Roberto Vally’s accomplishments within music date back to his formidable

years in New York where he was awarded his Junior High School’s Music Honor

Award. It was clear that Roberto was destined to pursue an education in

music. From 1974-1978 he attended New York City’s legendary High School of

Music and Art-depicted in Fame (1980 film). Continuing his education in

music theory and classical bass he attended the highly acclaimed Julliard

School from 1976-1978. There, most notably, he was mentored by the

prominent professor and classical bassist, Homer Mensch.

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Playing bass was love at first pluck for Marty Isenberg. His career as a jazz musician began at the age of 12, after losing his father to cancer the year prior. A skilled amateur musician, Marty’s father kept many instruments around the house that he would play for the family. After his death, Marty would pull one of these instruments off the wall and begin teaching himself how to play by reading tablature in Bass Player Magazine. The first song he ever learned was My Own Summer by The Deftones. Playing bass was love at first pluck for Mr. Isenberg. It was a cathartic healing experience, a way to stay connected to his father, and a way to creatively express himself. He went on to study at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music where he majored in Jazz Performance and minored in Jazz Composition, and received his Master of Music degree from New York University. He is now a doctoral candidate at Stony Brook University where he is the teaching assistant to the jazz department chair Ray Anderson.


For almost 20 years, Mr. Isenberg has been part of the rich New York City music scene. His performing career weaves though many styles of music, from jazz, to classical music, to theater and contemporary music. Mr. Isenberg pulls from all of these experiences to arrange the music of his debut album The Way I Feel Inside: Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson, adding his own voice and reimagining the music that helped to shape his own musical identity.

Marty Isenberg Links
The Way I Feel Inside (Album)
Marty Isenberg Website
Youtube
Marty Isenberg Twitter
Marty Isenberg Instagram

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Roberto Vally’s accomplishments within music date back to his formidable years in New York where he was awarded his Junior High School’s Music Honor Award. It was clear that Roberto was destined to pursue an education in music. From 1974-1978 he attended New York City’s legendary High School of Music and Art-depicted in Fame (1980 film). Continuing his education in music theory and classical bass he attended the highly acclaimed Julliard School from 1976-1978. There, most notably, he was mentored by the prominent professor and classical bassist, Homer Mensch.

 Roberto loved every minute of his bass education, but the “itch” to perform and take his bass skills on the road eventually took hold of him. In 1979 he auditioned for a show band that toured in the US and Canada, and off he went! His ferocious playing and charismatic stage presence were extraordinary. There was no stopping him. His skills and thirst for fun and adventure brought him overseas to France, where he not only gigged, but mastered surfing and skiing. Perhaps unbeknownst to him at the time, in the midst of his playing on stage, on slopes and on surf boards, Roberto was building a remarkable set of diverse “chops” that come only with countless live stage experiences. 

 Years of honing live performance skills really paid off when he auditioned with Spyro Gyra. Thru 1987 and 1988 Roberto toured and recorded with Spyro Gyra, performing in over 150 concerts in the US and around the world. With Spyro Gyra he recorded “Stories Without Words”, which is to date, one of the group’s most popular albums. Touring continued for Roberto in 1990 when he joined Michael Franks on his Blue Pacific Tour-once again taking him on tour worldwide.

Westward bound. While Roberto was on tour with Michael Franks he took a leap of faith and invited Bobby Caldwell to one of the California shows with Michael, and as fate would have it, Bobby showed up and immediately asked Roberto to join his band. So in 1991, he moved to Los Angeles and started rehearsing with Bobby, To date, Roberto is playing with Bobby for an astonishing 29 year tenure!

In 1993 he took stage with Randy Crawford as her bassist, but his adept demeanor and impressive musicality led Randy to appoint him as Musical Director where he headed tours encompassing the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia for over 15+ years.

Since moving to Los Angeles, Roberto has performed and/or recorded with the following artists: George Benson, Christopher Cross, Jeffrey Osborne, Bob James, Al Jareau, Hillary Duff, Diane Schuur, David Benoit, Boz Scaggs, Kirk Whalum, Bobby Caldwell, Patti Austin, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Carlton, Marion Meadows, Jeff Golub, Peter White, Norman Brown, Paul Brown, Boney James, Ric Braun, Michael Lington, Richard Elliot, Joan Sebastian, Johnny Rivers, Euge Groove, Eric Darius, Anna Barbara,

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San Diego Symphony / San Diego Bass Fest

Steve Miller Band, Session Player

Kenny Lee Lewis has been a member of The Steve Miller Band for over 41

years and is now their current touring bass player. The Steve Miller Band

was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2016. Kenny speaks about how he

landed the gig with Miller and attributes of his artistry that have

sustained him in the music industry.

