Steve Rodby
Steve Rodby. Photo by Pino d'Amico
Steve Rodby. Photo by Pino d'Amico
Background information
Born (1954-12-09) December 9, 1954[1]
Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • producer
Instrument(s)Bass
Years active1975–present
Labels
Websitewww.steverodby.com

Steve Rodby (born December 9, 1954, in Joliet, Illinois) is an American jazz bassist and producer known for his time with the Pat Metheny Group.[2]

Biography

Rodby was born in Joliet, Illinois, into a musical family. His father was a music teacher who bought him an acoustic bass, electric bass, and amp when he was 12. He heard classical music from a young age and was educated in classical until high school when he learned jazz.[3] During high school summers, he went to jazz camps, where he met Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, and Danny Gottlieb, three of the four members of The Pat Metheny Group.[4]

Rodby played acoustic bass until he graduated from Northwestern University in 1977, when he taught himself how to play electric.[4] He performed in the house band at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, with local and visiting musicians such as Milt Jackson, Joe Henderson, and Art Farmer. He joined the Pat Metheny Group in 1981, starting on electric bass before spending most of his time on acoustic.[3] He spent the next thirty years at Metheny's side, touring, recording, and producing, in Group projects and in Metheny's other projects. With Metheny he earned multiple Grammy awards and nominations, and admiration from critics, magazines, and reader polls.[5]

Rodby collaborated with Fred Simon and Paul McCandless on two albums: Since Forever and Remember the River.[6] In 2011 he collaborated with Paul Wertico, a former drummer for the Metheny Group, and with Israeli musicians Danny Markovitch and Dani Rabin on Marbin's album Breaking the Cycle.

Since 2018, Rodby has held a position as artist of residence in the faculty of Jazz Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Discography

With Ross Traut

  • Great Lawn (Columbia, 1987)
  • The Duo Life (Columbia, 1991)

As sideman

With Pat Metheny Group

With Pat Metheny

With Simon & Bard Group

  • Musaic (Flying Fish, 1980) – bassist
  • Tear It Up (Flying Fish, 1982) – bassist
  • The Enormous Radio (Flying Fish, 1984) – bassist

With Michael Brecker

With Eliane Elias

With Lyle Mays

  • Street Dreams (Geffen Records, 1988) – bassist, co-producer, conductor
  • Fictionary (Geffen Records, 1993) – co-producer
  • Solo (Improvisations For Expanded Piano) (Geffen Records, 2000) – co-producer
  • Eberhard (KMG Distribution, 2021) – bassist, co-producer

With Pat Coil

  • Schemes And Dreams (Sheffield Lab, 1994) – bassist, co-producer
  • Gold (Sheffield Lab, 1996) – bassist

With Fred Simon

  • Usually/Always (Windham Hill Records, 1988) – bassist, producer, editing
  • Open Book (Columbia, 1991) – bassist, co-producer
  • Remember the River by (Naim, 2004) – bassist
  • Since Forever (Naim, 2009) – bassist, producer, editing

With Steve Cole

  • Spin (Narada Jazz, 2005) – bassist
  • True (Narada Jazz, 2005) – bassist

With Paul McCandless

  • Heresay (Windham Hill Records, 1988) – bassist
  • Premonition (Windham Hill Records, 1992) – bassist, producer
  • Navigator (Landslide Records, 1994) – bassist

With others

Grammy Awards

With Pat Metheny Group:

  • Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental – Offramp
  • Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental – Travels
  • Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental – First Circle
  • Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental – Still Life (Talking)
  • Best Jazz Fusion Performance – Letter From Home
  • Best Contemporary Jazz Performance Instrumental – The Road to You
  • Best Contemporary Jazz Performance Instrumental – We Live Here
  • Best Contemporary Jazz Performance – Imaginary Day
  • Best Rock Instrumental Performance – "The Roots of Coincidence"
  • Best Contemporary Jazz Album – Speaking of Now
  • Best Contemporary Jazz Album – The Way Up[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Steve Rodby – New Songs, Playlists & Latest News – BBC Music". BBC. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  2. ↑ Cooke, Mervyn (June 1, 2017). Pat Metheny: The ECM Years, 1975–1984. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-065190-9.
  3. 1 2 3 Goldsby, John (January 14, 2015). "The Magic of Steve Rodby". Bass Player. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Kennedy, Gary (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 3 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 436. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
  5. 1 2 "Pat Metheny : Awards". www.patmetheny.com. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  6. ↑ Percussive Notes. Percussive Arts Society. 1992.
  7. ↑ "Pat Metheny | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
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