Bassist, composer and pianist Eric Von Essen was based out of the U.S. West Coast for much of his career, collaborating with the leading jazz musicians of the area, from avant-garde to bebop. In 1978, Von Essen was a 25 year old member of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, where he first met violinist Jeff Gauthier, whom he spontaneously (and successfully) encouraged to improvise while in class one day. The two began working together several times per week, with Von Essen trading off between bass, piano and guitar. Von Essen had already been working with guitarist Nels Cline at this point, and eventually the three came together. The guitarist's brother, percussionist Alex Cline, sat in on the end of the trio's first spring concert, and after Von Essen returned from a summer in India (where he studied tablas), the four musicians became Quartet Music, an avant-garde jazz group, which lasted for the next 12 years. In 1989, near Quartet Music's end, the group had an opportunity to create music for a show by the Milwaukee Symphony.. on eight weeks notice. Von Essen rode a train from L.A. to New York, and back, returning with three orchestrations of existing originals, and two new orchestra pieces, "Prayer For James Pt. 1 and Pt. 2," written for his friend who had recently died. In 1992, Von Essen became the bassist for the Lighthouse All-Stars with Shorty Rogers and Bud Shank, after the band's bassist, Monty Budwig, passed away. He also played bebop with Frank Morgan and Art Farmer, was a friend and accompanist of Jimmy Rowles, appeared on Vinny Golia albums, backed vocalist Mike Campbell and recorded with many more. For seven years, Eric Von Essen was Musical Director of the acclaimed Jazz Tap Ensemble. He then went to Sweden to serve as instructor at a music conservatory, and died unexpectedly while there, in August of 1997. Eric Von Essen is universally remembered as a solid player who inspired those he met with his enthusiastic and open creativity -- and love of music. In early 2000, the Cryptogramophone label released a tribute to the late bassist which is a compilation of his compositions as performed by others, entitled The Music of Eric Von Essen, Vol. 1. ~ Joslyn Layne