Bass Player: Jeff Andrews

Jeff Andrews grew up in Baltimore, Maryland where he was exposed to rock and jazz musicians in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Between 1976 and 1978, he attended the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, from where he moved to the Berklee College of Music but left in 1980 because he was not able to take composition courses until his senior year, and those were his main focus. 

After a stint in Los Angeles, he moved to New York City and was soon became on of the pillars of the fertile music scene:

It was around that time that Andrews started to “beset” Mike Stern trying to convince the latter to play with him after the guitarist’s run in the Miles Davis band, which eventually resulted in a long and fruitful relationship.

In 1983, Jeff Andrews started a collaboration with the legendary Blood, Sweat, and Tears. From then on, his career took off in such a way that the number of the biggest names in jazz in the man’s musical C.V. could give anybody a serious headache. Just take a quick look at the short list below:

1984 – 1986: Special EFX, Bill Evans
1988: Bob Mintzer Big Band/Quintet
1988: Gil Evans Orchestra
1989: Bob Berg – Mike Stern Band
1986 – 1989: Michael Brecker Band
1989 – 1991: Steps Ahead & Mike Mainieri
1990: Wayne Shorter Quintet, Larry Coryell Band
1993 – 1998: Mike Stern Trio (w/ drummer Dave Weckl), Vital Information (w/ drummer Steve Smith and guitarist Frank Gambale)

Andrews also performed with some of top names in jazz, fusion and funk, including the likes of Joe Zawinul, Bill Evans, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Jack DeJohnette, Jaco Pastorius (trio basowe), Randy Brecker, Larry Coryell, David Sanborn, Bob Berg, Hiram Bullock
Dennis Chambers, McCoy Tyner, Adam Nussbaum, Kenny Kirkland, Omar Hakim, Peter Erskine, Robben Ford, Joshua Redman, Brian Blade, Dave or George Duke.

This transcription features Jeff’s part on the tune ‘Sunnyside’ from the Mike Stern album ‘Between The Lines’