Description: Ed Bennett-Jazz Bassist
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Ed Bennett has long been considered one of the West Coast's premiere string bass players. Living in Portland, Oregon since 1990, Ed's work has taken him virtually everywhere in the world. He has worked with, toured internationally, or recorded with many legendary jazz figures, including: Dizzy Gillespie, Curtis Fuller, Terell Stafford, Claudio Roditi, Jeremy Pelt, Joe Henderson, Sonny Stitt, Benny Golson, Frank Morgan, Richie Cole, Pete Christlieb, Bud Shank, Charles McPherson, Hadley Caliman, Bobby Watson,
Ed was born in Los Angeles California on December 19, 1951 and began playing the string bass at the age of 12 in Junior High School. He was a talented student of bassist Nat Gangursky, with whom he concentrated on technique (Simandl Method) and the classical repertoire. At 13, he was introduced to jazz music, and played in a Dixieland band that appeared on the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour in 1966.
A dedicated, working professional, Ed also majored in music, first attending Los Angeles Valley College. The following year, Ed was accepted to the Berklee School of Music in Boston in 1971. Ed made what he considers to be his first professional jazz engagement doing a week stint at the Jazz Workshop with Brazilian greats Victor Brasil and Claudio Rotiti, while a Berklee student. On his return home to Los Angeles he attended CSUN (Cal State University Northridge) in 1973.