Stefan Held: Bio/Equipment

Stefan Held

Graduate of Berklee College of Music (summa cum laude) and Mannes College for Jazz and Contemporary Music(New School University).

Endorsed by Sadowsky, Fodera and Lakland basses, Epifani speakers and LaBella strings.

Voting member of the Recording Academy (the Grammys)

Music Director for Grammy nominated vocalist Marty Thomas (“Wicked”,”Black Nativity”; www.Martythomas.com).

Music Director for Chaplin Entertainment/Warner artist, outstanding vocalist Kelly King (www.kellykingsings.com).

Music Director for Billboard Top 40 artist, vocalist Ari Gold (www.arigold.com)
.

Music Director for New York's Funk/Jamband "Lucille's Mixed Nuts" (www.myspace.com/lucillesmixednuts).

Performed and/or recorded with legendary singers B.J.Crosby; Darlene Love; W.Houston; Billy Porter (“The Broken Hearts Club”, ”Grease”, ”Smokey Joe’s Café”); Tony Award winner Deborah Yates; Kevin Aviance (Four #1 Billboard dance hits); Tony Winner Harvey Fierstein; Grammy nom. Saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman; ASCAP/Sammy Cahn award-winning songwriter Larry "J.Phoenix" Loftin, David Shiner (Cirque du Soleil, Fool Moon, Seussical); Blue Note Records recording artist Elizabeth Withers; Pianist Manuel Valera; Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle("Legally Blonde"); Grammy nom. percussionist Raphael Cruz; Theatre World and Obie Award winner Euan Morton (lead "Taboo"-London and on Broadway); pianist John Hicks; American Idol’s Diana DeGarmo; Tony Award winners Melba Moore and Cleavant Derricks; Grammy-nominated trumpeter Claudio Roditi; Ari Gold("Love Will Take Over" Billboard Top 40 Dance hit); Grammy & Emmy award winner John McDaniel; master drummer Victor Lewis; Grammy nom.Flutist Dave Valentin; pianist David Hazeltine; legendary saxophonist Sonny Fortune; NBC’s “Queer eye for the straight guy” Jai Rodriguez (“Rent”, ”The Producer’s”, ”Zanna don’t”); Laurence O'Keefe("Bat Boy the musical", "Legally Blonde"); DreamWorks recording artist Antonique Smith; American Idol star Frenchie Davis; Karmine Alers(“Rent” , ”Aida”); Eden Espinosa (“BKLYN-the musical”); Shoshana Bean (“Wicked”); Shayna Steele (“Hairspray”); Rob Evan (Jim Steinman's the Dream Machine); Mandy Gonzales ("Lennon"); Brad Little (“Phantom of the Opera”); Barbara McCulloh (“The King and I” , ”Peter Pan”) and countless more…

Worked with drummers Omar Hakim, Kim Plainfield, Buddy Williams, Clint de Gannon, Raymond Marchica, Victor Lewis, Pernell Saturnino, Vince Cherico, Lionel Cordew, Andrea Valentini, Rodney Howard, Pat Petrillo, Thierry Arpino, John Berger, Tony Cruz, Bill Lanham, Steve Hass, Antonio Sanchez and many more.

Played with Grammy winner Mike Stern,
Saxophone legend Oliver Lake and drummer Joe Chambers.

Appeared at festivals in the US (JVC-jazz festival; Boston jazz festival), Japan (headlined the Ballentines festival in Tokyo), Korea
(Trad.Korean Jazz and Folk Festival in Seoul; headlined the Monk festival in Pusan) and Austria (Donauinsel Rock festival; Jazz festival Wiesen; headlined the Jazz Sommer Graz festival www.jazzsommergraz.at).

Performed on MTV, VH1, CBS, KBS (Korea), Munwa(Japan) and ORF (Austria) to name a few.

Produced and/or recorded for BMG, Warner Brothers and Columbia Records among others.

Publications:
Bass Player Magazin;
SA Bass Players Collective(http://www.bassplayers.co.za/interviewstefan-held.html)

Musicals:"Brooklyn-the musical"(1st nationl tour);
on Broadway: “Hairspray”, "Mama Mia", "Jersey Boys", ”Lennon”
Off-Broadway and regional:
”Little shop of Horrors”, ”Secret Garden”,
”The great American Trailer Park musical”,
”Bat Boy-the musical”, ”The joys of sex”,
”Mother Devine”, ”Streakin”, ”Zanna don’t”, ”Urban Cowboy”, ”Always, Patsy Cline”, "Are we there yet? " ; "Neil Berg's 100 years of Broadway"

TV, Movie Soundtracks, Jingles: Discovery Channel ("Road Trip"); FOX ("Union Jackass"); "Home Room" MOR Entertainment, 2003 Directed by Paul F. Ryan. Starring Busy Phillips, Erika Christensen, and Victor Garber; VPR Creative Group ("Building our future together", EISAI human health care) ; "Bay state Blues" ( Allyson Sereboff), 2008

Affiliated artist faculty member at Sarah Lawrence College.

Local 802 member.

“Stefan is an awesome bassist with amazing musicianship”

(Grammy winner Julie Gold)

“He just burns, man, he’s a real mother******”

(Grammy winner Mike Stern)

EQUIPMENT

-Fodera custom 5-string w/
Bartollini Pickups

-Sadowsky Vintage Reverse P/J 5-string

-Sadowsky 5-string Bass w/Two Sadowsky
soapbar pickups

-Lakland Joe Osborne 4-string

-Lakland 55-94 Fretless
5-string

-4-string Acustic Upright Bass
w/The Realist™ acoustic transducer

-5-string Michael Kelly Dragonfly acoustic bass guitar

-4-string Dean Pace electric upright bass

-4 string Fender J-style bass w/flatwounds

-Eden WT 550 Traveler

-Eden WT1000 Power Amp

-Aguilar DB680 Tube Pre-
Amp

-GK Backline 600

-Gallien Krueger MB-S112

-Peterson Strobe Tuner

-Ashdown Compressor

-Cry Baby Bass Wah

-Ernie Ball Volume Pedals

-Digitech Envelope Filter

-Monster Cables

-Various Boss Effect Pedals

-Epifani UL-112

-Epifani UL-212

-Epifani UL-310