Current Biography

Background

Jimmy Haslip grew up in a rich musical environment. As a youth, he listened to Latin and salsa music around the house, including such Latin music icons as Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Machito, Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz and Eddie Palmieri, to name a few. In addition to learing various Latin dances from his parents, Jimmy learned how to play a lot of basic Latin rhythms on the different percussion instruments that they had around the house. He learned to play authentically on the claves, maracas, cowbell, bongos and the guido, which gave him that keen sense of time and rhythm that surfaces in his bass playing today.

His older brother Gabriel also played Jimmy some jazz and classical music, so he had exposure to John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck on one hand, and the music of Debussy, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mozart and Mahler on the other. Jimmy says, "This was an eye opening time for me and even though most of this music was over my head, it definitely ignited my musical curiosity. I also was listening to a lot of Pop music, like the Beatles, the Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and lots of great Pop music on the radio. I can remember that it was a very exciting time for music!"

Jimmy began studying music in elementary school, playing the trumpet and other assorted brass instruments (including the bugle, baritone horn and tuba) from age seven to fourteen. Jimmy picked up a bass at the age of fifteen and taught himself how to play it. "Actually the very first time I saw an electric bass, was at a junior high Valentine's day dance. There was a live band playing and the bass player had an reddish/orange Hagstrom bass and a small Standel bass amp. It was then that I knew I wanted to play the electric bass! What a feeling! I'll never forget it as long as I live. It was my very first real spark of creative passion!"

While being mostly self taught on the bass, Jimmy studied with a private bass/tuba player from New York named Ron Smith. He was also very fortunate to have studied with one of jazz music’s greatest talents. "…I did manage to study with Jaco Pastorius for a few weeks in the mid seventies, when he had just joined Weather Report. That was a giant leap for me as a serious musician and it filled me with a much higher level of inspiration. I think he was a major inspiration to all bass players at that time!"

To sum it up, Jimmy offers this inspirational piece of advice that is applicable to any musician, whether new or experienced: "I've basically learned so much from just about every musician I've performed with in the past and I will continue to learn from my experiences in the future. The learning process is never ending. The key is to always strive and search for knowledge. In learning new things everyday, there will be inspiration. That inspiration will thirst for knowledge and so the endless cycle goes. They will feed each other infinitely and theoretically the ‘creative well’ will never run dry."


Influences

So, what musical influences does Jimmy claim? "Well definitely for me
the Beatles, especially Paul McCartney, inspired the melodic concept and James Brown inspired the groove. There was Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria who inspired rhythm. Béla Bartók, Mozart, Prokofiev,
Samuel Barber, Chick Corea, early Genesis, Gentle Giant, Olivier Messiaen, Dmitri Shostakovich,Krzysztof Penderecki, Antonio Carlos Jobim,
Villalobos, Brahms, Wayne Shorter, Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius, Alban Berg, Mingus, Miles,Nicolas Slominski, Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Basie, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, The Motown Sound and Aaron Copeland, just to name a few that inspired writing, arranging and composition.

"Van Gogh, Dali, Henri Rousseau, Georgia O'keeffe, Leonardo DaVinci,
Galileo, Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Plato, Walt Whitman, Marc Chagall, Henry
Moore, Edward Hopper, Rembrandt, Picasso, Botero, Matisse, Escher,
Canaletti, Gaudi, Gauguin, Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven
Speilberg, Frank Capra,Orson Welles, Lina Wertmuller, Ingmar Bergman,
François Truffaut to name a few who inspired my imagination."

And last but not least, perhaps the most influential person in Jimmy’s career: "Jimi Hendrix was the sole inspiration for me playing music as a profession. Seeing him perform live was awsome and it lit a fire within me, which eventually gave me the drive to pursue music as a career."


