This guy is debt free!! Goodbye student loans. Lizzie and I are entering 2026 completely debt free and it feels amazing. Happy 2026 to all of you! Maybe I’ll try and post more than once a year lol
#happynewyear #debtfree
Some photos from the @theowlbk last week! Huge thank you to everyone who came and for @grantrichardsmusic for letting me share this evening with his sextet.
A special thank you to @adambirnbaumpiano@jimmy.macbride and @alexmlore for sounding absolutely incredible. Y’all make me want to book a tour. 😅
All photos that clearly look like they were done by a professional (1-3) were shot by @andrewdow11 thank you so much!
6) a shot of some of the hang before the show! Special thank you to my friends and fellow training partners/absolute bad asses from @the47bjjcoop who came to support. It really meant so much to me that you showed up!
7) @lizzie.sims222 you are so incredible and thank you for supporting me in everything I try to do. Also happy birthday again. 🎂 ❤️
8) final shot at the Owl on the way out
Thanks again to all who came and much more soon!!
Splitting a double bill with my good friend @grantrichardsmusic this Sunday 10/20 at @theowlbk leading a trio with @adambirnbaumpiano and @jimmy.macbride
We will be playing some of my tunes along with other songs I really like. It’s going to be fun I promise and we play from 8-9 which is only an hour so if it sucks just know it’s almost over. Shorter than one episode of the new @netflix show “Monsters” about the #menendezbrothers which holy crap have you seen that? What a crazy story. #cinnamon
Seriously I would love to see some folks out there! Leading a band scares the crap outta me but I guess that probably means it’s a good thing and I’m growing as a musician which is hard to do when you’re almost #37 years old.
Thanks folks! Love ya.
A short clip from @mezzrowjazzclub last night playing Vanisha’s tune, “I Like a Boy“. Big thanks to Justin Faulkner for sitting in and nailing this song without any explanation like he’s played it a thousand times. The smiles at the end are real! The applause at the beginning is for a bass solo that I can assure you was amazing but I unfortunately had to leave out due to general lack of interest in bass solos.
You never know who is going to come through and nights like this are part of what makes NYC so special even on days where it’s 92 with 87% humidity.
#bass #drums #jazz #uprightbass
A portion of a bass solo from last night over @vanishagouldmusic ‘s tune called “Cute Boy” done by a “Middle-Aged Man”. Thank you @itschrismccarthy and @deepfrieddrum for accompanying bass solos so well. Thank you @richardcortez for the video and for being my unofficial social media consultant 😅
Finally, thank you to the @mezzrowjazzclub house bass for always being there for us.
Some gigs this week!
Playing 5/21 @thejazzclubny 9-11 with @alexsmithkeys
5/22 #dumbohouse 6:30-9:30 with @mrlguitar
5/24 @barettonyc 8:30 with @richardcortez
#nyc #nycjazz #uprightbass #jazz #jazzbass #cuteboy #middleagedman #basssolo
For everyone who enjoys listening to music via 90 second clips on their phone here’s a bass solo I’m not entirely ashamed of 😜. This is from @mezzrowjazzclub last night on a great tune by @jondavisjazz that doesn’t currently have a title. The song is two sections with relatively simple harmony but I think that’s the beauty of it. Thank you to Jon and @riitzik for laying down some great accompaniment.
#jazz #bass #newyorkcity #newyorkjazz #uprightbass #basssolo #music
You know how when someone records an album they’ll use a well-known musician, but when they do the CD release or tour it’s someone you haven’t heard of? In college, I used to joke that my “dream” was to someday be that bass player you haven’t heard of. Well, tomorrow, I will make that #dream come true. I met @mrlguitar at a brunch gig in 2022 after I moved back to NY. We immediately hit it off with our similar midwestern sensibilities. He’s become a dear friend and one of my favorite musicians to play with. A seriously bad dude! Please, check out the new record.
I’m looking forward to celebrating his CD release tomorrow at @cityvineyardnyc with @davidsirkisdrums from 7-10. I'll then be at @thedjangonyc from 10:30-1 with @richardcortez and the gang.
#bass #jazz #nycjazz #whoisthatonbass #livingthedream
I'm about a week late but I wanted to share some highlights from some recent performances. I would say it's one of the best weeks of my career thus far and I hope it's a sign of more things to come. It was great playing a mini tour of some of NY's best jazz clubs. But, it was even better to be playing with some of my closest friends.
1) Smiling at @willytimba during our set at Smalls
2) My first time at the Jazz Gallery playing Vanisha's incredible music with my favorite person to play 100 hours of duo with, Chris McCarthy
3) Joining Jeff McGregor and Jason Tiemann for the afternoon Smalls jam
4) An almost entire band shot of the Willy Rodriguez Quintet featuring the smiles of Joe and Grant
5) A wild Lizzie appears
Stay safe out there!
#jazz #bass #jazzbass #uprightbass #nyc #nycjazz #smalls #thejazzgallery
Playing some fantastic music this week and wanted to let you all know.
5/28 @mezzrowjazzclub 10:30 - 1am
5/31 @concretebrooklyn 7-930pm
6/1 @smallslive sets at 7:30 and 9pm
6/2 @thejazzgallery sets at 7:30 and 9:30pm
6/3 Smalls 3-5:45pm, Jazz Gallery at 7:30 and 9:30pm
All non-Smalls gigs are with @vanishagouldmusic and @itschrismccarthy and the Gallery sets will have many other talented musicians and artists involved and I can't wait to be a part of it.
Smalls on 6/1 is with the @willytimba group. This is a really special gig for me because every person in this band I hadn't met until after moving back to New York last August and they are now some of my favorite people to play with. It is pretty crazy to me that last year at this time I didn't live in NY and didn't know if I ever would again.
Smalls 6/3 is with my now longtime friend @jeffmcgregormusic for the afternoon session. Please come through!
This is one of the best weeks of music of my career so far and I hope it's a glimpse of more things to come. I've been at this for 20 years through many ups and downs and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Take care and hope to see you out there!
#bass #jazzbass #newyorkjazz #jazz #nyc
Looking back at some great memories from March! First time playing some legendary jazz clubs as well as the first “Weed Jam” that I hope lasts forever. Grabbed a new preamp that I love and played a bit of electric, which I hope to do more. I’ve also reached this fun place in my career where musicians 10 years younger than me call me for gigs. So that’s cool. And, of course, you always have to have #datenight.
I have some fun gigs coming up!
4/5- @773lounge773 from 900-1230 (A jam! Come through!)
4/6 @barbayeux Happy Hour 5:30-7:30 then Marians 830-1130 (Also a jam! Come through!)
4/7 and 4/8 @bemelmansbar from 930-1:00
4/9 @rebarchelsea from 5-7
4/10 @theletloveinn from 9-12
4/12 @aman 630-830
4/13 @canaryclubnyc 7-11
#bass #electricbass #uprightbass #jazz #nyjazz #nyc #brooklyn
