MICHAEL MANRING

Michael Manring in concert

Biography

Hailed by many as the world's leading solo bassist, Michael Manring has been pushing back the boundaries of whatís possible on the bass guitar for over two decades. While his technical skill and innovations always make an impression, it is his ability to communicate on a profound emotional level that most touches listeners. As editor Tom Darter wrote in Keyboard magazine after seeing one of Michael's solo concerts, "Forget his astounding technique and musicality; forget his absolute command of his instruments; forget how seamlessly the musical ideas and the performance of them were wedded together...The enlightenment came most from feeling (seeing, hearing) the joy Michael felt to be playing...his brand of transcendental chops and musical understanding...was all in the service of the final outcome, the joy of making music."

Building on the conceptions of his teacher, the late bass legend Jaco Pastorius, Michael has developed a new approach to the instrument that includes unorthodox tunings, techniques and methodologies. He has honed his skills on hundreds of recordings as a session musician and thousands of concerts throughout the world. Michael has worked with a surprisingly diverse collection of musicians from New Age keyboardist Suzanne Ciani to avant-improv guitar innovator Henry Kaiser to celebrated folk troubadour John Gorka to experimental post-metal rockers Tim Alexander (Primus) and Alex Skolnick (Testament) to electro-pop pioneer Thomas Dolby. His long-term collaboration and close friendship with the late acoustic guitar genius Michael Hedges led to a lengthy stint as house bassist for Windham Hill Records; a label for whom he also worked as a solo artist, releasing four recordings under his own name: Unusual Weather (1986), Toward the Center of the Night (1989), Drastic Measures (1991) and Thonk (1994). These, along with his 1998 release The Book of Flame on the Alchemy record label earned him an international reputation as "a master of the fretless bass without rival." (Guitar Club Magazine, Italy).

Michael offers the following whimsical bio-acronym:

Music is my earliest memory.
All but one of my grandparents were musicians; all but one of my three siblings are, too.
Nearly everyone discouraged me from pursuing solo bass, but I just couldn't let go of the passion I felt for it.
Rarely am I ever bored.
I feel lucky to have realized so many of my dreams.
Nowadays I never seem to have enough time to practice.
Growing and learning are my continual goals.

Discography

  • Resonances (live, 2008)
  • Project M (with Grant Stinnett, Rob Gourlay and Jim Stinnett, 2008)
  • North (with Jim Lampi, 2008)
  • A Place in Time (with Cyril Achard, 2008)
  • deMania (with Alex de Grassi and Christopher Garcia, 2006)
  • Outerspaces (with Sadhappy: Michael Manring, Mike Keneally and Evan Schiller, 2006)
  • Soliloquy (2006)
  • The Book of Flame (2001)
  • Thonk (1999)
  • Drastic Measures (1997)
  • Toward the Center of the Night (1995)
  • Unusual Weather (1993)

Performance Highlights

Michael Manring is a bassist and composer known for his innovative approach to the instrument and his adventurous solo concerts. He has appeared on over 200 recordings and toured throughout the world. He has received Grammy and Bammie nominations, the Berklee School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award, two Gold Records, two Just Plain Folks awards and the Bassist of the Year award from the readers of Bass Player Magazine. He was also the subject of a recent PBS TV documentary, The Artist's Profile: Michael Manring.

Michael is best known for radically expanding the limits of the fretless electric bass. He was chosen as "Bassist of the Year" in Bass Player Magazine's reader's poll in 1994, and has been nominated for a Bammie and a Grammy. L.A. Jazz Scene says "Manring is creating musical history", and Jaco Pastorius called Manring "One bad mother****".

Michael Manring web site
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