Avery Sharpe

Avery Sharpe
Name	Avery Sharpe
Birth date	1954
Birth place	Providence, Rhode Island
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	Double bass
Years active	1970s–present
Associated acts	McCoy Tyner, Stanley Jordan, Yusef Lateef

Avery Sharpe is an American jazz double bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator known for his work in post-bop, modal jazz, and duet formats. He gained international recognition through long-term collaboration with pianist McCoy Tyner and through recordings that blend blues, spirituals, and improvisational traditions. Sharpe's career spans performance, composition, teaching, and advocacy for African American musical heritage.

Early life and education

Sharpe was born in Providence, Rhode Island and raised in a milieu shaped by regional musical institutions such as Burrillville High School and community programs connected to the cultural scenes of Boston, New York City, and Newark, New Jersey. He studied bass with teachers influenced by the legacies of Charles Mingus, Ray Brown, and Paul Chambers, and attended programs that intersected with conservatory environments like the New England Conservatory and university departments including Rutgers University and Berklee College of Music. Early formative encounters included performances in venues associated with the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, and festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival.

Career

Sharpe's professional trajectory includes extended tenure with pianist McCoy Tyner's ensembles, engagements with artists like Yusef Lateef, Sonny Rollins, Pharoah Sanders, and touring with groups linked to the JVC Jazz Festival. He recorded and performed at institutions and festivals including the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and The Kennedy Center. His leadership projects feature ensembles that performed at clubs like Birdland, Smalls Jazz Club, and international stages in Tokyo, Paris, London, and Rome. Sharpe's discography as leader and sideman appears on labels associated with artists like Blue Note Records, Impulse! Records, Verve Records, P-Vine Records, and independent imprints connected to peers such as Chesky Records and ECM Records.

Musical style and influences

Sharpe's style synthesizes the traditions of upright bassists such as Charles Mingus, Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, and Richard Davis with modal and post-bop approaches associated with pianists and bandleaders like McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. His improvisational language draws on the harmonic frameworks advanced by Bill Evans and rhythmic concepts related to Art Blakey and Max Roach. Sharpe incorporates elements from African diasporic music linked to regions cited by scholars and performers such as Fela Kuti and Miriam Makeba, and composes works informed by spiritual and gospel traditions practiced by figures like Mahalia Jackson and James Cleveland.

Collaborations and notable recordings

Sharpe's lengthy collaboration with McCoy Tyner produced recordings and tours that intersect with albums and sessions involving artists tied to labels and projects connected to Blue Note Records, Impulse! Records, and festivals such as the Monterey Jazz Festival. He recorded with guitar innovators like Stanley Jordan and appeared alongside reed players and composers such as Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Fortune, Bennie Maupin, and Joe Henderson. His leader albums and duo records feature repertoire linked to standards popularized by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and composers like Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, as well as original compositions performed with ensembles including drummers in the lineage of Art Blakey and Tony Williams and horn sections recalling the work of Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard.

Teaching and academic work

Sharpe has held faculty and visiting artist positions at institutions and conservatories connected to the jazz studies programs of The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and university departments including New York University and Rutgers University. He has conducted masterclasses at festivals and schools such as the International Association for Jazz Education events, the Berklee College of Music summer programs, and workshops hosted by ensembles associated with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Sharpe's pedagogical efforts extend to clinics at regional conservatories and community arts programs affiliated with cultural organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts and municipal arts councils in cities including Philadelphia and Atlanta.

Awards and recognition

Sharpe's work has been acknowledged by organizations and festivals tied to jazz honors such as those conferred by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bessie Awards, and regional arts foundations connected to the New York Foundation for the Arts. He has been featured in publications and media outlets comparable to DownBeat (magazine), JazzTimes, and broadcast appearances on programs like NPR's jazz series and international radio stations affiliated with the BBC. His recordings and performances have received critical attention in venues and review forums common to recipients of grants and fellowships from arts institutions including the Guggenheim Foundation and local cultural trusts.

Category:American jazz double-bassists Category:1954 births Category:Living people