About Me
Beginning in Philadelphia and ending in the New York area, Ron Velosky was a prominent figure in the East Coast Jazz Scene for 25 years, up to his untimely death in 2002. Highly regarded as a performer and educator, his talents on both upright and electric bass spanned virtually every musical idiom. During his career he performed jazz with many noted musicians including Marian McPartland and Maynard Ferguson. (In 1991 his versatility and rich sound caught the ear of Maynard Ferguson who invited Ron to join him on his world tour). At the time of his death, Ron was working as a freelance musician directing his own projects which included recording and releasing a new CD, "Ron Velosky Trio:Quartet" (his own compositions - released October 2001).
An active educator, Ron enjoyed sharing his extensive, practical experience through private lessons and adjunct faculty positions at New York University 1993 - 1995, Bucks (PA) County Community College 1992 - 1999 and Mercer (NJ) County Community College 1995 - 1996. He shared his experiences and talents at clinics and workshops in junior and senior high schools and major clinics and workshops throughout the country (NY State School Music Convention, National Association of Jazz Educators National Convention - Detroit, Music Educators National Conference - Indianapolis, Musicfest (sponsored by Down Beat) - Valley Forge, PA, National Music Clinic - Philadelphia and a New Jersey Music Educators Association, In-Service Workshop - Cherry Hill, NJ).
His performances with orchestras demonstrated his talent in playing classical music (Reinman Opera Theater - New York City, Bucks County Symphony Orchestra - Pennsylvania, the NYU New Music Ensemble of New York City and the New Jersey Pops). Ron performed mixed genre works with the Improvisational Art Ensemble in Houston and with SHARDS, a multi-media performance work for bass, dance and video for which he received the prestigious NYU Works in Progress Award in 1994.
An active participant at major music festivals on the east coast, Ron performed at the Mellon Jazz Festivals in Philadelphia, Bethlehem Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA, Phillyfest West in Philadelphia, Mayfair in Allentown, PA, Princeton Jazz Fest in Princeton, NJ, the Trenton Heritage Festival in NJ and the Willingboro Jazz Festival in NJ.
Ron's education on playing the bass and performance include an MA Performance Degree from New York University - 1995 (Eubie Blake Scholarship recipient), BM Degree from Rowan University - 1991 (Summa Cum Laude) and a Bass Institute of Technology, Hollywood, CA Certificate - 1979. He had private studies with Mike Richmond, Al Stauffer, Jim McNeely and Chuck Rainey. His proficient talents on the acoustic and electric bass were achieved through total dedication and hours of concentration of mastering the bass,
Ron developed and mastered his exceptional ability of being able to sight-read music scores on the spot - a talent that can make a tremendous impact for any musician's career. His desire to share this skill development method with his bass students to bring their careers to a higher level prompted him to author his book, "Sight Reading for the Bass".
