New York City Bass Teachers

Steve Williams

Steve Williams is an upright bassist, guitarist, and composer from Dallas, Texas. With a melodic and rhythmically intricate approach to the upright bass, he has been breaking barriers as a jazz musician since his arrival in New York City. Steve is vastly eclectic, merging the styles of his favorite bassists, Scott Lafaro, Paul McCartney, and Larry Grenadier, into one set of hands. Since he picked up the upright bass at age 16, Steve has worked diligently on fusing different styles into jazz to create a broader foundation meaningful to him. Steve moved to New York City to study Contemporary Improvised Music and Anthropology at the New School, and began studying bass privately with Harish Raghavan. 

Steve has performed all over New York City and Dallas, in notable locations such as The Jazz Gallery, The Bar Next Door, Shapeshifter Lab, The House of Blues, and the Bern International Jazz Festival 2017 in Switzerland. He has performed with Vijay Iyer, Okkyung Lee, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Aaron Parks, Adam Rogers, Kendrick Scott, Tom Rainey, and many others. Steve was also commissioned to write a piece for the New York Public Library in honor of notable Jazz legend Charles Mingus that premiered in December 2017.

Kevin Hailey

Kevin Hailey sas born in Canberra, Australia in 1975. During high school Kevin began playing the electric bass and in 1991 took up the double bass and commenced jazz studies at the Canberra School Of Music where he earned his diploma. While in Canberra Kevin received lessons from the likes of, Lee Konitz, Mark Murphy, Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Mike Nock.

In 1998 Kevin moved to Sydney and began working, primarily in the jazz scene. Accompanying artists such as Dale Barlow, James Morrison, Galapagos Duck, Sydney all star Band, The Australian Girls Choir, The Hailey Bros, Matt Baker, Jane Irving, Bobby Gebbert, and singer Jeff Duff, with whom he has recorded two albums, as well as performing seasons at the Opera House and Adelaide cabaret festival.

Other projects have included hip-hop group Story, tracks on the 2000 gay&lesbian mardi gras CD, A trip to Banff, Canada as a participant in the Banff Centers International Jazz Workshop under pianist Kenny Werner (2000), a seven month stint with Princess Cruises across the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Tahitian islands (2007) Performances at Darling Harbour, Thredbo, Noosa, Manly and Launceston Jazz Festivals and numerous recording credits including Jimmy Somerville, Jimmy Little, Glen Skuthorpe, Craig Naughton and Rodric White.

In December of 2011 Kevin moved from Australia to New York City where he has been living in Brooklyn, making a niche for himself in the jazz scene, working with artists including Ron Affif, Carol Sudhalter, Marianne Solivan, Marion Cowings, Jason Yeager and Daniel Bennett.

In 2015 Kevin was the recipient of the Hot House Magazine Jazz Fan’s Decision award for Best Bass. Recording credits include albums for Danny Lipsitz, Ali Carter and Steven Blane.

Noah Garabedian

A native of Berkeley, California, Noah Garabedian holds a BA in Ethnomusicology from the The University of California Los Angeles, and a Master's in Music Performance from New York University. In 2006 he was awarded a John Coltrane National Scholarship, and in 2007 was selected as a finalist for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz graduate program. In March of 2011, Mr. Garabedian was selected to participate in Brad Mehldau's master class at The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, and in June of that same year was selected as a finalist in the ISB Double Bass Competition.

In November of 2016, Mr. Garabedian received a Fulbright Specialist Grant to teach jazz music for one month at Silpakorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand. As an educator Mr. Garabedian currently works with the music outreach program at Jazz At Lincoln Center called Jazz For Young People. He is also currently part-time faculty at The New School in New York City and works as a teaching artist with the New York Pops. In the past he has served as adjunct faculty at NYU, taught with The Weil Institute at Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Friend's Summer Jazz Camp, Stanford Jazz Camp, and participated in the music outreach program between UCLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

As a sideman, Mr. Garabedian has performed and toured with Ravi Coltrane, Josh Roseman, Ralph Alessi, Andrew D'Angelo, Myron Walden, Nir Felder, Frank LoCrasto, Silver City Bound, Julian Pollack, as well as his own sextet Big Butter And The Egg Men. In March of 2014, Mr. Garabedian represented the US State Department on a seven-week tour of Southeast Asia with Silver City Bound, where they performed for the public, and taught workshops on music in several countries.

Lucy Clifford 

Lucy Clifford is a bassist, composer and educator from the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. Since receiving her B.A in Jazz performance from Sydney Conservatorium of Music and her Grad.Dip from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Lucy's multi genre bass playing has contributed to her extensive body of work, having performed across the globe with countless artists at festivals, concert halls and venues worldwide. She has performed with the likes of Grammy Winning artists Alejandro Sanz and Jesse & Joy at the Rise Up As One Festival (2016 USA), Mariza of her USA Tour (2017), Grammy Winning Producer Javier Limon & Tonina at the Ellas Crean Festival (2017 Spain), M+E at SXSW Music Festival (2016 USA), Alex Silver Quintet at Edinburgh Jazz Festival & Sydney International Women's Festival (2012 Scotland & AUS), Maher Beauroy at the Martinique Jazz Festival (2016 Martinique), Wollongong Conservatorium of Music Ensemble at the Reno Jazz Festival, Amy & The Engine at The Gillette Stadium (2015 USA), and Mighty Mystic at B.B Kings Blues Club (2016 NYC) to name a few. 

