About Jesse
I see myself as a facilitator. Being a musician inherently positions me to bring out the best in everyone around me. There are so many people with incredible stories to tell and ways of telling them. As a bassist, bandleader, sideman, composer, and teacher, I strive to help people experience and speak their truths - I guide the direction of a conversation from the back while letting others shine in the front. It’s almost like being in the last row of a roller coaster. We’re all here for the ride, but the back seat gets to see and respond to everything while participating in something larger than oneself. The bird’s eye view.
The work of Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Avishai Cohen, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Yes, Steely Dan, Daft Punk, and others inspires me to document the lives of those around us through music - love, fear, struggle, and stories of the human experience. Music is sharing stories with those around us. I have honest conversations through a unique blend of groove-driven bass playing and compelling compositions and arrangements.
My journey began in the Boston area with a family of professional violinists and cellists. Learning classical double bass was a natural way to share experiences while finding my own path. When my immediate family and I moved to New Jersey, my creative approach began to take shape. From classical to jazz to R&B to rock to house, my curiosity for a diverse array of genres began intertwining. That’s when I began to truly understand that music is a vehicle for building community.
I later moved to Evanston, Illinois where I received my degree in jazz studies and music technology at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. During this time, I had the privilege of studying under internationally-acclaimed bassists Carlos Henriquez and Sharay Reed. Their combined mentorship helped me find a uniquely supportive and melodic voice on the acoustic and electric basses. I’m now based in Chicago.
Collaborated With:
Greg Artry, Derrick Gardner, Ingrid Jensen, Mark Gross, Morgan Pirtle, Victor Goines, Ernie Adams, Natalie Scharf, Marques Carroll, Eric Schneider, Gayle Bisesi, Jeremy Kahn, Jon Deitemyer, Chris Green, Kenny Smith, and many others.
Performed At:
The Epiphany Center for the Arts, the Fulton Street Collective, the Detroit Jazz Festival, Subterranean, Merriman’s Playhouse, Evanston Space, the Chop Shop, the New Jersey Performing Art Center’s Prudential Hall, The Tanglewood Summer Music Festival, the Brevard Summer Music Festival, the Gary Marshall Theater, and others.
