Jazztodon artist of the week: Avery Sharpe!

Bassist Avery Sharpe was born in Valdosta, Georgia, on August 23, 1954.
In 1972, Sharpe enrolled at U. Massachusetts and continued to play electric bass in gospel, funk, and rock groups. While at UMass, he met the jazz bassist Reggie Workman, who encouraged him to learn the acoustic bass. Sharpe adapted quickly, and was soon performing with Archie Shepp and Art Blakey. Shepp and Max Roach, his professors at the time, had a major influence on him. Sharpe also performed in orchestra and chamber groups at UMASS, and completed one year of graduate school in Music Performance. In 1980, he auditioned with McCoy Tyner and won a spot in the pianist's group, playing hundreds of live gigs and appearing on more than 20 records with him.

His first recording as a leader was the 1988 album "Unspoken Words.” In 1994, he recorded "Extended Family," the first CD of a trilogy.

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