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Aaron Darrell

Aaron Darrell was born in Alabama and, growing up in Kentucky, Kansas, and Indiana, ended his stately adventures when the Darrells settled in Virginia, where he went to middle/high school. State to state, Aaron sang in church choirs, often as a soloist. He was also a member of many secular competitive choirs such as the Northern Indiana Youth Chorale and a youth choir led by conductor and composer John Leavitt. At age 10 Aaron was chosen by David Aiken to play the lead role of Amahl in Giancarlo Menotti’s opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors”. The production toured for five weeks, performing concerts in Indiana, Virginia, Richmond, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and North Carolina.

In addition to a decade of studying and performing vocal music from the classical repertoire, Aaron studied piano for several years. After his older brother picked up the guitar, Aaron discovered the electric bass at age 14. What started as casual, grungy basement party performances led to serious study with Victor Wooten and a scholarship to Berklee College of Music.

Aaron switched to the double bass after one year at Berklee. Initially self- taught, he went on to study with John Lockwood, Dave Santoro, Hal Crook, Katy McGinn of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Drew Gress. Aaron has performed his own original music as well as others in Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, British Columbia, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., France, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, Milwaukee, Madison, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, and more.

Notable venues include:

Yoshi’s

Jimmy Mak’s

Kuumbwa

the Jazz Estate

Sculler’s Jazz Club

The Pfister Hotel

Blues Alley

Ryles Jazz Club

The Lily Pad

Robbie’s Jazz House

Festivals:

Salem Jazz Festival

Marciac Jazz Festival

Red Clay Jazz Festival

Beantown Jazz Festival

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