photo by Lynn Redmile

Jason Gekker was born in New York City and grew up in the Washington DC area. In 2020 he graduated with his Master's Degree from University of Maryland where he was a graduate assistant and studied with Robert Oppelt  and Anthony Manzo. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati, College/Conservatory of Music  where his teachers were Albert Laszlo and Rachel Calin. He has had additional study with Jeff Cooper and Barbara Fitzgerald in the DC area, as well as Luciano Carneiro, Marc Facci and Meredith Johnson at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC. His additional classical and jazz coachings include; Maurice Todd and Owen Lee at Cincinnati-CCM, George Speed and Joel Braun at EMF, Heather Miller Lardin in the Baroque BASSics and Historical Style Intensive, Nicki Parrott at the New York Hot Jazz Camp, Mark Brooks at the New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp, Marty Eggers at the San Diego Trad Jazz Camp and Edouard Pennes at Django in June. Locally, Jason has played professionally with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic, Annapolis Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, Maryland Symphony, Apollo Orchestra, Manassas Ballet Theatre and Signature Theatre, including the '23-'24 production of "Ragtime." Jason is in demand as a chamber musician and most recently played with the Manhattan Contemporary Chamber Ensemble in New York City, and at the University of MD performing Claude Bolling's "Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio."  Jason has experience playing many styles of music including classic rock, rockabilly, swing, trad jazz, Django style jazz and Brazilian choro. He is from a family of musicians and they have performed early jazz and Django style swing as Better Times Swing Quartet at venues like The Warrior Cafe' in Bethesda, Riverdale Market, and the Arts Club of DC. He often performs jazz with the Hot Club of DC, DC Ambiance and Djangolaya, most recently at Bistrot Lépic in Georgetown, the Takoma Park Street Festival, the Washington Folk Festival and at the residence of the French Ambassador in DC. Jason has been very active in music technology, sound and video editing, finishing classes at the University of Cincinnati E-Music department and theater department. He is featured on recently released recordings Moon Marked and Timequake. Jason plays a 7/8 Morelli bass built in the 1920s.