Over the past half decade, Kendall Eddy has been developing a reputation as a musician of great versatility and intuition. As an in-demand bassist in the Northeast region of the US, he has gathered a wealth of experience performing in a wide variety of musical settings, from small and large- ensemble jazz, to symphonic and chamber music, to totally improvised music. Kendall brings a unique sensitivity and wide-ranging musical awareness to every situation in which he is involved.
Most notably, Kendall is the bassist in the theatrical/comedic/ improvisational group the Quartet of Happiness. Known across the Northeast (and quickly developing a reputation nationwide) for their off-kilter theatrics mixed thoroughly with accomplished musicianship, the QoH has made it their goal to bring jazz and improvised music to a wider audience. Kendall has found in the group a perfect setting for the development of an all-inclusive musical esthetic. Also, he’s contributed his own original artwork for both their debut album and their upcoming second release.
After a brief stint on piano as a child, Kendall’s musical path gained focus while he was growing up in Arlington, VA. Like many kids his age, he was mesmerized into an interest in music by MTV, beginning on guitar but quickly thereafter switching to electric bass. His first experiences were playing in alternative rock bands, high school marching band and briefly riding the ‘third wave’ ska revival of the time. After a year of college, he decided to learn the upright bass, which he quickly took to and made the focus of his studies. After graduating from James Madison University with a B.M. in Double Bass Performance, he moved to Boston, where he attended the New England Conservatory. He received a M.M. in Jazz Performance (with honors) from NEC in 2004.
Kendall had the honor of studying and performing with some of the most notable living innovators in jazz during his time in Boston. Among others, he studied with Bob Brookmeyer and Cecil McBee, and performed in ensembles led by Steve Lacy and Herb Pomeroy. In the years after NEC, he was privileged to perform professionally with greats such as George Garzone and Jerry Bergonzi, and with countless other wonderful musicians in the greater Northeast region. Other notable ensembles include Boston’s Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra and the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, as well as the Brockton Symphony Orchestra. He has performed at internationally renowned venues such as Dizzy’s Club, 55 Bar and Cornelia St. Café in New York, and the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA. Kendall has also covered quite a bit of global territory, having performed in over half of the United States, Canada, Norway, Japan, Italy, and throughout the Caribbean.
Now a resident of Brooklyn, NY, Kendall seeks to further broaden his musical horizons, incorporating the whole musical spectrum available to him, and an interest in the intersection of various creative disciplines. With the recent release of the album ‘Focus’, featuring a wonderful group of musicians and friends from the New York and Boston areas, he takes his first humble steps as a composer/organizer of new and original music.
