Avery Sharpe

Avery Sharpe (born August 23, 1954) is an American jazz double-bassist, electric bassist, composer, educator and founder of the artist-owned record label, JKNM Records.

Sharpe has a distinguished percussive and rhythmic approach on double bass.

He incorporates the Hum-a-long (vocal scatting with the bowed bass) bass technique, popularized by Leroy "Slam" Stewart and Major "Mule" Holly, into his playing.

He is a health enthusiast and has promoted vegan/plant based lifestyle and physical training since 1977.

Sharpe was first bought to prominence by tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp and drummer Art Blakey, but is best known for his longtime association with pianist McCoy Tyner from 1980 to 2003.

He recorded more than 20 records with Tyner.

Sharpe's first instrument was the piano, which he started playing at eight years old.

His mother, Evelyn, was a pianist and choir director in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) and she gave lessons to Sharpe, as well as to his seven other siblings.

Sharpe also studied the accordion in his youth and ultimately the electric bass.

While attending the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Sharpe studied double bass with Reggie Workman, and also studied with Max Roach, Archie Shepp, Horace Boyer and Fred Tillis.

He played the double and electric bass in gospel, funk, rock groups, jazz band and orchestra.

He played as a sideman with Yusef Lateef, Ricky Ford, and Joe Ford, among others.

As a leader, he has released on Sunnyside Records, and several albums on his own label, JKNM.

Avery Sharpe has multiple roles at Williams College, as an Artist Associate and Jazz Coach.

He serves additional roles at Williams College; as Faculty Advisor for the Williams Gospel Choir and as affiliation with the Africana Studies department.

Sharpe's parents, James and Evelyn (Green) Sharpe, had eight children, of whom Avery was the sixth-born.

He married his high school sweetheart Cheryl ( Scott) after college and they have four children.

In 1989, he wrote and conducted the soundtrack for the movie An Unremarkable Life.

In the 1990s, Sharpe was commissioned by Fideleo to write three extended works.

Sharpe has been awarded the NAACP Martin Luther King Jr Special Achievement Award, National Endowment for the Arts Grants, and the New England Foundation for the Arts Achievement in Jazz Award (1997).

With McCoy Tyner

With Yusef Lateef

With Archie Shepp

With Frank Morgan

With John Blake

With David Matthews

With Steve Grossman

With Vacca/Moran

With Jeri Brown

With Marc Puricelli

With Chico Freeman

In 2004, he wrote a musical portrait for the stage for Chamber Music Plus.

Sharpe and actress/dancer Jasmine Guy are featured in the stage production of Raisin’ Cane.

His composition "January in Brazil" is on McCoy Tyner's Grammy Award-winning big band album "Journey".

Sharpe has been commissioned by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra on multiple occasions.

Sharpe debuted his six-movement piece America's Promise with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.

In 2006, he was commissioned to write a Concerto for Jazz Trio and Orchestra, which premiered in 2007 with Kevin Eubanks on acoustic guitar.

Sharpe released an album in 2019 titled "400: An African American Musical Portrait", which is in reference to the 400th anniversary of the first African slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 by the Dutch.

The album utilizes many styles, to feature the African American musical tradition.