Recent Activity

Here are some of Jimmy's recent accomplishments during the past year:
5 NEW RECORDINGS and PRODUCTIONS 2007

A NEW DVD
THE ALLAN HOLDSWORTH/ALAN PASQUA GROUP with CHAD WACKERMAN and JIMMY HASLIP LIVE @ YOSHI'S . . . . .
FOUND Exclusively at: http://www.altitudedigital.com

A BRAND NEW CD:
CAROL WELSMAN
“Carol Welsman” PRODUCED by JIMMY HASLIP, is a powerful yet accessible work by a much-admired musician whose time has come. It features thoughtfully chosen material, beautifully recorded and lovingly mixed (by Joe Vannelli, who also mastered), performed by a small core group of professionals. CAROL WELSMAN on piano and vocals, JIMMY BRANLY on drums, PIERRE COTE' on guitar and JIMMY HASLIP on el. bass. The result is an honest statement from an artist who is as strong in a live setting as she is on record. That artist - and that recording - is CAROL WELSMAN.

Jimmy just finished producing three new band projects:
GRUPO PAGAN "SAVE THE WORLD"; they are from Syracuse, New York and recently won their area award, a SAMMY for BEST RECORDING . . . . .
Edgar Pagan: bass/vocals, Rhonda Arns: keyboards, percussion, vocals,
BillyDi Cosmo: keyboards, Kenny Budd: guitar, Frank Neubert: drums, Josh Dekaney: percussion with guest performances by Eric Marienthal and Katisse Buckingham

MSDQ "DRIVEN"; this group hails from Providence, Rhode Island and included special guests Russell Ferrante on organ, Munyungo Jackson and Michito Sanchez on percussion . . . . .

ARUSHA "LOOK UP" a cool SKA/JAZZ group from New York led by bassist Chris Weigers which featured Bob Mintzer, Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante, Chris Palmaro, Yutaka, Mala Waldron, Dave Diamond, Victor Burks and more . . . . .

ALSO LOOK for a new recording by phenom composer and instrumentalist ROK GOLOB “The Story of Laxeno” . . . . .
featuring VINNIE COLAIUTA, JIMMY HASLIP, LUIS CONTE, GINO VANNELLI, KATIA MORAES, BENDIK HOFSETH with Choir and Symphony Orchestra . . . . . . Available at AMAZON.com

FINISHING UP the NEW KATISSE BUCKINGHAM PROJECT
With PRODUCER TONY SHEPPARD
At: http://www.katisse.com/
+ JIMMY’S 3RD SOLO PROJECT with CO-PRODUCER, ARRANGER, COMPOSER and ENGINEER- JOE VANNELLI @ BLUEMOON . . . . .

OLD NEWS:
Produced the latest Rita Coolidge recording "And So Is Love".
This new disc features her singing Jazz standards for the Concord label, featuring arrangements by Russell Ferrante, Alan Pasqua with
Bob Sheppard, Ronnie Cuber, Herb Alpert, Larry Koonse, Dave Samuels, Dave Carpenter, Darek Oles, Chuck Berghofer, Terri Lynn Carrington
and Ralph Humphrey.

Started work on his third Solo recording which he is co-producing and writing with Joe Vannelli.

Produced two songs for the new Michael Franks recording, "Rendezvous In Rio". The songs called "Hearing Take Five" and "The Question Is Why" feature arrangments by vibraphonist/keyboardist Roger Burn, and also features musicians Vinnie Colaiuta, Eric marienthal and Andy Suzuki.

Co-produced the newly re-release by Sandro Albert, "The Color Of Things", on 215 Records. Visit Sandro Albert's website for more information.

Upcoming releases include the following:

Produced a new Shawn Glyde project "Alternate Rhythms", featuring Jimmy's stepson Jason Galuten on keyboards, who also composed
5 pieces for this title, a very talented musician/composer. Visit http://www.sgdrums.com.

Appearing on the new Gino Vannelli release "These Are The Days" for Verve/Universal Music.

A new Bob Mintzer Big Band recording for MCG Records: "Old School, New Lessons", which features the Yellowjackets on two songs.

A Steely Dan Tribute for Shrapnel/Tone Center produced by guitarist jeff Richman which features the rhythm section of Peter Wolf, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jeff Richman and myself with guest guitarists Steve Morse, Mike Stern, Robben Ford, Al Dimeaola, Steve Lukather, Jimmy Herring, Jay Graydon and Elliott Randal.

