Drew Gress, an American jazz double-bassist/composer, was born November 20, 1959 in Trenton, New Jersey. He was raised in Philadelphia and is currently based in New York City. Gresss was a teenager when jazz and double bass became a passion. He joined the Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band in 1975 and spent two years as the band’s bassist and arranger. In 1977 Gress’s interest in composition for large ensembles such as the ones of Johnny Richards and Billy May led him to Baltimore’s Towson University. There he studied composition with Hank Levy. Hank is well-known for his work with Stan Kenton and Don Ellis. Gress formed a friendship with Ellery Eskelin (saxophonist), while at Towson. He also cofounded Joint Venture, Paul Smoker, and Phil Haynes. Between 1987 and 1994, they released three albums on Enja Records. He was a member of the Baltimore/Washington DC band Enja Records from 1987 to 1994. He was also a member of the Peabody Conservatory and Towson State University’s faculties. In 1989, he formed Tekke with Glenn Cashman and Michael Smith. He cofounded Paraphrase, a cooperative improvising group with composer/saxophonist Tim Berne and drummer Tom Rainey in 1997. They pursued a compositional approach for free improvisational practice. They recorded two live albums and toured extensively together until 2002. He released Heyday in 1998 with Jagged Sky, which featured Kenny Wollesen, Ben Monder and David Binney. 2001 saw the release Spin
