John Patitucci

John Patitucci
John Patitucci at Iridium, March 2007
Background information
Born	(1959-12-22) December 22, 1959 Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, educator
Instruments	Double bass, electric bass
Years active	1970s–present
Associated acts	Chick Corea Elektric Band, Chick Corea's Akoustic Band, Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock, John Abercrombie, B.B. King, McCoy Tyner, Sting, Bon Jovi, Tony Williams, Wynton Marsalis, Alexia Vassiliou
Website	johnpatitucci.com
Notable instruments
Yamaha TRB JP2

John Patitucci (born December 22, 1959)^[1] is an American jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.

Biography

Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age 10, composing and performing at age 12, as well as playing the acoustic bass at 15, and the piano one year later. After moving west, he studied classical bass at San Francisco State University and Long Beach State University.

Patitucci has released 12 albums as a leader. In addition to his solo work, he has played on albums by B.B. King, Chick Corea, Clare Fischer, Joanne Brackeen, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Grusin, Natalie Cole, Roseanna Vitro, Sting, the Manhattan Transfer, Carly Simon, Was Not Was, Roby Duke, Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, Everything but the Girl, Jellyfish and Twila Paris.

As a performer, he has played with his own band, and with Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Randy Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, and Tony Williams. He was selected to be the bassist for the GRP All-Star Big Band. Some of the many pop and Brazilian artists he has played with include Carole King, Astrud and João Gilberto, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Patitucci has worked with film composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Ry Cooder, Henry Mancini, and John Williams.

Patitucci has led several projects of his own, in addition to playing with Chick Corea's Elektric Band and Akoustic Band. He is active in Wayne Shorter's quartet. The group won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Album for the album Beyond the Sound Barrier in 2006.

He has taught at music schools and workshops in several countries,^[2][3][4] and he was the Artistic Director of the Bass Collective, a school for bassists in New York City, and he is involved with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program. He was Professor of Jazz Studies at City College of New York. In June 2012 he launched the Online Jazz Bass School with John Patitucci. He currently teaches at Berklee College of Music as an Artist in Residence.^[5]

Awards

In 1986, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences voted Patitucci the MVP (Most Valuable Player) on acoustic bass. He has won two Grammy Awards (one for playing and one for composing). In addition, his first solo recording, John Patitucci, was number one on the Billboard Jazz charts. He has released five albums with the Concord Jazz label: One More Angel, Now, Imprint, Communion and Songs, Stories and Spirituals. Patitucci has won polls including: Best Jazz Bassist in Guitar Player Magazine's 1992, 1994 and 1995 Readers' Poll and Best Jazz Bassist in Bass Player Magazine's 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 Readers' Poll.

Patitucci was also a judge for the 8th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.^[6]

Endorsements

He currently endorses Yamaha basses and has had two 6-string signature models bearing his name, the TRB-JP and the TRB-JP2. The TRB-JP2 features a solid maple neck with a 26-fret ebony fingerboard with custom abalone and mother-of-pearl position markers and a 35"-scale length. Other refinements include a sandwiched body made of multiple layers of figured maple, alder and ash, a "slap" cut-out near the lower bout, gold hardware, die-cast tuners with pearloid buttons, a solid brass bridge and a pair of Alnico V double-coil humbucking pickups with an active 3-band EQ tuned to his specifications. The original TRB-JP sports the same features and specifications as the TRB-JP2, except it has a 24-fret neck with a standard 34"-scale length.

Back in Brooklyn

Back in Brooklyn, is a 2015 documentary by August Sky Films. Directed by Patrick Cone, the film features footage from rehearsals, recording studio sessions, and live performances, following the creation of Patitucci's 2014 album “Brooklyn”. Featured interviews include musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Wayne Shorter.^[7]

Discography

John Patitucci and Wayne Shorter with the Wayne Shorter quartet at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Milano, 2010

Collaborations

• Joel Weiskopf Trio – Change in My Life (2002) Trio album with Joel Weiskopf, piano; Brian Blade, drums
• Norm Stockton – Tea in the Typhoon (2009) [Upright Bass on "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Tea in the Typhoon", Electric Bass solo on "Let Me Not Forget"]

References

External links

• Official website
• John Patitucci at AllMusic
• Conversation with John Patitucci, 10/01/2009 at Bass Musician Magazine