Steve Uccello
Steve Uccello: Upright Bassist/Singer-Song-Writer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Composer
Steve Uccello is a unique musician who plays many styles of music on a variety of different bass instruments, as well as Guitar, Mandolin, Tenor Banjo, and Drums. From Jazz, World, Bluegrass, and Folk on the Upright Bass to Blues, Rock, Gospel, and Funk on the electric bass to Mariachi on the Guitarron, Steve Uccello authentically embraces each style and blends it into his bass driven music. He also provides solid bass behind a variety of artists.
Steve Uccello has toured the U.S. extensively with multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter virtuoso Dayan Kai. He has also toured and recorded with Kerville and Telluride award winning songwriter Keith Greeninger. He is also a member of the Spanish Nuevo Cancion group The Juan L. Sanchez Ensemble, which tours throughout the U.S. and Canada. Steve played with the Seattle-based Steel Pan/Masquerade ensemble Bakra Bata. Steve Uccello has appeared with these groups at many festivals including The Oregon Country Fair, The High Sierra Festival, The Kerville Folk Festival, The Sandpoint Festival, The Millpond Festival, The Island Lake Festival, in British Columbia, The Bumbershoot Festival, and The Folk Life Festival. Steve has also toured across Italy with Gospel artist Nehemiah Brown And His Voices Of Joy Ensemble. Steve provides the bottom end for The CSUMB/Monterey Bay Community Jazz Big Band, under the direction of the world-renowned musician and Monterey Jazz Festival clinician, Paul Contos. Steve is a member of the Son/Salsa group, Dulce. Steve has been featured with Bluegrass group The Harmony Grits and was an assistant organizer/originator for the Hollerpallooza shows, which benefited the Cabrillo College Theatre Arts Program. He played with jazz pianist Bob Phillips at three engagements of Bob's benefit series for the musicians of New Orleans. He is featured on the ‘Songs from the Santa Cruz Schools’ CD, which benefits the Santa Cruz County elementary schools’ arts programs. He is also the steady bassist at the Cypress Community Church, in Salinas, Ca. Steve has toured extensively with the nationally acclaimed children’s artist, Nancy Cassidy.
During his travels Steve has sought out musical experiences, from Bluegrass jams in Kentucky (where one player called him a ‘hoss’ on the bass) to Dixieland jams in New Orleans. He has enjoyed impromptu jams with the likes of Joe Craven, at the Christmas Fair in Sonora, Ca, and with Mike Marshall, who called him a ‘monster’ on the bass, at The Mandolin Symposium, in Santa Cruz, Ca. He was also invited to sit in with the Joe Craven trio at the American River Festival in Coloma, California. The renowned Czech mandolinst, Radim Zenkl, described Steve’s bass playing as ‘very creative’.
Although he started on drums at age 10, Steve’s musical training began in earnest at age 13 when he picked up his grandma's guitar and flippped the strings around (Steve is a left handed player who plays his instruments strung lefty, but also has the ability to play righty strung instruments). He studied with jazz organist/guitarist/educator Edward Degroot. This is when Steve started writing vocal and instrumental music. It was also during his high school years that he began forming, and playing with, several bands. He then attended Cabrillo College where he was principal bassist for two years in the Cabrillo College Symphony Orchestra. He also studied with jazz trumpeter/educator Ray Brown. Along with chamber music ensembles, including a bass quartet, Steve played bass with the Latin ensemble under the direction of percussionist Michael Strunk. Steve then attended California State University Monterey Bay, where he studied with world-renowned bassists Stan Poplin and Ray Drummond. Steve was the first student to graduate from CSUMB with a concentration in Jazz Music Studies. He was the recipient of the Jazz Music Studies Pioneer Award, and graduated with the Distinction in the Major award.
Steve is currently a busy sideman for numerous bands in the Monterey Bay area (including appearances with legendary guitarist, Bruce Forman and his group: Cowbop, as well as The Roger Eddy Group, and Along Came Betty). Steve self-produced two solo albums: Polar Vision, which features his vocals and songwriting, and Symmetrize, an instrumental album, which features the upright bass as a melody instrument. The repertoire is made up exclusively of Steve’s original compositions.