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Emma Dayhuff
Emma Dayhuff is a dynamic bassist and composer renowned for her soulful playing and innovative approach. With a performance career spanning over two decades, she has shared the stage with jazz luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, David Murray, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and Patricia Barber.
Rooted in Chicago’s rich avant-garde tradition, Emma’s musical style is deeply influenced by mentors Vincent Davis, Kahil El’Zabar, and Robert Irving III. Her playing seamlessly blends elements of jazz, experimental improvisation, and contemporary music, creating a unique and captivating sonic experience.
Emma is an educator committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians. Her teaching philosophy, cultivated under the guidance of bass masters Ron Carter, Gerald Cannon, and Peter Dominguez, emphasizes technical proficiency, cultural understanding, musicality, and creativity. A Doctor of Musical Arts, she is an Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and is on faculty at the Milt Hinton Institute for Studio Bass and the Richard Davis Young Bassists Foundation.
Her journey, from the rugged landscapes of Montana to the vibrant heart of the global music scene, is a testament to her unwavering passion and artistic vision. Her debut album Innovation & Lineage: The Chicago Project is poised to be released on Division 81 Records August 15 and features Dee Alexander, Isaiah Collier, and Kahil El’Zabar. Preorder information here!
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Esthesis Quartet: Sound & Fury
by Vincenzo Roggero
Sound & Fury è legato a doppio filo a due eventi ravvicinati nel tempo. Da una parte il periodo pandemico nel quale i futuri membri del quartetto condividono via Zoom esperienze, motivazioni, obiettivi che porteranno alla formazione ufficiale del gruppo denominato Esthesis. Dall'altra la prematura scomparsa nel marzo 2022 di Ron Miles, mentore di due componenti della formazione, al quale è dedicata la suite che comprende i primi quattro brani. In origine lo stesso Miles doveva essere parte ...
Continue ReadingEsthesis Quartet: Time Zones
by Jerome Wilson
The four members of Esthesis Quartet, flutist Elsa Nilsson, pianist Dawn Clement, bassist Emma Dayhuff and drummer Tina Raymond, each live in different parts of the United States, but, as this album shows, when they get together their playing has an easy and natural rapport. With flute as a lead instrument, the group sometimes have the cooler sound associated with West Coast jazz as on the breezy “Hollywood" and the gentle “First Light." However, over the course of ...
Continue ReadingEsthesis Quartet: Time Zones
by Jack Bowers
Time Zones is the second album by the Esthesis Quartet, comprised of four accomplished women, all whom do indeed reside in different time zones. Flutist Elsa Nilsson, originally from Sweden, lives in Brooklyn, NY; pianist/vocalist Dawn Clement makes her home in Denver, CO; bassist Emma Dayhuff lives in Chicago, drummer Tina Raymond in California, where Time Zones was recorded. The four first met at various festivals, conventions and other sessions around the country, drawn together by a ...
Continue ReadingDawn Clement, Elsa Nilsson, Emma Dayhuff, Tina Raymond: Esthesis Quartet
by Paul Rauch
The Covid-19 lockdown of 2020 and 2021 mandated that musicians find ways to connect without gathering in person. The pandemic produced a litany of recordings that along with photos of masked loved ones, will serve as tacit reminders of two years of solitude and isolation. For Esthesis Quartet this meant gathering on Zoom to keep the creative juices flowing, and to continue to write inspired music with the quartet in mind. While it is undeniable that this recording bears the ...
Continue ReadingPrimary Instrument
Bass
Credentials/Background
Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Loyola Marymount University - Los Angeles
