James Morgan Jazz Conversation #4 1/2- 02/22/26-Jazz Bassist Jeff Denson-Educator-Composer-Performer

Jeff Denson is an award-winning bassist, vocalist, and composer who has released 16 albums as a leader or co-leader and toured extensively throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan with both his own groups and others at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals such as the Village Vanguard, Birdland, The Kennedy Center, JVC Jazz Festival Paris, Montreal Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, and SFJAZZ, among many others. Hailed as “master of the jazz bass” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Jeff has worked with some of jazz’s finest artists such as Brian Blade, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Mike Stern, Charles McPherson, Billy Childs, Jane Ira Bloom, Craig Handy, Ingird Jensen, Dave Douglas, Walter Smith III, Kendrick Scott, Rachel Z, Omar Hakim, Gerald Cleaver, Anat Cohen, Warren Wolf, Leo Genovese, Etienne Charles, Edward Simon, Paul McCandless, Cuong Vu, Ralph Alessi, Dan Weiss, Lionel Loueke, Mark Turner, Paul Hanson, George Cables, Terri Lyne Carrington, Romain Pilon, Mimi Fox, and many others, and had an ongoing relationship with the legendary Lee Konitz for over a decade until his passing in 2020. Jeff’s work has been reviewed in many of the world’s leading periodicals including The New York Times, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, along with many more international periodicals, and has been ranked in the DownBeat Magazine Critic's Poll 16 times in the Bass, Electric Bass and Male Vocalist categories, and was the First Place Winner of the 69th Annual DownBeat Magazine Rising Star Critic’s Poll for “Electric Bass” in 2021. Jeff is the Founder and President of Ridgeway Arts, Inc., a 501c3 arts nonprofit organization and the former Dean of Instruction at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley. Tree link and sponsorships: Zon Bass (my electric bass company that makes the JD series basses and Zon Electric Bass Strings) https://www.zonguitars.com Pirastro (this is the upright string company I use - I endorse the Pirastro Perpetuals) https://www.pirastro.com Aguilar Amplifcation (I've been with Aguilar for a long time - amazing bass amps) https://aguilaramp.com/ https://www.jeffdenson.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@JeffDenson/videos https://truefire.com/bass-guitar-lessons/jazz-soloing/c1538 https://www.facebook.com/jeff.denson.328260 https://www.instagram.com/jeffdensonmusic https://jeffdenson.bandcamp.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/20l9cWpMlJ5ip9Tg6z0TBN?si=dtrCA4V4S5iy6fZyE2Ooxw Select Quotes: "Double bassist Jeff Denson capitalizes on his considerable gifts as an improviser, interpreter and sonic trailblazer." — Ken Micaleff , Downbeat Magazine "Master of the jazz bass." — Lee Hilldebrand, San Francisco Chronicle "Jeff astonishes as an emphatic singer of immense vocal talent." – Alexander Schmitz, Jazz Podium, (Germany) "The penetrating power of Jeff's voice is outstanding." – Kayo Fushiya, JazzTokyo, Japan "Denson is breaking new musical ground, proving that he should be counted as one of the leading bassists of contemporary jazz." — Teddy Doering, Jazz Podium (Germany) “Jeff Denson takes modern jazz to a new level. His many flashes of compositional genius bring much that is fresh, new and unexpected. This makes his music instantly recognizable and shows how deeply Jeff Denson is immersed into the art of composition.” — Stefen Pieper, Jazzthetik (Germany) Meet guitarist James Morgan – Grammy Ballot Jazz Guitarist | Smooth Jazz & Fusion Innovator Explore the sound of Grammy-considered guitarist, composer, and producer James Morgan, one of San Diego’s most awarded jazz artists and a rising name in the global smooth jazz and jazz fusion scene. 67th GRAMMY® Awards Ballot – A Soul in Time (Best Contemporary Instrumental Album) 8 Studio Albums blending smooth jazz, fusion guitar, and modern instrumental excellence 5-Time Nominee – Best Jazz Album (San Diego Music Awards: 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) Groovin' Smooth ranked #73 on the 2023 Smooth Jazz Top 100 Albums Winner of the 2025 InterContinental Music Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental song "A Feather's Touch" from Morgan's jazz/rock/fusion EP album, Morgan/Husband/Feraud A Soul in Time album. -Tap into the discography and streaming links below: -Website: https://jamesmorganjazz.com -Bandcamp: https://jamesmorganjazz1.bandcamp.com https://jamesmorganjazz.com https://www.guitaronerecords.com/jamesmorganjazzband https://www.instagram.com/jamesmorganjazz https://x.com/jamesmorganjazz https://www.youtube.com/@jamesmorganjazz https://soundcloud.com/user-480567245 https://store.spinneymedia.com/collections/james-morgan-jazz (Buy CDs) https://www.facebook.com/jamesmorganjazz https://www.guitaronerecords.com/morganhusbandferaud https://www.radioguitarone.com/post/new-album-review-a-soul-in-time-by-morgan-husband-feraud https://jamesmorganjazz1.bandcamp.com/album/morgan-husband-feraud