Dan Loomis

Dan Loomis

Musicians | Instrument: Bass | Location: New York City

Loomis straddles a fine line between understatement and aggression.

—Downbeat

Updated: March 18, 2024

Born: March 29, 1980

A stalwart of the Brooklyn creative music scene, Dan Loomis is a daring leader, a sought-after sideman, and a composer whose unique view of the world and music has led to the creation of innovative and moving works.

Loomis has produced over a dozen recordings as leader and co-leader of collective ensembles including Spoke and The Wee Trio. In 2020, he released the project “Job’s Trials: A Jazz Song Cycle”, an original musical/theatrical presentation which earned glowing praise from the press. A song from “Job’s Trials” went on to become the title track on the album“Abundance”, earning Loomis a Juno Award with Turboprop. The Wee Trio and Spoke also released critically-acclaimed albums in recent years, including Spoke’s (r)anthems in 2014, and The Wee Trio’s recording Wee+3 in 2017. Loomis is also consistently in demand as a recording artist and sideman, most notably with The Joel Frahm Trio and Vadim Neselovskyi trio, which recently recorded with John Zorn on his Book of Beriah release  Loomis has toured extensively around the world, all over NYC including many appearances at The Blue Note and Village Vanguard.

In addition to his work on the bass, he’s a prolific composer and leader. He recently formed an ensemble called REVOLUTIONS that uses its music to explore the Haitian and South American uprisings, and to comment on the world’s continuing need for a revolution of spirit and action. His newest compositional project, ‘Songs for the Mother Tree’ explores humanity’s interwoven relationship with Trees.

A small sample of the notable names with whom Loomis has performed includes TS Monk, Gary Burton, Wycliffe Gordon and Joel Frahm. He’s a regular in all of New York’s major clubs and in addition to appearing on stages on every habitable continent in the world.

Awards

"Job's Trials", Top 10 Albums of the Year on UK Vibe, "Wee+3", The Wee Trio, 4 stars in Downbeat "Get up and Go", Vadim Neselovskyi Trio, 4 stars in Downbeat "Ashes to Ashes: A David Bowie Intraspective", The Wee Trio, 4 stars in Downbeat "Live at the Bistro", The Wee Trio, 4 stars in Downbeat "Capitol Diner, Vol. 1" The Wee Trio, 3 1/2 stars in Downbeat

Gear

American Standard Contrabass

Lenzner gut G String

DPA Microphone


Tags

All About Jazz Articles

5
Album Review

Ernesto Cervini: A Canadian Songbook

Read "A Canadian Songbook" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


Composer and drummer Ernesto Cervini is a stalwart of the Canadian creative music scene both as an artist and promoter. His ninth release as a leader, the captivating A Canadian Songbook, is a collection of seven intricate pieces, composed by him and other compatriots. Cervini, at the head of his sextet Turboprop, deftly balances collective harmony and individual expressions and delivers all with refreshing spontaneity. The leader starts off his arrangement of pianist James Hill's “Skeletons" with sparse ...

7
Album Review

Ernesto Cervini's Turboprop: A Canadian Songbook

Read "A Canadian Songbook" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Toronto-based drummer, Ernesto Cervini has a “T" theme going with the groups he leads. There is the funky, forward-thinking Tetrahedron. Then we have the terrific trio (bass, drums and saxophone) TuneTown. And the third: Turboprop, presenting their fourth album, A Canadian Songbook, which digs into the musical soul of their home turf. Turboprop is a sextet with a powerhouse three-horn front line, featuring three of Canada's finest, Tara Davidson on alto saxophone, Joel Frahm on tenor saxophone, and ...

4
Album Review

Noa Fort: Everyday Actions

Read "Everyday Actions" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Noa Fort is an Israeli-born pianist, vocalist and composer now living in New York City. She has worked as a music therapist and believes in using music as a healing force. That sentiment comes through in this CD of alternately stimulating and peaceful music. She sings on most of the tracks but only one has lyrics. On the rest her voice floats wordlessly over her piano and various combinations of trumpeter Josh Deutsch, bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ronen Itzik. ...

4
Album Review

Joel Frahm: The Bright Side

Read "The Bright Side" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


Saxophonist Joel Frahm is an accomplished virtuoso with an easily recognizable style. He deftly balances an accessible, mellifluous sound with an explorative spirit. His tenth release as a leader, the captivating The Bright Side, is a collection of ten brilliant originals interpreted in a spare trio setting. The laid back atmosphere and the band's seamless camaraderie make for an engaging listening experience and the warmth, whimsy and intelligent motifs create the album's cohesiveness. “Thinking of Benny" opens with ...

15
Album Review

Joel Frahm: The Bright Side

Read "The Bright Side" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Chordless trio recordings featuring saxophone, bass and drums, no piano or guitar in the building, always draw comparisons to 1957 when a pair of the groundbreakers of the genre were recorded by saxophonist Sonny Rollins with A Night At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note Records, 1958) and Way Out West (Contemporary, 1957). Saxophonist Joel Frahm obviously looked back to that time, having transcribed and memorized Rollins' solo on “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" (from the Village Vanguard album) as ...

2
Album Review

Ernesto Cervini's Turboprop: Abundance

Read "Abundance" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Delve into Toronto-based drummer Ernesto Cervini's discography and you find an artist who seems to be trying to be a force for good in the world. His CD releases feature his Ernesto Cervini Quartet, MEM3, Myraid3, and Turboprop (and others, for he is prolific). His is a sound that brims with buoyancy, whether it's a trio outing or a sextet. Abundance is the Turboprop sextet's third outing. The group could be considered Cervini's nod to the Art Blakey ...

5
Album Review

Ernesto Cervini's Turboprop: Rev

Read "Rev" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


The Toronto-based septet Turboprop serves, in part, as an arrangement-expanding vehicle for  drummer/leader Ernesto Cervini. With his work in two ongoing, outstanding trio's—MEM3 and Myriad3—Cervini helps shape modernist jazz in the piano trio mode. Turboprop, with its three horn front line—two saxophones and a trombone—gets the chance to stretch his arranging chops, with Rev, the group's sophomore effort. Cervini is a guy who wears his joy on his sleeve. His approach—with Turboprop especially—is busy, orchestral. It is not ...

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2

Video / DVD

Pianist Vadim Neselovskyi, Bassist Dan Loomis, Drummer Ronen Itzik Shine In Live Performance Video

Pianist Vadim Neselovskyi, Bassist Dan Loomis, Drummer Ronen Itzik Shine In Live Performance Video

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications

Last May, the Ukrainian pianist Vadim Neselovskyi released his trio's debut recording Get Up and Go (May 19, Jazz Family and Neuklang Records) with bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ronen Itzik, and the three musicians have been burning up stages around the world ever since. Their spring performance at jazzahead! 2017 in Bremen, Germany is a perfect example. Neselovskyi's precision and technical skill, honed during years of studying classical piano, work hand in glove with his creative compositions and brilliant ...

Interview

STLJN Interview: Dan Loomis of the Wee Trio on Recording Live at Jazz at the Bistro

STLJN Interview: Dan Loomis of the Wee Trio on Recording Live at Jazz at the Bistro

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

As mentioned several times before in this space, The Wee Trio (pictured, top left) are in St. Louis this weekend, performing and recording a live album on Friday and Saturday nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Though scheduling complications over the past week rendered fruitless our attempts to connect via phone with bassist and St. Louis native Dan Loomis, he was kind enough to respond to a few questions about the impending gig/recording session via email:  StLJN: Your last album ...

132

Radio

The Jazz Session #108: The Dan Loomis Quartet

The Jazz Session #108: The Dan Loomis Quartet

Source: Michael Ricci


135

Performance / Tour

Dan Loomis @ Chris' Jazz Cafe, September 27, 2007

Dan Loomis @ Chris' Jazz Cafe, September 27, 2007

Source: All About Jazz


"Oak-tree thick bass" - All About Jazz

"Loomis straddles a fine line between understatement and aggression." - Downbeat

Primary Instrument

Bass

Location

New York City

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

I accept private students in the Brooklyn and greater NYC area. Zoom lesson are an option for more remote students. Areas of study range from acoustic and electric bass fundamentals, jazz bass, classical bass, recording fundamentals and composition. Email for rates and times - [email protected]

Clinic/Workshop Information

The trio will perform classic jazz compositions and also modern popular compositions played in a jazz style for the students. This leads to a question and answer format discussion of:

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Wayne Shorter
saxophone
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto
Charlie Haden
bass, acoustic
Charles Mingus
bass, acoustic
Jimi Hendrix
guitar, electric
The Bad Plus
band / ensemble / orchestra
Joel Frahm
saxophone, tenor

Music

Loo-Lee

From: Lumination
By Dan Loomis

Skeletons

From: A Canadian Songbook
By Dan Loomis

Omer's World

From: The Bright Side
By Dan Loomis

Job's Blues

From: Job's Trials
By Dan Loomis

My Shining Hour

From: Abundance
By Dan Loomis

Granada Bus

From: Rev
By Dan Loomis

The Windup

From: Turboprop
By Dan Loomis

We Go

From: Music Notes
By Dan Loomis

Pied Noir

From: I Love Paris
By Dan Loomis