Hailed by many as the world’s leading solo bassist, Michael Manring has been pushing back the boundaries of what’s possible on the bass guitar for 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 an 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 in venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, Yamaha Hall in Tokyo and Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. Michael has worked with a 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). His two solo bass recordings, Soliloquy (2006) and Small Moments (2020) showcase the approach to the bass that led one writer to conclude, “Manring can do more with a bass than even the most creative individual could imagine” (L. Pierce Carson, Napa Valley Register). He has garnered three gold records, Grammy and Bammie nominations, a Berklee School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award, three Just Plain Folks Awards and numerous Bass Player Magazine Readers’ Poll awards including 1994 Bassist of the Year. He was also the subject of a PBS TV documentary, “The Artist’s Profile: Michael Manring” and a Youtube video of him playing his iconic solo piece “Selene” has well over 1.5 million views. We hope you’ll follow the advice of France’s Musicien magazine: “Do not miss your next opportunity to discover the bassist with the most fresh and inventive playing today.”

From a creative New York upbringing to the forefront of modern bass innovation, John Ferrara has carved a distinct musical path. Ferrara is best known for his two-handed tapping technique and genre-defying work with the acclaimed world fusion group Consider the Source , his work as a Solo Artist and as founding member of the psychedelic prog band Mono Means One . John’s third solo studio album, Skinned Knees and Make Believe, arrived September 6, 2025, on all streaming platforms, digital download, and vinyl. Recorded near Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park, where the jungle meets the sea, the album features natural jungle and ocean sounds that inspired its performances Listen to and order “Skinned Knees and Make Believe” here. Ferrara has gained worldwide recognition for his unorthodox approach to writing and performing which he accomplishes largely by utilizing the “two handed tapping technique”. John has gained overwhelming praise in the bass community by prominent figures like “Charles Berthoud” who labeled him the “Unsung Genius of Bass Tapping”. His approach alters the instrument’s role into something more akin to a piano or classical guitar. Where Ferrara’s take on the bass guitar showcases his technical proficiency, his ethos as an artist is strictly to serve an emotional end, making his compositions both comprehensible and palatable to wider audiences. Bob Boilen, the founder and former host of NPR’s Tiny Desk concert, considered his performance “Jaw dropping” during NPR’s “Top Shelf Pick” nomination in 2022. Ferrara’s music is a mixture between classical, jazz, rock, folk, and minimalism and falls somewhere between the brooding moodiness of Phillip Glass, the improvisational exploration of Chick Corea, and the melancholic spirit of Radiohead. He is inspired by classical composers and jazz pianists equally. The music paints many different scenes with shifts in mood and dynamics often occurring multiple times within each song. John proudly endorses Fodera basses, Bergantino Amplifiers, LKStraps and Gator cases.

Tim Seisser Bassist/Musician

Vinny Kabat graduated from Elmhurst College with a degree in JazzStudies. He finds himself very busy around the Chicagoland area as afreelance bassist and private lesson teacher. In addition to frequentlyperforming at many private events such as weddings and banquetsthroughout the Midwest, publicly he can frequently be found performing withsaxophonist Anthony Bruno, blues artist Demetria Taylor and steel pan fusiongroup Callaloo. He also works with vocalist Ellie Banke and will be opening,with her band, for Ed Sheeran this coming summer at Soldier Field and U.S.Bank Stadium. Vinny recently celebrated his debut record, “Introducing theVinny Kabat Trio” which features all original jazz-fusion instrumentals and two solo bass tracks.