Biography
John James Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York. He started playing the electric bass when he was 10 years old. He began performing and writing music when he was 12. At age 15, he began playing the acoustic bass, and by age 16, he was also playing the piano. He listened to bass parts in R&B songs on the radio and on his grandfather's jazz records. He was influenced by albums featuring Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown, as well as those by Wes Montgomery and Ron Carter. For rhythm training, he worked with Danilo Pérez, a pianist from Panama.
In the late 1970s, he studied acoustic bass at San Francisco State University and Long Beach State University. He began his professional career when he moved to Los Angeles in 1980 and connected with musicians like Henry Mancini, Dave Grusin, and Tom Scott. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, he was part of three Chick Corea groups: the Elektric Band, the Akoustic Band, and a quartet. As a leader, he created a trio with Joey Calderazzo and Peter Erskine, and a quartet with Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Tavaglione, and John Beasley. He has performed with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Roy Haynes. Patitucci plays both the double bass and electric bass.
He was the artistic director of the Bass Collective, a school for bass players in New York City. He also worked with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program. He taught Jazz Studies at City College of New York. In June 2012, he started the Online Jazz Bass School. He was also named an artist in residence at Berklee College of Music.
Back in Brooklyn
Back in Brooklyn is a documentary about Patitucci made by August Sky Films in 2015. Patrick Cone directed the film. It shows videos from rehearsals, studio sessions, live performances, and includes interviews with Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, and Herbie Hancock. The documentary was filmed around the same time that Patitucci recorded his album Brooklyn.
Awards and honors
- Most Valuable Player Award, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1986
- Best Jazz Bassist, voted by readers of Guitar Player magazine, 1992, 1994, 1995
- Best Jazz Bassist, voted by readers of Bass Player magazine, 1993–1996
- Received a Grammy Award nomination for the album Beyond the Sound Barrier as part of the Wayne Shorter Quartet in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category in 2005
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Bass Player magazine, 2019
- Received a Grammy Award nomination for his album Spirit Fall in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category.
Discography
- John Patitucci (GRP, 1987)
- On the Corner (GRP, 1989)
- Sketchbook (GRP, 1990)
- Heart of the Bass (Stretch, 1992)
- Another World (GRP, 1993)
- Mistura Fina (GRP, 1995)
- One More Angel (Concord, 1997)
- Now (Concord, 1998)
- Imprint (Concord, 2000)
- Communion (Concord, 2001)
- Songs, Stories & Spirituals (Concord, 2003)
- Line by Line (Concord, 2006)
- Remembrance (Concord, 2009)
- Brooklyn (Three Faces, 2015)
- Soul of the Bass (Three Faces, 2019)
- Spirit Fall (Edition, 2025)
- All Strings Attached with Tal Farlow, John Abercrombie, Larry Carlton, Larry Coryell, John Scofield (Verve, 1987)
- Continental Talk with Randy Brecker, Steve Gadd, Stanislav Mitrovic, Ratko Zjaca (In+Out, 2009)
- Viva Hermeto! with André Marques, Brian Blade (Borandá, 2014)
- Children of the Light with Danilo Pérez, Brian Blade (Mack Avenue, 2015)
- TRIO with Vinnie Colaiuta, Bill Cunliffe (Le Coq, 2021)
- Tamarack (Parbar Music, 1981)
The Hudson Project With Peter Erskine, John Abercrombie, and Bob Mintzer
- The Hudson Project (Stretch, 2000) – live recording from 1998
The Great Jazz Trio Led by Hank Jones with drummers
- 'S Wonderful with Jack DeJohnette (Eighty-eight's, 2004)
- Speak Low with Jack DeJohnette (Eighty-Eight's, 2005)
- Stella by Starlight with Omar Hakim and guest Sadao Watanabe (Eighty-Eight's, 2006)
- July 5th – Live at Birdland NY with Omar Hakim (Eighty-Eight's, 2007)
- July 6th – Live at Birdland NY with Omar Hakim (Eighty-Eight's, 2007)