Known for his warm bass sound and hard-swinging grooves, Dezron Douglas is a stylistically versatile performer whose work straddles post-bop, soul-jazz, and more avant-garde traditions. A protege of Jackie McLean, Douglas garnered early attention as a member of Cyrus Chestnut's trio before establishing his own groups with albums like 2012's Live at Smalls and 2018's Black Lion. Along with teaching at NYU Steinhardt, he has worked with artists Ravi Coltrane, Makaya McCraven, Duane Eubanks, Trey Anastasio, and others. He paired with harpist Brandee Younger for their critically lauded 2020 duo album Force Majeure, and showcased his ever broadening approach to modern creative jazz on 2022's Atalaya.

Born in 1981 in Hartford, Connecticut, Douglas grew up in a religious, musically inclined family the son of a pastor and the nephew of drummer and composer Walter Bolden. He started on bass at age seven (playing gospel in church) and by the time he was 12 he was playing professionally. After high school, he enrolled at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford where he studied with his mentor, the legendary saxophonist Jackie McLean. While there, he made his recorded debut playing alongside drummer Michael Carvin. It was also while in school that he co-founded The New Jazz Workshop of Hartford, for which he received an Evelyn Preston Grant and recorded Underground. More albums followed on Venus Records, several featuring pianist Cyrus Chestnut (of whose trio he was also a member), including 2012's Walkin' My Baby Back Home and Ganbare Nippon.

In 2012, Douglas made his official solo debut as a leader with Live at Smalls featuring trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Stacy Dillard, pianist David Bryant, and drummer Willie Jones III. He has also played with a bevy of luminaries including Louis Hayes, Steve Davis, George Cables, Papo Vasquez, Enrico Rava, Eric Reed, Tomasz Stanko, and Makaya McCraven. He is a longstanding member of the Ravi Coltrane Quartet and has performed with the Louis Hayes Jazz Communicators. In 2016, he joined trumpeter Duane Eubanks and drummer Charles McPherson as DE3 for Live at Maxwell's. A third Venus album, Soul Jazz, arrived in 2017. The following year, he independently released Black Lion, a funky post-bop date again featuring trumpeter Evans, saxophonist Stacy Dillard, and others.

In 2020, he collaborated with harpist Brandee Younger on their duo album Force Majeure. The following year, he joined the Trey Anastasio Band, replacing the late Tony Markellis. When not performing, Douglas is an educator on the Jazz Studies faculty at NYU Steinhardt. In 2022, he released his sophomore quintet album, Atalaya, featuring pianist George Burton, saxophonist Emilio Modeste, drummer Joe Dyson, Jr., and vocalist Melvis Santa. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi