtown Brooklyn. Since then he has been teaching band class as well as instruction on guitar, bass, and drums to full classes of high school students. In 2008 he joined the faculty of the AbronÕs Art Center as private bass instructor. Bennett can currently be seen performing regularly in the NYC area with diverse array of bands covering musical genres including jazz, R&B, afrobeat, pop, and rock. For more about Bennett, visit www.myspace.com/bennettmillerband.

Linda Oh - Bass

Listen to Linda: "201"
Neighborhood: Harlem, Manhattan (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Linda.

Born in Malaysia, raised in Western Australia and now living in New York City, Linda Oh began playing upright bass at the W.A Academy of Performing Arts, and she completed her Masters at Manhattan School of Music. She has received many awards including the IAJE Sisters in Jazz award in 2004 and an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's award in 2008.

Linda is an active double bassist, electric bassist and composer, composing music for short films. She has performed with the likes of T.S Monk, Billy Kilson, Nasheet Waits, George Cables and Slide Hampton to name a few, and has been coined "one of the greatest bassists of the new generation" by Nathan Davis.

She is about to release her debut trio album "Entry" in September with Obed Calvaire and Ambrose Akinmusire.
For more about Linda, visit www.LindaOhMusic.com.

Ike Sturm - Bass

Listen to Ike: "Everduring"
Neighborhood: Midtown East, Manhattan
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Ike.

Ike Sturm is a bassist, composer and bandleader in New York. He serves as the music director for jazz at Saint Peter's Church in Manhattan (the "Jazz Church"), celebrating a deep jazz tradition of memorializing visionaries such as Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. Ike has shared the stage with many gifted artists including Gene Bertoncini, Donny McCaslin, Bobby McFerrin, Ben Monder, Ingrid Jensen, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler. He has played on four "Downbeat" award-winning recordings as well as composer Steve Reich's releases on Canteloupe and Nonesuch Records. Ike studied jazz and classical bass and composition while earning Bachelors and Masters degrees at the Eastman School of Music. In 1999, he was inspired by studies with legendary bassist Dave Holland. Saint Peter's Church recently commissioned Ike to compose a jazz mass for choir, strings and jazz septet. The studio recording features Grammy award nominee Donny McCaslin. Ike's first release, Spirit, featured 14 performers and an extended original suite. For more about Ike, visit www.IkeSturm.com.

Reid Taylor - Bass

Listen to Reid: "I Love France"

Neighborhood: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (will travel)
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Ages taught: ages 8-adult
Levels taught: beg-adv
Send us an email letting us know that you want to study with Reid.

Bassist Reid Taylor has been active on the New York jazz scene for the past ten years. After studying with legendary bassist Butch Warren in Washington D.C. during his formative years, Reid moved to New York and subsequently received a BFA in Music Performance from the New School for Social Research. During this time he studied with Dennis Irwin and played extensively around New York City. He has played in The Flail (jazz quintet based in New York) for the past nine years appearing at Carnegie Hall, Blues Alley, Smalls, Sweet Rhythm, Marseille Jazz Festival, and the Vienne Jazz Festival. Several of his compositions have also been recorded by The Flail and are featured on the past two albums. In addition to The Flail, Reid has performed with Cecil Payne, Grant and Phil Stewart, Sacha Perry, Spike Wilner, George Garzone, and Charles Gayle among others. He appears weekly at the Fat Cat with tenor saxophonist Ned Goold.For more about Reid, visit www.TheFlail.com.

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