David Hughes

David Hughes was born and raised in Sweden. After studying bass guitar and acoustic upright at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, David left for Los Angeles and began exploring life as a studio musician. David decided to spend a year at B.I.T. in Los Angeles where he studied with Gary Willis, Todd Johnson, Jeff Berlin, and Steve Bailey amongst others. A couple of years later, David joined the teaching staff at Musicians Institute. For the past several years, David has been touring the world with Wayne Henderson's Jazz Crusaders. David has also performed with David Benoit, Ronnie Laws, Everette Harp, Bobby Lyle, Chaka Khan, Melissa Etheridge, Burt Bacharach, Ray Manzarek (of the Doors), and many others. David has played on a number of independent albums, commercial jingles, and music libraries. TV work includes Baywatch, The Tom Green Show, and he can be seen and heard in the film "Old School." David released his debut solo project, Swoosh in 2003. Currently, David is pursuing a solo career, touring as a sideman with David Benoit, the Jazz Crusaders, and Ronnie Laws in addition to recording sessions and local performances spanning a diverse range or styles.

Known as a versatile sideman and session player, Sweden-born bassist David Hughes has released, Swoosh, his debut recording as a leader. Categorized best as contemporary jazz, Swoosh is a self-produced and independently distributed project comprised of eleven original compositions arranged by Hughes including a solo bass performance along with songs inspired by David Benoit, Larry Carlton, and Marcus Miller. With his fretted and fretless basses, Hughes delivers funk-laden grooves, guitar-like chordal voicings, and many horn-influenced solos. Although Hughes' virtuostic ability as a bass player is completely apparent throughout this recording, it never obscures the emotionally evocative experience he is attempting to convey to the listener. Enlisting notable special guest appearances by David Benoit, Wilton Felder from the Jazz Crusaders, Greg Mathiesen, and the Rippingtons' Dave Anderson, rarely do you hear a recording with compositions this well balanced on a debut project where electric bass is spotlighted with such a significant role in delivering the melodic content. A complete track listing includes: "Swoosh", "Benoit", "Waiting For The Crowd", "Carlton", "Clearing", "Riverside", "Millertime", "Sunshine", "Contemplationalism", "Kenny", and "Waves." Bottom Line: Swoosh is a recording with commercial appeal that even non-musicians can enjoy listening to for hours. With his first solo project, Hughes proves that he is a premier bassist who definitely deserves wider acknowledgment.

Swoosh

David Hughes - Bass, Keyboards, Programming
John DePatie; Brian Price; Dave Anderson; Andy Suzuki; Charles Huntley; David Benoit; Greg Mathiesen; Wilton Felder; Allen Hinds
Release Date - 2003
Record Label - ABZ Music

For more information on David Hughes, visit: SwedeBass.com.