Bassist Daniel Loomis currently resides in New York City where he is rapidly becoming one of the city's most in-demand bassists.
Daniel grew up and learned his trade in St. Louis, playing professionally with the city’s best musicians from a young age. In 1998 he enrolled in Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he had the opportunity to study with the renowned jazz bassist Tom Kennedy, pianist Reggie Thomas and guitarist Rick Haydon. The musicians had a strong influence on Daniel’s musical thinking, imbuing him with a strong respect for groove and tradition while reminding him to always keep an open ear and mind. During his time at SIUE Daniel began teaching during the summers at the Birch Creek Music Academy, a selective jazz summer academy in Door County, Wisconsin. Here he met bassist Jeff Campbell, who was to become his teacher and a major influence upon his playing.
Upon graduating from SIUE in 2002 he relocated to Rochester, NY to attend the prestigious Eastman School of Music where he was appointed as a teaching assistant to Dr. Campbell. Daniel quickly became actively involved in all the conservatory had to offer, playing virtually round the clock with ensembles ranging from the celebrated Eastman Philharmonia to the Eastman Jazz Ensemble. He also had the chance to study with an outstanding jazz faculty, which included Harold Danko, Bill Dobbins, Walt Weiskopf, and Clay Jenkins.
While at Eastman Daniel formed the VeryTall Band with a group a fellow students. In 2004 this group received the DOWNBEAT award for best collegiate small group performance. In the winter of that year Daniel was selected to appear as a Featured Artist in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Stars of Tomorrow Concert. Upon gradating with his Master Degree in Jazz Performance, Daniel was awarded the Schirmer Award, Eastman’s highest honor for a jazz student.
During this time Daniel also formed his own quartet. He drew musicians from the VeryTall band to form a smaller group with the unusual line-up of two saxophones, bass and drums. This instrumentation gave a very open, melodic mood to the group and allowed the members of the group to reach in new musical directions. The quartet recorded their first album, Tondos, while still at Eastman. In the spring of 2005, Daniel took the quartet on a two-week tour of the Midwest in support of Tondos. While still on the road, the quartet went into the studio for a day to record their next album. This record, I Love Paris, will be available on Jazz Excursion records in April of this year. In between this group has been busy performing at venues all over Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Daniel decided that the next move in his career and the career of the group had to be a move to New York City. He seriously considered continuing his study in the academic world after applying and being accepted into the Julliard Artist’s Diploma Jazz Program, but decided instead to devote himself full-time to performance and personal study. Since relocating to New York in 2004 Daniel has been very busy as a sideman performing at some of New York top venues including Birdland and the Lincoln Center’s jazz club, Dizzy’s Jazz Club Coca-Cola. His freelance work has also taken him on the road all over the east coast and on extensive tours of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
[ 
