Via the phenomenon connecting every one of the 7.7 billion of us to most every other within a chain of 6 or fewer steps, Stephan Crump is steps away from every artist encompassed by this matrix, and by logical extension, everybody on earth.
(1) "I CURATE! (◀ tap)" steps forward (curator indicated beneath incoming curations below). (2) "Stephan Crump, curated" steps backward (curators indicated on respective pages).
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Stephan Crump, curated (tap to explore categories ▼ / people ▼)
I CURATE!
- Curations by: The Matrix
Who I Am & Where I Live
- Name: Stephan Crump
- City: Brooklyn, NY
- Country: United States
- Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
My Life & Work
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Bio:
Memphis-bred, Grammy-nominated, Echo Award-winning bassist/composer Stephan Crump is an active bandleader with twelve critically-acclaimed album releases in addition to numerous film scoring contributions. Known for transforming his instrument into a speaking entity of magnetic pull, his focus on creative instrumental music has led to collaborations with many of the leading lights of his generation.
Transcending barriers of genre, Crump has performed and recorded with a diverse range of musicians, from Portishead's Dave McDonald, The Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano, to Patti Austin, Jim Campilongo, Jorma Kaukonen, Lucy Kaplansky, Big Ass Truck, Sonny Fortune, and late blues legend Johnny Clyde Copeland. Currently, he can be heard as a long-standing member of Vijay Iyer Trio and Sextet, Jen Chapin Band, Ches Smith Trio, Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, Liberty Ellman Sextet, Secret Keeper (with Mary Halvorson), his own Rosetta Trio, as well as groups with Kris Davis, Ingrid Laubrock, Cory Smythe, Eric McPherson, Mat Maneri, and Okkyung Lee.
Stephan comes from a family of architects, sculptors, painters, storytellers, musicians, civic leaders, and craftsmen. He was raised in music and the arts by his Parisian mother, an amateur pianist, and his Memphian father, an architect, painter, and jazz drummer. After six years of classical piano study and two years with the alto saxophone, he got his first bass guitar at age thirteen and spent his high school years playing in rock and funk bands around Memphis. During the summers, he worked in the studio of his uncle, Stephen, a wood sculptor.
Crump received his Bachelor of Music degree from Amherst College, where he studied under Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlin and was awarded the Sundquist Prize for performance and composition. It was at Amherst that he began his acoustic bass journey, with a focus on classical training that culminated in a year of study in Paris with Gary Karr-protégé Patrick Hardouineau. His jazz studies at Amherst included work with Max Roach, Frank Foster, and Ray Drummond.
Over the last decade, Stephan has made teaching a growing part of his mission. In addition to offering lessons in his Brooklyn home, he regularly visits conservatories and universities to coach ensembles, teach bassists, and offer to all musicians his “On Magnetism” masterclass, originally developed for a residency at the Banff Jazz and Creative Music workshop.
Crump launched his solo performance career as an invited artist at the 2009 International Society of Bassists conference and has since released several recordings documenting his duo collaborations with alto saxophonist Steve Lehman, pianist James Carney, and guitarist Mary Halvorson. His all-string Rosetta Trio, with Jamie Fox and Liberty Ellman, just completed their fourth album, and his Rhombal quartet, with Tyshawn Sorey, Ellery Eskelin, and Adam O’Farrill, recently released its eponymous debut.
He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two boys.
Stephan is an enthusiastic endorser of Velvet strings, Aguilar bass amplifiers, AMT acoustic bass microphones, and David Gage Czech Ease travel bass.
Contact Information
- Email: info@stephancrump.com
My Media & Markets
- ▶ Buy My Music (downloads/CDs/DVDs): http://www.stephancrump.com/store
- ▶ Buy My Music 2 (downloads/CDs/DVDs): http://stephancrump.bandcamp.com
- ▶ Twitter: crumbletones
- ▶ Instagram: crumbletones
- ▶ Website: http://www.stephancrump.com
- ▶ YouTube Music: http://music.youtube.com/channel/UCqvrbwJtNYLNsNIh8GmVy-g
More
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Quotes, Notes & Etc.
I strongly believe in and am increasingly dedicated to teaching, whether in a private lessons, group workshops, master classes, or ensemble coaching. From dealing with specific issues particular to the bass and its roles in various musical realms, to larger concepts on improvisation, composition, group interaction and development, and just music in general, I relish the the opportunity to share with the next generation of musicians some of the ideas and concepts I’ve learned and developed over the years. Whether in and around NYC or on the road at various conservatories and universities, it’s been enormously gratifying to make teaching a greater part of my mission, and a blessing to discover that what I have to offer can be illuminating and inspiring to others. Do get in touch if you’d like details on what I might bring to your program or to you as an individual.
Here are some of the places I’ve taught:
Indiana University, Penn State University, Kunst Uni Graz, International Society of Bassists Convention, Amherst College, Franklin & Marshall College, Banff International Workshop in Jazz & Creative Music, Harvard University, California Jazz Conservatory, Humboldt State University, University of Wisconsin, Carl Maria von Weber College of Music Dresden, Sibelius Academy Helsinki, University of Memphis, Norwegian Academy of Music Oslo, University of Northern Iowa...