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Christian de Mesones
Bassist, Teacher, Songwriter, Music Lover
About Me
Christian “Big New York” de Mesones has been playing bass guitar for
over 30 years. He was only 18 years old when he graduated from the
world famous Bass Institute of Technology (now the Musician’s
Institute) in Hollywood, California where he had the opportunity to
study and workshop with greats such as Abe Laboriel, Louis Johnson,
Tim Bogart, Howard Alden, Steve Morse, Pat Metheny, and the late Tommy
Tedesco and Ray Brown. By personal request from visiting guitar
faculty member and legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino, he performed
an original composition for his graduation ceremony.
Christian has been part of several musical groups all over the
country, including bands out of Hawaii, Hollywood, New York City, and
Richmond, Virginia, and has performed a wide variety of musical
styles. His first major professional achievement as a musician was
playing the military club circuit in a hard rock cover band on the
island of Oahu in 1981. During the mid-eighties in Brooklyn, de
Mesones’ heavy metal band Twice Shy was a staple of the local New York
Metal scene, and shared the stage at the legendary L’Amour Rock Club
with acts such as Manowar, Twisted Sister, Overkill, White Lion and
Trixter. He was also a hired bassist for several other New York
Clubs.
Moving to Richmond, Virginia in 1995, Christian was introduced to the
urban music scene. He laid tracks for local hip-hop artists, and
played with various groups, performing R&B, Caribbean, Latin, and
Smooth Jazz. As bassist for Big Patt & Legion, he opened for several
national recording artists such as Down to the Bone, Marion Meadows,
Bob Baldwin, Chuck Brown, and Roberta Flack. The show with Roberta
Flack on Brown's Island in Richmond was before an audience of over
33,000, making it the largest recorded attendance for an outdoor
Richmond music event in history to that date.
de Mesones relocated to Northern Virginia in 2000. He was the Bass
Director for Mars Music in Springfield, just outside of Washington,
DC. Additionally, he became a contracted bass player for area
churches, having the opportunity to play with gospel recording artist
Luther Barnes for a Men’s Workshop at First Mount Zion church in
Dumfries. Christian can also be heard on the “Lifesongs” album by
gospel artist Charles McPhatter. A resident of Lake Ridge, Virginia
since 2003, de Mesones currently teaches bass guitar at A2G Music.
In 2006, de Mesones’ smooth jazz band Groove Skool was invited to play
the Capital Jazz, one of the largest jazz festivals in the country.
The band has released its first CD entitled “Limited Edition”, which
has received international radio play, and has yielded a top 10 most
requested song, “Latin Jive”, on the radio.radio.es network in
Mallorca, Spain. Groove Skool sold out its debut at the legendary
Blues Alley Supper Club in Washington, DC, and regularly garners
standing room only crowds at K2 Restaurant and Lounge in Woodbridge.
When the band played the 2nd Street Festival in Richmond, VA, they
graced the cover of the Sunday Richmond Times-Dispatch. They also
played the Lake Arbor Jazz Festival in Maryland, both with crowds of
over 6,000. Their first New York City appearance was streamed live
from S.O.B.’s (Sounds of Brazil), where they shared the stage with
national recording artist Drew Davidson.
In 2008, Christian created “Bass Symphony: Celebrating the Gift of
Music through the Spirit of Youth”. This non-profit event showcased
middle and high school students performing all original compositions
arranged for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 12-string electric and upright basses.
The concert was featured in the Old Bridge Observer newspaper.
Today, Christian has added Clinician to his lengthy resume. His bass
clinic for the Virginia Bass Forum in January 2014 was his second, and
focused on groove techniques. He is an endorsed artist for Warwick
and Framus, and now headlines his own live shows, closing out 2013
with a sold out New Year’s Eve performance. His first solo CD release
is slated for early fall of 2014. He is also working on an
instrumental bass CD project, which will feature performances from
some of the biggest names in the bass community.