The Jaco Pastorius Word Of Mouth Revisited Big Band: "The Word Is Out". The follow up to the internationally critically acclaimed Jaco Pastorius Big Band Word Of Mouth Revisited features a who's who of performers that have either played with Jaco or have the greatest affinity for this jazz giant who changed the way people approach the electric bass. The guests include Ricahrd Bona, Randy Brecker, Hiram Bullock, Oteil Burbridge, Ed Calle, Mark Egan, Peter Ersikine, Jimmy Haslip, Will Lee, Israel Cachaoâ Lopez, Bob Mintzer, Othello Molineaux, Jaco Pastorius, Arturo Sandoval, Mike Stern, Robert Thomas, Jr., Toots Thielemans, Gerald Veasley and Victor Wooten. Conducted by longtime Word of Mouth musical director Peter Graves, the album features previously unreleased Pastorius compositions."

Appearing on the new Perla Batalla recording: "What I Did On My Summer Vacation". See Perla's website for more information.

Apperaing on the new Marilyn Scott recording due out the Spring, produced by George Duke for Prana Records. Also featured as a producer and musician on her newly released compilation recording: "Handpicked", also on Prana Records.

Finally, Jimmy just finshed a new recording with progressive rock artist Cody Carpenter.


Artists Jimmy Has Performed With

Jimmy’s credits are a virtual who’s who of the popular and jazz music industry. This is the "short list" of some of the talents he has recorded and/or toured with over the past 25 years:

Gino Vannelli, David Sanborn, Rod Stewart, Michael Sembello, Joe Cocker, Vince Mendoza, Chaka Khan, Eric Marienthal, Al Jarreau, John Scofield, Gary Wright, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Brenda Russell, Dave Mason, Tom Scott, Jerry Garcia, Bo Diddley, Marilyn Scott, Dori Caymmi, Betty Wright, Ivan Lins, Kenny Loggins, Flora Purim & Airto, Rickie Lee Jones,
El DeBarge, Chi Coltrane, The Chiffons, The 5 Satins, Larry Carlton, Chubby Checker, Booker T. Jones, Cheech Marin, Mick Fleetwood & the Zoo, Christopher Williams, Michael Penn, John Klemmer, John Finley, Tommy Bolin, Carmine Appice, Charlie Watts, Michael Narada Walden, Milton Nasciamento, Roy Ayers, Mark Stein, Kiss, Alcatraz, Sovory,
Jackie Lomax, Bobby Caldwell, John Ford Coley, Randy Crawford, Bendik,
Harvey Mandel, Diane Reeves, James Ingram, Ricardo Silveira, Bill Gable, Michael Franks, Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, Eric Vloiemans, Kenny Garrett, Al Stewart, Jimmy Barnes, Branford Marsalis, Blackjack, Michael Bolton, Dave Koz, Kenny G, Steve Reid, Bob Mintzer, Bob Mamet, Bob Sheppard, Greg Karukas, Bruce Beckvar, Larry John McNally, Randy Brecker, Bob James, Vinnie Colaiuta, Max Carl, Sovory, Dusty Springfield, Andy Snitzer, Aureo Baquiero, Kevyn Letteau, John Beasley, Don Grusin, Carl Anderson, James House, Jeff Richman, Nana Vasconcuelos, Boney James, Justo Almario, Kevin Mahogany, Hilary Jones, David Diggs, Cher, Ambrosia,
Jing Chi, Greg Osby, Nels Cline, Scott Amendola, Rok Golob, Alan Pasqua,
Adam Rogers, Dave Liebman, Michael Ruff, Diana Ross, Bobby Lyle,
Mike Stern, Bruce Kulick, Ned Doheny, Vonda Shepard, Lee Ritenour,
Eva Cassidy, Modereko, Marc Antione, Sergio Salvatore, Robben Ford, Dave Samuel's, Andy Narell, Bill Champlin, Michael English, Huey Lewis, TootsThielmanns, Selena, Harvey Mason, Paulinho Da Costa, Alex Acuña, Herb Alpert, Tim Hagans, Michael Davis, David Meece, Lisa Fischer,
Mike Pinera, Paulinho Da Costa, Tower of Power Horns, Richard Page, Steve Khan/Trio Electric, Peter Erskine, Dennis Chambers, Andy Laverne, George Duke, Huey Lewis, Joe Sample, Larry Goldings, Darol Anger,Frank McComb, Robbie Robertson, Neff Irizarry, Stevie Nicks, Terry Bozzio, Kiki Ebsen, Joe Sample, David Benoit, Ron Wood, Ndugu Leon Chancelor, Richard Elliot, Warren Sneed, Vinnie Colauita, Mitchell Forman, Chuck Loeb,
Neil Larson, The Rippingtons, Jeff Beal, Jon Anderson, Nigel Olsen,
Joshua Redman, Brian Auger, Native Vibe, Michael McDonald, Phil Perry, Everette Harp, Kevyn Lettau, Kenny Garrett, Sandro Albert, Otmaro Ruiz, Gerald Albright, Bruce Willis, Jonathan Butler, Cody Carpenter, Laura Branigan, Will Downing, Edsel Gomez, Mattew von Doran, Leni Stern, Robert Cray, Otmaro Ruiz, Sandro Albert, Alan Pasqua, RitaCoolidge, Nestor Torres, Diana Ross, Eye to Eye, Alejandro Sanz, Jeff Goldbum, Jorge Estrada, Bill Evans, Rick Braun, Chris Botti, The Perry Sisters, Leonardo Amuedo, Justo Almario, Sadao Watanabe, Luis Conte,
Dwight Sils, Alphonse Mouzon, Glenn Jones, Mitchell Froom, Michel Columbier, The Jaco Pastorius Big Band, the Metropole Orchestra,
Michiel Bortslap, Terri Lynn Carrington, Patrice Rushen, Andy
Summers, Bela Fleck, Bobby McFerrin, Take 6, Anita Baker, Kurt
Elling, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Bruce Hornsby, Randy Newman,
Allan Holdsworth and George Harrison.


