Ross Kratter

Ross Kratter is a bass player, tuba player, and composer based in New York. He is equally at home on string bass and electric bass, both fretted and fretless, 4, 5, and 6 string, as well as on tuba. While primarily known as a jazz musician, he is equally comfortable in any and all styles of music.

Ross has performed with such notable and varied artists as Joshua Redman, the Drifters, Bob Franceschini, Victor Wooten, Bob Reynolds, Alex Sipiagin, Gil Goldstein, Randy Johnston, Badal Roy, Joe Alterman, Domenick Allen, Scott Record, Frank Lacy, the Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet, Allen Vizzutti, and many more. He was the bass player on the First National Tour of Bandstand, the 2018 national tour of A Charlie Brown Christmas Live, and the 2016-2017 national tour of FAME the Musical. He has also served as a Musical Director for P&O Cruises and Queen’s Room Orchestra Leader for Cunard Line.

Kratter released his debut album, It’s Time, with his working quartet in October 2018. It features Bob Franceschini on saxophone on two tracks, as well as Joe Graziosi on saxophone, Will Armstrong on piano, and Sam Gautier on drums.

In addition to his work as a bass and tuba player, Ross is also in demand as a composer and arranger. He leads a big band, the Ross Kratter Jazz Orchestra, for which he is the primary composer and arranger. The band is made up of some of the finest musicians in New York. Over the span of more than six years, Ross performed in the bands on Royal Caribbean, P&O, and Cunard cruise ships, where he honed his sightreading skills and got to back some amazing acts. He also has extensive musical theatre experience, having performed in the orchestras for over 60 shows, many of them multiple times.

Ross also served as the in-house bass player at the Gateway Playhouse from 2015-2018.

Ross has had the opportunity to study bass with Mike Richmond, Ron McClure, Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Anthony Wellington, Felix Pastorius, and John DeWitt. He has studied composition and arranging with Rich Shemaria and improvisation with Mike Stern.

Ross Kratter is proud to use and endorse RS Berkeley tubas, La Bella Strings, Phil Jones Bass Amplification, 64 Audio in-ear monitors, and Remic Microphones.