Erik Applegate

Called “a top-notch acoustic bass performer” by JazzReview.com, Erik Applegate has performed throughout the U.S. with jazz artists including the Bob Mintzer Big Band, Nnenna Freelon, Milt Jackson, Jeff Coffin, Mulgrew Miller, Greg Gisbert, Eddie Daniels, Ingrid Jensen, Dick Oatts, George Garzone, Tom Harrell, Don Aliquo, Clay Jenkins, Ron Miles, Scott Wendholdt, Jack Walrath, Kirk Whalum, Dave Pietro, Deborah Brown, Marlena Shaw, Peter Eldridge, Bob Dorough, Billy Pierce, Alan Dawson, and others. He toured with renowned pianist James Williams and in a trio with Harold Mabern and Ed Thigpen, and has appeared at jazz festivals, clubs, and concert series throughout the U.S. and in Europe and Australia. His first CD as a leader, Red Skies, showcases Applegate’s playing and songwriting in a quartet setting. He can also be heard on Dana Landry’s Grammy-nominated CD Journey Home (Summit Records), Don Aliquo’s Another Reply (CAP Records), and Ken and Harry Watters’ Brothers 3 (Summit Records), all of which reached the top 30 on the Jazz Week U.S. airplay chart. In addition to leading two bands of his own- A•S•K (a bass-voice-guitar jazz trio) and Red Sylvester, the electro-acoustic groove band (www.redsylvester.com)- Applegate performs frequently in a trio with Dana Landry (piano) and Jim White (drums), and appears with the Colorado Jazz Orchestra, Wil Swindler’s Elevenet, and pianist Mark Sloniker. His schedule, information on current projects, and sound clips are available at www.erikapplegate.com. Prior to rejoining Colorado's jazz scene, Erik spent several years in Nashville, where he performed with many of the “third coast” elite, including Jeff Coffin, Don Aliquo, and fellow bassist (and former Toto member) David Hungate. His three-year association with Jeff Coffin's Jazz Boys band led to a memorable performance with Bela Fleck and Chester Thompson.

While in Nashville, Erik met trumpeter Ken Watters, who was then based in Huntsville, Alabama. Erik toured the southeast with the Ken Watters Group for two years and recorded “Brothers III” (Summit Records), which also featured trombonist Harry Watters.

A versatile composer and arranger, Applegate has written commissions for jazz artists, university jazz and classical ensembles, and professional chamber groups. He was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the Colorado Council on the Arts for his “Walt Whitman Jazz Suite” and won a Down Beat Student Music Award for “Best Original Composition.” Recent premieres include a big band setting of ee cummings’ poem, In Just- Spring, Avatar (an electronic loop and samples piece written to choreography), and orchestral arrangements for Cajun-pop star Doug Kershaw’s live concert DVD, Classical Cajun Gumbo.

While not a main focus of his work, Erik is no stranger to classical music. He has appeared with orchestras in Colorado, Wyoming, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and performed under the baton of composer John Rutter. Erik was a member of the Stones River Chamber Players for three years, performing chamber works from the 18th-20th centuries.

Currently on faculty at the University of Northern Colorado, he formerly held faculty positions at Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Adelaide, Australia, and also taught at colleges in Kentucky and Colorado. He has presented workshops in Washington, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Erik serves on the faculties of the Britt Institute Jazz Workshop (Oregon), the Yellowstone Jazz Camp (Wyoming), and the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Camp. He holds degrees from Berklee College of Music and the University of Northern Colorado.

Please visit his website, www.erikapplegate.com, for more information.
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