Now Spinning

Here is what Jimmy has been listening to lately: Gonzalo Rubalcaba “Antigua”, Wilco "Sky Blue Sky", Miguel Zenon “Jibaro”, Bobby Sanabria "Big band Urban Folktales", Weather Report; “Live in Japan”,
Michael Brecker “Pilgramidge”, Jaco Pastorius “Word Of Mouth”,
Chris Potter “Follow the Red Line”, Tower of Power “Urban Renewal”,
Witold Lutoslawski Symphonies Nos, 3 & 4 and Miles Davis "Miles Smiles"
and “The Cellar Door Sessions”, Maria Schneider "Sky Blue".

Other influential recordings in his musical library include: "Anything by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Jimi Hendrix and Mozart to start with. I have the entire Frank Zappa catalogue, the entire Earth, Wind and Fire catalogue, all of Little Feat’s recordings, almost everything that John Coltrane recorded, Segovia solo guitar recordings, a lot of Mahler, Pablo Casals and Mistislav Rostopovich's cello works, anything by Joni Mitchell, Alban Berg's "The Lulu Suite", Penderecki's cello concerto #2, any classical piece that has ever been recorded is worth listening to in my opinion! Les McCann/Eddie Harris "Swiss Movement", Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago "I" and "II", The Police "Synchronicity", Eric Dolphy" Out to Lunch", all of Ornette Coleman's catalogue, The Band" Music from Big Pink", Stanley Clarke "School Days", Herbie Hancock "Thrust" and "Empyrean Isles", Wayne Shorter "Speak No Evil", Mongo Santamaria "El Gato", everything by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and Robert Johnson, Jeff Beck "Blow by Blow" and "Wired", Areosmith "Pandora's Box", King Crimson box set, James Brown box set, Crosby, Stills & Nash box set, Eric Clapton "Derek and the Dominos", Peter Gabriel "So" and "Us", anything by the Beatles, I have every recording by Tower of Power, Salif Keita"Soro", Donald Fagan "Nightfly", Blue Nile "Hats", Jaco Pastorius "Word of Mouth", Don Henley" End of Innocence", Janet Jackson "Rhythm Nation", Stevie Wonder "Songs in the Key of Life", Alan Holdsworth "Sand", Ralph Towner "Blue Sun", Steve Khan "Casa Loco", Chaka Khan "I FeelFor You" and "Whatcha Gonna Do For Me", Vince Mendoza "Instructions Inside", Michael Franks "Blue Pacific", "Dragonfly Summer" and " abandoned Garden", Cesaria Evora, Sting "Ten Summoners Tales", Neil Young "Harvest", Stevie Winwood "Back in the High Life", Steely Dan "Aja" and "Gaucho", Cream "Disreali Gears", Gino Vannelli "Brother to Brother" and "Inconsolable Man", Emmylou Harris "Wrecking Ball", Weather Report "Heavy Weather" and "Night Passage", Chick Corea "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs", Bobby McFerrin "Bang Zoom", Sly and the Family Stone "Fresh"and anything else by them, the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds", James Taylor "Fire and Rain", Yes "Fragile", anything by Bruce Hornsby, The Zeppelin box set and anything by the Keith Jarrett trio with Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock just to name a few."


