“I am tempted to call Rocket Love my favorite solo bass recording of all time. At a minimum, it is the most varied and fun.” Popmatters

“As a bassist and composer, Mr. Crump avoids obvious routes but manages never to lose his way” The New York Times

“strikingly fresh and unobvious compositions…an impressive and original voice” The Wire

“categories cease to matter” JazzTimes

“Crump’s music is original” Downbeat

Memphis-bred, Grammy-nominated, Echo Award-winning bassist/composer Stephan Crump is an active bandleader with twelve critically-acclaimed album releases in addition to numerous film scoring contributions. Stephan’s solo performance, which explores his unique musical language through an expansive range of sonorities on the acoustic bass, is a culmination of decades of work as a bassist, composer, and improviser. Throughout the last year, he released monthly solo recordings in a fan-supported series via his Bandcamp page. The new album, Rocket Love, is curated from this body of work.

Known for transforming his instrument into a speaking entity of magnetic pull, his focus on creative instrumental music has led to collaborations with many of the leading lights of his generation, most notably Vijay Iyer, in whose trio and sextet Crump played a dynamic, founding role. He can also be heard as long-standing member of Jen Chapin Trio, Ches Smith Trio, Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, Liberty Ellman Sextet, Secret Keeper (duo with Mary Halvorson), his own Rosetta Trio (with Jamie Fox, Liberty Ellman), his Rhombal quartet (with Ellery Eskelin, Adam O’Farrill, Tyshawn Sorey), as well as co-led ensembles with Kris Davis, Ingrid Laubrock, Cory Smythe, Eric McPherson, Mat Maneri, and Okkyung Lee.