 Lucy's bass playing appears on a myriad of records from over the years, having worked with artists such as Mariza, Nella, Tonina, Maher Beauroy, Art Note, Peridot, High Key People, Billy Wylder, Nacho Gonzalez and Juan Mejia's Conspiracy among others. Her bass playing encompasses many genres with varying artists, often exploring beyond the fringes of jazz, pop, rnb, afro latin and reggae. Lucy is also heavily involved in educating younger generations at various music establishments throughout Australia and the USA, most recently selected to be on faculty at the Victor Wooten Bass Camp, held at Berklee College of Music in 2017 and 2018. She currently resides in New York City.  

Colin Leeds

Colin Leeds is a trained multi-instrumentalist, performer and music teacher. Originally form New Jersey, Colin discovered his passion for music at a very early age and has been pursuing his love for the art ever since. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2014, Colin began teaching private lessons for students of all ages as well as teaching and performing at local pre-schools. As a seasoned educator, Colin has turned absolute beginners into gigging musicians. When not on playing music, Colin loves to play basketball, bike, swim, read, write and laugh!

Colin is thrilled to be a part of Henderson Academy of Music and beyond excited inspire his students.  Whether you want to become a rockstar, pop-star, or just want to have fun, Colin is a firm believer that everyone has the ability to learn an instrument. Let's get together and play some music!

Justin Michael

Justin has been playing and studying the guitar since he was 13. Now 26, he graduated from Rutgers University, cum laude, and studied under the tutelage of jazz guitar master Vic Juris, in addition to an all-star faculty. 

Justin is comfortable playing various styles of music on multiple instruments, performs regularly throughout the tri-state area and has been sharing his love of music through teaching since 2011.

Michael Sanders

Michael Sanders is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and teacher based out of Brooklyn, NY. He has taught guitar, piano, bass, drums, voice, songwriting/composition and music theory to students of all skill levels. Michael puts an emphasis on teaching to the needs of the individual student. Whether the student is interested in rock/pop, jazz, classical, or any other style he will come up with a strategy catered to the interests of the student.

In the past Michael has been known to create original arrangements of music requested by students fit for their current skill level. If a student is not interested in learning to read music, a more "by ear" approach is used.

Michael can be seen performing around New York with his current bands King Jane and Jenna & the Janes. As a performing member of a band he has been on full U.S. tours with multiple groups. As a studio musician he has recorded on several albums, most recently this summer with his band King Jane at the world renowned Power Station recording studio in Hell's Kitchen.

As a composer, Michael's music has performed by a wide range of ensembles ranging from piano trio to orchestra. He is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he obtained his undergraduate degree in music composition from Louisiana State University, studying with Dinos Constantinides.

In 2018 he completed his masters of music in New York City at the Mannes School of Music at the New School, studying with Lowell Liebermann.

Petar Pera Krstajić

Petar Pera Krstajić is a bass player who combines electronic music with jazz and Serbian folk music. His work celebrates the beauty of his native Serbia. He is a 23 year old Berklee College of Music graduate.

This year he won the Grand Prize on the Lee Ritenour's Six String Theory Competition in the Bass Player category. He will be touring around Europe, Asia and the U.S. and recording with Lee Ritenour and other eminent musicians.

Petar has performed and/or recorded with David Binney, Terry Lyne Carrington, David Fiuczynski, Marko Djordjvic, Tim Miller, Darren Barret, Mark Walker and Jacques Scwarz- Bart. He is an experienced performer and arranger and has led several of his own bands. Petar will release an electronica folk jazz record this or upcoming year. His original projects include Qzama Quartet and his own band Epiphany with whom he performed in festivals around Europe.

Seán_van_Doornum

Traditionally trained in classical guitar from the age of 8, Seán ventured out to learn jazz, blues, country and rock. He completed his AMEB Classical Guitar exams in High School and shortly after he undertook a Bachelor of Composition Degree from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music during which time he performed in and composed for the Conservatorium Chamber Choir. Seán was awarded second place in the 2006/2007 Allan Zavod Jazz/Classical Composition Award. In 2010, he was awarded the ArtStart Grant from the Australian Arts Council and in 2011 was a finalist in the APRA Professional Development Award.

After re-locating to New York City in 2012, Seán began working as an Audio/Mix Engineer, Producer and Studio Coordinator at Atlantic Sound Studios where he worked with Grammy Award winning acts such as Snarky Puppy. Seán also performs regularly around NYC at renowned venues such as Joe's Pub, Rockwood Music Hall and Cameo Gallery with several bands and artists as well as his own psychedelic-folk-rock band, eüsh. He also composes regularly for theater and film such as the award-winning premier of Stephen Jefrey's play The Libertine through Sport For Jove Theatre Company.

Seán thoroughly enjoys teaching all things related to music and is passionate about introducing students to new and exciting ways for them to develop both their personal playing techniques and styles, but also to help students build their curiosity for exploring music from all ages and styles.