Biography
Bassist/composer Stephan Crump is a highly regarded improviser whose sound draws upon the post-bop jazz, classical, and avant-garde traditions. He debuted with 1997's Poems Other Things, but garnered wide acclaim, including a Grammy nomination, for his work as a member of pianist Vijay Iyer's group. He has also worked closely with artists like Joel Harrison, Jen Chapin, and Liberty Ellman, the latter of whom is a member of his string-based Rosetta Trio with Jamie Fox. He has recorded two albums with guitarist Mary Halvorson, including 2015's Emerge. 2016's Rhombal featured his group with Tyshawn Sorey, Ellery Eskelin, and Adam O'Farrill. He has also recorded as a trio with Ingrid Laubrock and Cory Smythe, as on 2019's Channels. With 2022's Rocket Love, he showcased his artful and exploratory solo bass work.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Crump grew up in a creative family with an architect father who also painted and played jazz drums and a Parisian-born mother who played piano. As a child he took classical piano lessons and spent two years on the alto saxophone. At age 13, he picked up the electric bass and eventually began playing in funk and rock bands. After high school, Crump earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Amherst College, where he studied with composer Lewis Spratlin. It was there that he started playing the acoustic double bass, exploring both classical and jazz. He was awarded the Sundquist Prize for performance and composition. Following a year in Paris studying with Patrick Hardouineau, he rounded out his time at Amherst working with veteran legends like Max Roach, Frank Foster, and Ray Drummond.

After college, Crump toured with the Tommy Dorsey Band and was a member of trumpeter Marvin Stamm's quartet before settling in New York City. As a leader, he debuted in 1997 with Poems Other Things, a moody small group date with saxophonist Chris Cheek, pianist Roberta Piket, and drummer Rob Garcia. He also joined pianist Vijay Iyer's ensemble, appearing on 2000's Panoptic Modes, 2003's Blood Sutra, and 2005's Reimagining. It was also with Iyer that he earned a Grammy nomination for 2009's Historicity. In addition to Iyer's group, Crump is a longtime collaborator with Joel Harrison, appearing on many of the guitarist's albums including 2004's So Long 2nd Street, 2009's Harbor, and 2012's Search. Along with teaching at home and on the university level, Crump has performed and/or recorded with a bevy of artists from across the musical spectrum, including Tony Noe, Cocktail Angst, Jen Chapin, Ches Smith, Portishead's Dave McDonald, Patti Austin, and others.

Crump has recorded several duo albums with guitarist Mary Halvorson, including 2013's Super Eight and 2015's Emerge. He has also collaborated on projects with saxophonist Steve Lehman, pianist James Carney, and in his all-string Rosetta Trio with Jamie Fox and Liberty Ellman. Rhombal, the eponymous debut from his quartet with Tyshawn Sorey, Ellery Eskelin, and Adam O'Farrill, arrived in 2016. A year later, he delivered Planktonic Finales, a trio album with Ingrid Laubrock and Cory Smythe. The same group returned in 2019 with Channels. In 2022, Crump released Pipestone, a soundtrack to a documentary film by director Craig Marsden. Also that year, he collected a subscriber-supported series of solo bass recordings made between 2020 and 2021 on Rocket Love. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi




 
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Stephan Crump at Bop Shop Records
Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio Live on Soundcheck
Pannonica • Stephan Crump
Stephan Crump with Rosetta Trio - Memphis
Stephan Crump • Close to Post (solo)
Stephan Crump's Rhombal [] making the album (EPK)
Stephan Crump's Rhombal "Tschi" @ Cornelia St Cafe 10.10.15
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