Artist description Bassist, composer, and arranger, Roland Guerin has begun to make his mark on the entertainment industry. From providing unique and melodic bass lines to dazzling audiences worldwide with his mastered slap bass technique, Guerin has begun to emerge to the forefront of the international jazz arena. Beginning as a young student at Southern University, Guerins career commenced upon joining the Alvin Batiste Band, the Jazztronauts. Upon receipt of his degree in Marketing, Guerin began to tour the world as a member of jazz guitarist Mark Whitfields Band. During his six and a half year tenure as the full time bassist with Whitfield, Guerin explored the jazz genre; which ultimately proved to be an avenue toward success. He had the rare opportunity to perform with such greats as George Benson, Jimmy Scott, Frank Morgan, Vernel Fournier, and Gerry Mulligan. He also participated in the recording of several albums, including Ellis Marsalis latest release, Twelves It, Marcus Roberts, In Honor of Duke, Portraits in Blue and Blues for the New Millennium, Allen Toussaints, Connected, and Mark Whitfields, Mark Whitfield and Forever Love. Guerin also explored his spiritual side, as he was given a vision to build a new instrument. The result: a one-of-a-kind acoustic hollow bodied, arched top and back, six string bass guitar. With this instrument, Guerin began to write music for an entire spectrum of genres including pop, rock, R&B, classical, folk, and country. It was not until the early part of 1998, however, that Guerin made his debut as a bandleader. Collaborating with trumpeter Nicholas Payton, guitarist Mark Whitfield, pianist Peter Martin, and drummer Donald Edwards, Guerins first release, The Winds of the New Land,showcased his innovative style of composition and arrangement. According to Guerin, each of the albums ten songs were inspired by God, thus the concept of Christian Jazz. Shortly after its release, he was chosen as a 1998 Contemporary Jazz All Star by New Orleans Magazine and by Jazz Review as a member of their Fantasy Jazz Band. Since then, Guerin has recorded a second album on the Half Note Record label, Roland Guerin Sextet Live at the Blue Note. This album combines Guerins original compositions along with two classic jazz standards, All Blues and Autumn Leaves. As a leader, Guerin has already been given several opportunities to share his sound. In addition to being a feature artist in the JazzSouth radio series (distributed by NPR), his band was showcased at the 1998 JazzTimes Convention and at the 1999 and 2000 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In February 2000, Guerin embarked upon a one month tour of Japan as a bandleader. When he is not performing with his sextet, Roland Guerin continues to tour, perform, and record with Marcus Roberts. His third album—You Dont Have to See It to Believe It– was released in Spring 2000 to rave reviews. There is surely much more to come from this innovative and multi-talented individual.

Instruments Upright Bass, Electric Bass, 6 String Acoustic Hollow Body Bass

Albums You Don't Have to See It to Believe It, Live At The Blue Note, The Winds of the New Land

Press Reviews Roland Guerin: Vision Quest (Appeared in Bass Player Magazine, August 2000) This bass was a dream of mine – I had a vision, says Roland Guerin about his acoustic 6-string bass guitar, which he dreamed up and New Orleans luthier Sal Giardina built in 1991. I wanted an instrument to play chords on but that could also take on the bass role, with the warmth of an upright. Louisiana native Guerin (www.rolandguerin.com) has gigged and recorded with pianist giants Ellis Marsalis, Allen Toussaint, and Marcus Roberts (hes been Roberts bassist since ‘95), as well as guitarist Mark Whitfield. Roland has also recorded three CDs of his own. On his latest, You Dont Have to See It to Believe It [Half Note], Guerin brings upright-like tone and taste to his 6-string work on tunes such as Trust, Trust Jesus and A View From Above. The 6-string also lets him expand his ideas beyond traditional support. The concept reminds me of pianists like McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, and Thelonious Monk. Their left hands always complement the right, and vice-versa. When I play that bass I hear the same kind of space, the same kind of call and response within my own ideas. The shapely axe features a mahogany-outlined ebony fingerboard, dual-truss-rod maple neck, spuce top, and mahogany back and sides. Roland strings it with Thomastik phosphor-bronze/nylon cores, .035-.118. The redwood bridge holds a piezo pickup, which Roland mixes with a Countryman condenser mike via a Fishman Pocket Blender. He then runs the signal into a Tech 21 Sans Amp Acoustic DI and an SWR California Blonde acoustic guitar amp. He also takes the Pocket Blenders XLR line into the SWRs second channel. The pickup combination lets me get a fat tone plus the warmth and strength from the bass body. Since its acoustic bass I generally cut back on the low end to get rid of low-frequency hum, turn down the highs ti bring back some warmth, and boost the mids a bit for more presence, especially when Im playing melodies and chords. In the New Orleans tradition, Roland is also an adept upright slapper. On Lets Play from You Dont Have to See It to Believe It you can hear his unique hybrid technique, which combines the Milt Hinton style with the speed and rhythmic ideas Roland developed as an electric slapper. When I slap, my hand is pointed down and my index finger is curled and ready to pluck, while my thumb is kind of tucked under my palm. And sometimes I extend my thumb outward to the left – this is how I learned to play slap bass. Rolands main upright is a Juzek fitted with a David Gage Realist pickup and strung with solo-gauge Thomastik Spirocores. He sometimes uses a Pirastro Eudoxa gut G string. Its texture and tension give me a percussive attack that really cuts through a band. But when Im slapping, the Thomastiks give me good tone and resonance from every single note. Roland prefers a fairly high setup. I have to be able to get my fingers underneath the strings – not only to get a tone but also to feel what Im doing. Guerins other uprights are a vintage Italian and a Romanian flatback, and he also owns a ‘76 Fender Jazz and an Ibanez Roadstar II. Roland – whose mother plays bass in zydeco and blues bands – first picked up guitar in high school. Guitar seemed too small. But when I picked up a bass it felt right – the strings were nice and thick, and the tone was rich. At Baton Rouges Southern University, marketing major Roland studied with noted musician/educator Alvin Batiste. His influence was invaluble, says Guerin, who recommends Batistes book The Root Progression System. It forces you to open up your ears and play things all over your instrument. Well-trained ears were essential in one of Rolands early gigs, with pianist Marsalis. I would go onstage and not know what we were going to play – he would just start a song. But he would first play it slowly by himself, and the next time around I had it. It was fun. –William B. Hart

Location Baton Rouge, LA - USA

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