Music
Rodney Whitaker
born 1968 · jazz double bassist, educator
Detroit-born bassist, a Marcus Belgrave protégé who played with Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove and Wynton Marsalis and now leads jazz studies at Michigan State University.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 58- Detroit years
- 1968–
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Whitaker grew up in Detroit and studied at Wayne State University with Robert Gladstone, principal bassist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, while learning the jazz tradition from trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. He first drew national attention in Terence Blanchard's quintet and then with Roy Hargrove's band, and in the 1990s recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves and many others. His first album as a leader, Children of the Light, came out in 1995; later records, including Get Ready and When We Find Ourselves Alone, appeared on Detroit's own Mack Avenue label. He is professor of jazz bass and director of jazz studies at Michigan State University's College of Music, has taught at the University of Michigan and Juilliard, and built a jazz education program with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, whose Civic Jazz Orchestra he conducts. He appears regularly at the Detroit Jazz Festival, where Live from the Detroit Jazz Festival 2013 was recorded.
Highlights
- Studied at Wayne State University and with Marcus Belgrave
- Bassist with Terence Blanchard and Roy Hargrove in the 1990s
- Director of jazz studies at Michigan State University
- Conducts the Detroit Symphony's Civic Jazz Orchestra
- Albums on Detroit's Mack Avenue Records
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1980s
Wayne State University
Detroit's public university in Midtown, where he studied bass with DSO principal Robert Gladstone.
Performed here · 2010s
African World Festival
Riverfront plaza hosting the main stages of the free Detroit Jazz Festival, where Whitaker performs and teaches master classes.