Steve Rodby

Steve Rodby
Rodby performing. Photo by Pino d'Amico
Rodby performing. Photo by Pino d'Amico
Background information
Born (1954-12-09) December 9, 1954 (age 71)
Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
GenreJazz
Occupations
  • Musician
  • producer
InstrumentBass
Years active1975–present
Labels
Websitewww.steverodby.com

Steve Rodby (born December 9, 1954, in Joliet, Illinois) is an American jazz bassist and producer known for his time with the Pat Metheny Group.

Biography

Rodby was born in Joliet, Illinois, into a musical family. His father was a music teacher who bought him an acoustic bass, electric bass, and amp when he was 12. He heard classical music from a young age and was educated in classical until high school when he learned jazz. During high school summers, he went to jazz camps, where he met Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, and Danny Gottlieb, three of the original four members of the Pat Metheny Group.

Rodby played acoustic bass until he graduated from Northwestern University in 1977, when he taught himself how to play electric. He performed in the house band at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, with local and visiting musicians such as Milt Jackson, Joe Henderson, and Art Farmer. He joined the Pat Metheny Group in 1981, starting on electric bass before spending most of his time on acoustic. He spent the next thirty years at Metheny's side, touring, recording, and producing, in Group projects and in Metheny's other projects. With Metheny he earned multiple Grammy awards and nominations, and admiration from critics, magazines, and reader polls.

Rodby collaborated with Fred Simon and Paul McCandless on two albums: Since Forever and Remember the River. In 2011 he collaborated with Paul Wertico, a former drummer for the Metheny Group, and with Israeli musicians Danny Markovitch and Dani Rabin on Marbin's album Breaking the Cycle.

Since 2018, Rodby has held a position as artist of residence in the faculty of Jazz Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Discography

With Ross Traut

As sideman

With Pat Metheny Group

With Pat Metheny

With Simon & Bard Group

With Michael Brecker

With Eliane Elias

With Lyle Mays

With Pat Coil

With Fred Simon

With Steve Cole

With Paul McCandless

With others

Grammy Awards

With Pat Metheny Group:

References

  1. ↑ "Steve Rodby – New Songs, Playlists & Latest News – BBC Music". BBC. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  2. ↑ Cooke, Mervyn (June 1, 2017). Pat Metheny: The ECM Years, 1975–1984. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-065190-9.
  3. 1 2 3 Goldsby, John (January 14, 2015). "The Magic of Steve Rodby". Bass Player. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Kennedy, Gary (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 3 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 436. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
  5. 1 2 "Pat Metheny : Awards". www.patmetheny.com. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  6. ↑ Percussive Notes. Percussive Arts Society. 1992.
  7. ↑ Shore, Robert. "Marbin: Breaking the Cycle". Jazzwise. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Pat Metheny | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 13, 2016.