Equipment

"I play and endorse MTD basses, http://www.mtdbass.com/ which are hand made instruments by a Luthier named Mike Tobias. He also had a company several years ago named Tobias Guitars and I still play these original hand made instruments.
I also endorse endorse and play ROSCOE electric basses,
http://roscoeguitars.com/ made by Keith Roscoe in Greensboro, N.C.
and YAMAHA basses, http://www.yamaha.com/Artists/ArtistList/0,6843,CTID%253D501401,00.html

"I now mainly like to play fretted basses and the main work horse for gigs is a Basic amber colored 6-string fretted that Keith Roscoe made for me in 1998". I use different basses in the studio. For recording: A Yamaha TRB 5-string fretted bass, a BB 1200s 8-string fretted bass, a Jim Tyler 5-string fretted bass, Tobias 5 & 6-string fretless', a Tobias 6-string fretted, a Moon 4-string fretted bass, a 5 string Innerwood bass made in Japan by H.Kiuchi and a Musicman 5 stringer.

"I endorse DUNLOP Strings (Special Medium Light scale). The gauges are C-27, G-47, D-67, A-87, E-107 and B-127 for the 6-string basses. Adding the high F-string to make the 7-string, I use a 20 gauge string.

"For amplification I use and endorse SWR Engineering power amps and speaker cabinets. With the Yellowjackets, my usual set is two SM-400
and now using a SM500 and/or 750 power amps and two Goliath Junior with two 10 inch speakers in each cabinet.

"In the studio I usually just go into a direct box (preferably a Radial Direct Box or some kind of tube box, for achieving the ultimate warm/acoustic-like bass sound). Occasionally I will use an amp in the studio (mostly by request). So I will usually use an SWR Engineering Red Head Combo amp or a Baby Blue Combo amp. These amps have an extremely clean sound and a very strong, powerful punch for their size. A great recording amp for studio work!"

I endorse direct boxes by Cabletek/'Radial JDV Mk3 Direct Boxes and
LINE 6 effects . . . . .
As for other instruments: "I dabble on the guitar and piano/synthesizers, in order to compose music..."

Home Life and Other Interests

Outside of his career, Jimmy spends time with his wife Nancy and his three children: Gabriela (now 13), and stepsons Jason (2, and Noah (25).

As for non-musical interests: "I'm a big sports fan. You can pretty much get me interested in just about any sport. I love American Football and Basketball and since I grew up in New York, I really keep an eye on the Knicks, the Giants (they're having a tough time of it),the Jets (... Oh boy), the World Champion Yankees, the Mets, the Rangers and the Islanders.

"I love film and I like to study film scores. I have over one hundred black and white films on video and I've studied my favorite film composers from the 40's, Max Steiner extensively. I love going to museums, art galleries, and really enjoy travel and exploring new places. I especially enjoy the family trips.

"My favorite reads about Astronomy and Space Exploration and anything to do with the Metaphysical aspects of life. I also like reading and study World History.

"My biggest rave is Ethnomusicology which I've been doing a study on for the last several years. It seems to me that this is an inexhaustible subject that will continue to produce and unveil new music for my creative library."