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Ed Kollar
About Me
A New York City native, bassist Ed Kollar has seen success in a wide variety of musical styles and situations since his early teens. From jazz to rock to Irish traditional to theater, Ed has proved his ability to immerse himself seamlessly and become quickly acclimated to new musical surroundings. It is this flexibility that keeps Ed in demand as a side man or pit member. Ed has performed around the world with numerous groups and artists including the jazz trio Monk for President, aka Ear Soul Hand, with Glafkos Kontemeniotis and Vince \”Kazi\” McCoy, Irish rock group The Prodigals, singer/songwriter Michael Brunnock, and the legendary Mable Lee. Topping the long list of others with whom Ed has had the privilege of sharing the stage are Scott Neumann, Sylvester Scott, Tony Lewis, Paul Shapiro, Rick Faulkner, Christos Rafalides, Steve Holloway, and Karen Teperberg. Of his several recordings, The Prodigals\' Momentum (2006, GRAB Entertainment), Beautiful (2004, Orig. Cast Recording), Ear Soul Hand\'s Within Reach (2002, True Life Jazz), and Eyes on the Prize (1999, Hunter College Jazz Project) best exemplify Ed\'s ingenuity and sensitivity. Both Monk for President and the Prodigals have received extensive radio play with the Prodigals\' six CDs being played around the globe, and Florida\'s WLRN devoting an evening to the playing of Within Reach in its entirety. Moreover, Ed has made countless appearances on radio and television in the US and Canada, including VH-1 and New York\'s Z100. His teen years found Ed in private training on the electric bass and the trombone while he studied theory in high school under the tutelage of drummer Scott Neumann. Once at Hunter College, he continued theory studies with Louis Martin and L. Poundie Burstein. Later, as Ed devoted himself to the study of jazz, he found mentors in Jeff Holmes and Anthony Branker, both professors at Hunter. It was Holmes who encouraged Ed to switch to the double bass and study with bassist/composer Stephan Crump. Shortly thereafter, Ed attended, with full scholarship, Jazz in July, a two week workshop in improvisation whose faculty included Billy Taylor, Yusef Lateef, and bassist Chip Jackson. Ed soon met pianist Glafkos Kontemeniotis and drummer Vince \”Kazi\” McCoy, fellow Hunter students, with whom he formed the trio that would eventually be known as Monk for President. With them Ed has appeared at special events and venues like la Fete de la Musique, Performing Arts Society of Anigua & Barbuda Music Festival, Wave Hill, the tribute to Lionel Hampton at the Schomburg Center, the New York Public Library, Bryant Park, and the NY State Legislature in Albany. In addition, Ed has appeared on various theatrical stages and in pits for musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar, Forever Plaid, and Grease and plays like Lethal Dose 100 for which he improvised incidental music while on stage with the actors.
