Sam Bevan
- Double Bass
- Roots, Jazz, & American Music
Contact
Departments
Pre-College
Education
BA French, University of Utah
Ensembles
David Grisman
New York Voices
Meklit Hadero
Q&A
What is your hometown?
Oakland, CA
What is your favorite recording? Why?
Any classic Ornette Coleman or Thelonious Monk record because they always change the way I think about music every time I hear them.
What are you passionate about outside of music?
Coffee, running, gardening, reading good books, my kids
Who were your major teachers?
Virginina Sheffield, George Henry, life
What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?
Every opportunity to play music is an opportunity for transcendence.
What question do you wish students would ask sooner rather than later?
What is my musical message for the world?
What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?
I knew when I was twelve years old.
What was a turning point in your career?
Playing with David Grisman.
If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?
Carpenter
What is your daily practice routine?
Scales with a bow, Simandl exercises, Paul Chambers transcriptions
If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?
Impossible question
From a music history perspective, what year and city are most important to you, and why?
All black music from the Americas and Africa 1900s to present.
What is your unrealized project?
More orchestral writing
What do you think makes a concert experience unique?
Innovative artistry
What recordings can we hear you on?
Sam Bevan "Emergence"
Meklit Hadero "When the Music People Move"
Silvestre Martinez "Heritage"
Matt Flinner "Walking on the Moon"
Roberta Donnay "Bathtub Gin""
Biography
Born in Oakland, CA and growing up in Salt Lake City, Sam Bevan had classical piano lessons from the age of four, sang and played piano professionally and earned a BA in French before dedicating himself to bass, arranging and composing. Greatly in demand after moving back to Northern California in 1999, Bevan’s versatility and creativity while performing jazz, funk, folk and Afro-Cuban music kept him constantly busy with stimulating projects. He has since repeated his success since moving to New York in 2016. He has three CDs as a leader with Emergence being the most recent to date.
Throughout his professional life, Sam has had the opportunity to work with a wide range of artists including: David Grisman, Zigaboo Modeliste, Joshua Redman, Roswell Rudd, Houston Person, Stacey Kent, Kenny Washington, New York Voices, Joe Locke, Michael Wolff, Monk's Music Trio, Jim Kweskin, Geoff Muldaur, Meklit Hadero, Jesus Diaz & QBA, Fito Reinoso, Louie Romero, Karl Perazzo, The VNote Ensemble, Marco Granados, Bjorkestra, Mamadou Sidibe, Matt Flinner, the New Pickle Family Circus and the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra.