Joe Fonda
Encyclopedia
Joe Fonda is an American jazz
bassist.
Fonda was born in Amsterdam, New York to parents who both played jazz. He played guitar as a youth but switched to bass guitar
later on. He studied bass at Berklee College of Music
, where he also began playing upright bass. He played in the New Haven, Connecticut
area in the early 1980s, and recorded with Wadada Leo Smith
. In 1994 he began playing with Anthony Braxton
, collaborating with him extensively for the next five years. He and Michael Jefry Stevens co-lead an ensemble, the Fonda-Stevens group, that began in 1991 and has continued through 2009. The group has recorded 10 cds and continues to perform extensively in Europe and the United States. Since the late 1990s Fonda has recorded often as a bandleader.
Fonda has also explored dance
in relation to jazz music; he played bass with a dance company in the 1980s and incorporated a tap dancer into his ensemble for the albums From the Source and The Healing.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bassist.
Fonda was born in Amsterdam, New York to parents who both played jazz. He played guitar as a youth but switched to bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
later on. He studied bass at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, where he also began playing upright bass. He played in the New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
area in the early 1980s, and recorded with Wadada Leo Smith
Wadada Leo Smith
Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith is a trumpeter and composer working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation.-Biography:...
. In 1994 he began playing with Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
, collaborating with him extensively for the next five years. He and Michael Jefry Stevens co-lead an ensemble, the Fonda-Stevens group, that began in 1991 and has continued through 2009. The group has recorded 10 cds and continues to perform extensively in Europe and the United States. Since the late 1990s Fonda has recorded often as a bandleader.
Fonda has also explored dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
in relation to jazz music; he played bass with a dance company in the 1980s and incorporated a tap dancer into his ensemble for the albums From the Source and The Healing.
Discography
- Looking for the Lake (1976)
- Procession of the Great Ancestry with Wadada Leo SmithWadada Leo SmithIshmael Wadada Leo Smith is a trumpeter and composer working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation.-Biography:...
(1983) - The Wish with Michael Jefry Stevens (Music & ArtsMusic & ArtsMusic & Arts is an American record label based in Kensington, California.Music & Arts is owned and operated by Music and Arts Programs of America, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to informal education in the arts, established in California in 1984...
, 1996) - Parallel Lines with Michael Jefry Stevens (Music & Arts, 1997)
- Evolution with Michael Jefry Stevens (Leo RecordsLeo RecordsLeo Records is an English jazz record label, which releases Russian jazz in addition to material from American and British musicians.Leo Records was founded in 1979 by Leo Feigin , a Russian immigrant to Britain...
, 1997) - From the Source with Vicki Dodd and Brenda Bufolino (Konnex Records, 1998)
- Full Circle Suite (CIMP, 1999)
- When It's Time (Jazzhalo, 1999)
- Live at the Bunker (Leo, 2000)
- Distance with Xu Fengxia (Leo, 2000)
- The Healing (2002)
- Blisters (Jazzhalo, 2003)
- Heat Suite in Four Parts (Konnex, 2004)
- Twelve Improvisations (Leo, 2004)
- What We're Hearing (De WerfDe WerfDe Werf is a Belgian arts center based in Bruges. It organizes concerts and records CDs for jazz musicians. The first record it released was Sketches of Belgium by K. D.'s Basement Party, a band led by Kris Defoort. The next year, Octurn's first album went out on this label...
) - Poetry in Motion with Conference Call Quartet (clean feed - 2009)