Kenny, also an amateur luthier, took it upon himself to create his first

custom signature series model bass while integrating the historic content

and integrity of one of our most beloved founding fathers. Kenny speaks

about his signature bass ..the Franklin Founding Father Five. Kenny's

signature bass is formed with a piece of 200 year old Spruce which was once

a used in Benjamin Franklin's House in Boston, MA.

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Double bassist P.J. Cinque joined the San Diego Symphony in 2015, having previously been a member of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, P.J. serves as Assistant Principal Bass of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Utah Symphony, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. As an educator, P.J. served as the double bass professor at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and has given masterclasses at Northern Arizona University and SooChow University in Taiwan.

A native of Long Island, he received his bachelor and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School with further study at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His principal teachers include Homer Mensch, Timothy Cobb, Albert Laszlo, and Owen Lee. During his studies, P.J. participated in the Pacific Music Festival and spent three summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School as an orchestral fellowship recipient. P.J. is proud to be a part of the robust bass community in San Diego and enjoys coaching at local high schools, maintaining a private teaching studio, and connecting with fellow bassists at San Diego Bass Fest.

San Diego Bass Fest Website
San Diego Bass Fest Facebook Page

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Kenny Lee Lewis has been a member of The Steve Miller Band for over 41 years and is now their current touring bass player. The Steve Miller Band was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2016. Kenny speaks about how he landed the gig with Miller and attributes of his artistry that have sustained him in the music industry. 

Kenny, also an amateur luthier, took it upon himself to create his first custom signature series model bass while integrating the historic content and integrity of one of our most beloved founding fathers. Kenny speaks about his signature bass ..the Franklin Founding Father Five. Kenny's signature bass is formed with a piece of 200 year old Spruce which was once a used in Benjamin Franklin's House in Boston, MA.

 Borrowing from the iconic designs of Leo Fender, Kenny Lee built and finished this bass with TruOil gunstock linseed oil. He left all the knotholes and imperfections visible for an antique, transparent representation- not unlike our great nation, a work still in progress. Kenny Lee also inset a silver 1954 Franklin 50 cent piece, the year that Kenny was born, and the Franklin logo is taken from the 100 dollar bill.

Kenny Lee Lewis talks about his Franklin Founding Father Five on YouTube

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(NY Chamber Music Composer / Bassist)

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Chris van Voorst van Beest is a bassist and composer who grew up in Maine and lives in Brooklyn, NY. Hailed as "a double bassist with an exceptional ability to improvise," (Erminio Garotta - Sound & Vision) Chris has performed and/or recorded with artists as diverse as Frank Kimbrough, Robert Glasper, Gabriel Kahane, and George Garzone. Sought after in a variety of musical settings, Chris is a member of a number of original music projects including The Danny Fox Trio and Garage Ellington, plays for immersive theater (Sleep No More), and collaborates with multi-media artists, most recently with choreographer Kelly Ashton Todd with whom he wrote and performed incidental music for the 45 minute dance piece 'Nest'. 


Chris also writes contemporary classical music, most recently finishing his first work for orchestra 'Short Story'. The founder of his own chamber ensemble, Chris's latest concert, 'Miniatures and Improvisations', features a broad program of short pieces for trio, each piece immediately followed by an improvised response, exploring the dialogue between improvisation and composition. Chris was awarded a Dutch grant for composition in 2010 to compose music for the children's book 'The Lamplighter' and has been nominated three times for the Charles Ives Arts and Letters award.

Chris van Voorst van Beest Website
Danny Fox Trio on Spotify

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Eric Shedd is the bassist for the Colorado based group "Birds of Play". Birds of Play is an Americana Roots quartet based in the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado. Their distinct sound is rooted in and inspired by their connection to the land in which they reside. The band features multi- instrumentalists and songwriters Alex Paul on Guitar, Upright Bass, Mandolin and Vocals; Eric Shedd on Upright Bass, Mandolin, Guitar and Vocals; Anneke Dean on Violin, Guitar and Vocals and Jack Tolan on Guitar, Mandolin, Electric Bass and Vocals.

Eric speaks about when he started playing bass, how he joined the band and the group's latest recording "Murmurations Vol. 2"

Murmurations Vol. 2 continues Murmurations Vol. 1’s explorations of the natural world and how humans connect with it. When the band launched a Kickstarter campaign for the new album, lead singer and songwriter Alex Paul noted, “The land has been instrumental in how I’ve come to write and share my musicality. It’s very tied to love — love of the land and connection to the land.”