John Patitucci


John Patitucci is an American jazz bassist and composer.

Biography

John James Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22, 1959. When he was 12 he bought his first bass and decided on his career. He listened to bass parts in R&B songs on the radio and on his grandfather's jazz records. He cites as influences Oscar Peterson's albums with Ray Brown and Wes Montgomery's with Ron Carter. For the development of rhythm, he points to the time he has spent with Danilo Pérez, a pianist from Panama.
, Milan, Italy, 2010
In the late 1970s he studied acoustic bass at San Francisco State University and Long Beach State University. He began his professional career when he moved to Los Angeles in 1980 and made connections with Henry Mancini, Dave Grusin, and Tom Scott. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s he was a member of three Chick Corea groups: the Elektric Band, the Akoustic Band, and the quartet. As a leader he formed a trio with Joey Calderazzo and Peter Erskine, and a quartet with Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Tavaglione, and John Beasley. He has played with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Roy Haynes. Patitucci switches between double bass and electric bass.
He was artistic director of the Bass Collective, a school for bassists in New York City, and he is involved with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program. He was Professor of Jazz Studies at City College of New York. In June 2012 he started the Online Jazz Bass School. He was appointed artist in residence at Berklee College of Music.

Back in Brooklyn

Back in Brooklyn is a documentary about Patitucci released by August Sky Films in 2015. Directed by Patrick Cone, the film includes footage from rehearsals, studio sessions, live performances, and interviews with Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, and Herbie Hancock. The documentary was filmed around the recording of Patitucci's album Brooklyn.

Awards and honors

As leader

With groups
With Karrin Allyson
With David Benoit
  • 1987 Freedom at Midnight
  • 1989 Waiting for Spring
  • 1992 Letter to Evan
With Cheryl Bentyne
  • 1992 Something Cool
  • 2003 Talk of the Town
With Chick Corea
  • 1986 The Elektric Band
  • 1987 Light Years
  • 1988 Eye of the Beholder
  • 1989 Chick Corea Akoustic Band
  • 1990 Inside Out
  • 1991 Alive
  • 1991 Beneath the Mask
  • 1995 Time Warp
  • 2000 Live from Blue Note Tokyo
  • 2003 Rendezvous in New York
  • 2004 To the Stars
  • 2017 The Musician
With Al Di Meola
  • 1998 The Infinite Desire
  • 2000 The Grande Passion
  • 2006 Consequence of Chaos
With Victor Feldman
  • 1983 To Chopin with Love
  • 1987 Rio Nights
With Dave Grusin
  • 1991 The Gershwin Connection
  • 1992 GRP All-Star Big Band
  • 1993 Dave Grusin Presents GRP All-Star Big Band Live!
  • 1993 Homage to Duke
  • 1994 All Blues
  • 1997 West Side Story
With Chuck Loeb
  • 1998 The Moon, the Stars and the Setting Sun
  • 1999 Listen
With Eric Marienthal
  • 1988 Voices of the Heart
  • 1989 Round Trip
  • 1990 Crossroads
  • 1991 Oasis
  • 1993 One Touch
  • 2015 Bridges with Chuck Loeb
With Danilo Pérez
  • 1998 Central Avenue
  • 2000 Motherland
  • 2003 ...Till Then
With Lee Ritenour
  • 1990 Stolen Moments
  • 1992 Wes Bound
  • 2005 World of Brazil
  • 2006 Smoke 'N' Mirrors
With Wayne Shorter
  • 1986 Phantom Navigator
  • 2003 Alegría
  • 2005 Beyond the Sound Barrier
  • 2013 Without a Net
  • 2018 Emanon
With Edward Simon
With others'