BIO
“agile, astute ”
Steven Shinji Whipple is a native of Tokyo, Japan. He finished high school in Interlochen, Michigan, went to college in Cincinnati, Ohio, taught at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Quito, Ecuador, and then moved to New York to pursue a career in jazz bass. Steve was an established and in demand member of the jazz scene in New York, as well as a touring member of Postmodern Jukebox, until the live music scene came to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When the pandemic hit, Steve founded maestromatch.com, a website for musicians to connect with potential music students over the internet, receiving international attention. Currently, Steve's work is a combination of recording bass tracks at his home studio for clients, producing his own music, accompanying outdoor dance classes for kids that his wife teaches, busking with a variety of musicians when the weather is nice, teaching bass and Japanese over Zoom, and freelancing as a Japanese-English translator.
Steve moved to Michigan in 1999 to attend Interlochen Arts Academy, where he studied music composition. In 2005, he graduated Summa Cum Laude as salutatorian with Distinguished Honors from the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz and Studio Music. He quickly became one of the first call bassists in the area, performing extensively in the local scene.
In 2008, Steve accepted a one-year position as visiting professor and department chair of the bass program at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, in Quito, Ecuador.
The following year, he moved to New York City to pursue a career as a freelance musician. Steve has become highly in demand in the New York scene, sharing the stage with the likes of Gregory Porter, Lady Gaga, Donny McCaslin, JD Allen, Tim Warfield, Donald Harrison, Lew Tabackin, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Bernard Perdie. He has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Trio, the Festival International de Jazz de Québec with Nancy Harms, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival with Matt Parker Trio, and at Rifflandia with the Xylopholks.
“you look ridiculous”
Steve has been a part of The Xylopholks, the iconic New York band, as Pinky, the pink gorilla, since 2012. The band has performed in the subways of New York, for then mayor Bloomberg at Lincoln Center, and at Town Hall with Vince Giordarno's Nighthawks. The band has gone on tour to Japan three times to play at kindergartens, schools, and community centers after the Tohoku Earthquate and Tsunami of 2011.
In 2017, Steve joined the touring cast of Postmodern Jukebox. He has performed across Europe, Asia, as well as all over North America, totaling over 150 shows with the band.
“a true virtuoso”
In 2017, he has toured with the Jewish music group Semer Ensemble, which includes Alan Bern (Brave Old World), Lorin Skamberg (The Klezmatics), Sasha Lurje, Daniel Kahn (the Painted Bird), Fabian Schnedler, Mark “Stempenyuk“ Kovnatskiy, and Paul Brody.
He has also worked in the New York comedy/cabaret scene, sharing the stage with Bridget Everett and Murray Hill, and as house bassist at Duane Park, Manhattan's premier burlesque club.
Double Bass Double Voice, a partnership with vocalists Nancy Harms and Emily Braden, released it’s first album in early 2017 to critical acclaim, including a 4.5 star review from Downbeat Magazine.
In March of 2020, when the COVID-19 crisis struck New York, Steve founded maestromatch.com. The aim of this website is to connect musicians who have lost work with people who are stuck at home looking for something to do. The story of this site was featured on NPR and on NHK. It is still going strong, so please check it out if you or someone you know is looking for online music lessons!