Tom Kennedy Archives

Pianist and composer Lukasz Pawlik has released his new album, “Long-Distance Connections”, which assembles a who’s who of the jazz world. That includes a roster of Tom Kennedy, Randy Brecker, Gary Novak, Mike Stern, Dave Weckl, and more.

This month, we chat with the talented Tom Kennedy, an accomplished touring and studio musician who ranks as one of the top acoustic and electric bass players in the world. Enjoy the conversation...

Mike Stern and his band took the stage at Jazz à Vienne in 2011, along with guest Didier Lockwood on violin. Here they are performing “Tipatina’s,” which appeared on Stern’s 1999 album, Play. Bassist Tom Kennedy plays a fierce bass line throughout, with Dave Weckl on drums.

With decades of playing with some of the world’s top musicians under his belt, Tom Kennedy has seen a lot. Starting with jazz greats when he was just a teenager, the master bassist has seen the world from the stage and the studio. That’s only part of why his new album, Points of View, is so aptly titled. The release,...

Fourplay founding member Lee Ritenour’s guitar work is all over popular music — he’s played more than 3,000 sessions, with everyone from Pink Floyd to Dizzy Gillespie, earned a Grammy for his 1986 collaboration with Dave Grusin, and netted 17 more Grammy nominations besides. The jazz player’s latest album, A Twist of Rit, sees him join with an all-star band...

I remember watching the Mike Stern Band’s when it came out, and while the entire concert is excellent, Stern’s “Wishing Well” really caught my attention. Stern is joined on this concert by bassist Tom Kennedy, saxophonist Bob Franceschini and drummer Dave Weckl. I was lucky to see this exact lineup in one of many of Stern’s shows at Blues Alley...

Here’s a stellar performance of the Mike Stern Band in 2008 performing “Chromazone”, a song from Stern’s 1988 album, Time in Place. Tom Kennedy is laying down some serious bass, along with Dave Weckl on drums and Bob Franceschini on sax. This performance is from the . This one brings back some great memories… I saw this lineup of the...

Tom Kennedy newest acoustic CD, Just Play is out today. Bringing together many of the people Kennedy has performed with over the years, the album has a truly all-star cast of musicians. The core band is Renee Rosnes, Dave Weckl and George Garzone along with guests Mike Stern, Tim Hagens, Lee Ritenour, John Allred and Steve Wirts. The CD’s nine...

Guitarist Mike Stern’s new record All Over the Place features a veritable smorgasbord of bass talent: Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona, Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Dave Holland, Tom Kennedy, Will Lee and Victor Bailey. Like a kid in the rhythm section candy shop, Stern audibly delights in playing with these guys. Further, the quality of Stern’s writing, the variety of grooves...

Jazz guitar vet Mike Stern has a new album coming out on June 19, 2012, and bass fans have a lot to look forward to with this release. All Over the Place features eight different bassists on the 11-song release, including Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona, Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Dave Holland, Tom Kennedy, Will Lee and Victor Bailey. Stern recruited...

Every once in a while, we miss an important release by a notable bassist. With Tom Kennedy’s latest release, we did just that. Released in October 2011, Kennedy’s Just For The Record is his third album as a leader and features a wide spectrum of music, from bop and Latin, to fusion and funk. Kennedy, who has performed with Tania...

Check out Tom Kennedy taking care of business on “The Chicken”, a song most people think was written by Jaco Pastorius. (It was written by Pee Wee Ellis, a member of James Brown’s band, though Jaco made it famous). Holy smokes!