Greg Byers, cellist and bassist, is one of the most respected up and coming performers on the jazz scene today. Although he is a recent graduate of the University of Miami, he has already performed in 10 countries to crowds of over 15,000 people. To his credit, he has shared the stage with such icons as Lissette, Willy Chirino, Sammy Figueroa, Bruce Hornsby, Will Lee, Steve Miller, Patti Austin, Die Artze, Shelly Berg, Barry Harris, Fred Wesley, Clarence Reid (a.k.a. Blowfly), and many more.
A native of Rochester, New York, Greg first began studying cello at the young age of 3. He continued to practice, and throughout middle and high school, he performed and toured with the Hochstien Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He also won the Jo Amish Young Artists Concerto Competition, and as a result, he was a soloist with the Penfield Symphony Orchestra. When Greg was sixteen, he was introduced to jazz music by a friend in his school's jazz band. He soon became fascinated with the genre, and began to figure out how to apply what he was hearing on famous records to the cello. He soon attended Berklee School of Music for a summer, and he began to focus more on improvised music.
When Greg started attending the University of Miami, he began to study the acoustic and electric bass. He also purchased an electric cello in order to create a more distinct, personal sound. Since then, he has been heard around Miami at Wine 69, Cafe Dimitrios, The Wesley Coffeehouse, Vino Miami, B.E.D. Miami, and more. In May, Greg graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Studio Music and Jazz and Classical Performance. Greg is the first jazz cellist to graduate from the University of Miami. He is currently working on a solo EP of original music. He is also involved with Juke, Breakup Season, Raquel Sofia, Hammlertime, The Samurai Conglomerate, and his own solo projects.
Greg can be heard on Ed Hale's upcoming solo album, Nick Kruge's Lullaby for Strangers, Andrew Vait's Face to Face, Brink of Something Beautiful's Doctrine of Ethos, Sam Friend's Album, and Mendacity's self-titled debut.
Greg Byers can be reached at [email protected].