Eric C. Ajaye was born in Brooklyn, New York but moved to Los Angeles,
California with his parents and brother at an early age. He always loved
music and studied violin for nine years before switching to bass.
In college Eric studied bass under Buell Neidlinger at California Institute
of the Arts where he was on scholarship.
While in Los Angeles, Eric’s music career included many aspects
of the music industry, such as recording albums with artists from Bill
Cosby to Chaka Khan, television and film soundtracks, and television
commercials. He was a member of the rhythm section in those situations
and also played in the orchestra double bass sections.
Eric has toured many countries in Asia, Europe, Russia, Central and
South America and has been a member of the bands of Freddie Hubbard,
Taj Mahal, The Jazz Tap Ensemble, The Doug MacLeod Band, the Pointer
Sisters and Barry White. He has also backed artists Nancy Wilson, Bennie
Maupin, Gary Bartz, George Howard, Sonny Stitt, Joe Williams, Gregory
Hines, Harold Nicholas, Todd Cochran (Bayete),Pee Wee Crayton, Joe Louis
Walker, Della Reese, and many more.
Eric moved to Australia in 1998 and has work with many of Australia’s
top jazz artists accompanying them at jazz festivals, in jazz clubs
and on recording sessions. Some of those artists are Bob Sedergreen,
James Morrison, the Mike Price Trio (with guitarist Mike Price and drummer
Colin Hoorweg), the Time Within duo (with pianist Mike Nelson), Miroslav
Bukovsky, David Jones, Kevin Hunt, Christine Sullivan, Don Burrows,
Bob Barnard, and Johnny Nicol.
Since February 2000 Eric has been a member of the Jazz Department faculty
at The Australian National University School of Music, teaching double
bass/electric bass, as well as prep jazz history, aural, improvisation,
a “Styles for the Studio” class and leading the Commercial
Ensemble, which performs at various jazz festivals during the school
year.
Eric respects the deep, rich history of jazz and feels it plays an important
part in the future directions that it and the musicians who perform
it will take. The evolution of jazz is what the greats who came before
were committed to and it must continue to be a commitment of ours today.
School of Music faculty member since 2000.
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