Biography

There are many bass players who “sing” as they perform—that occasionally audible hum that’s heard as they play their solos. Imagine a player who sings in the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and plays the bass with the authority and swing of the great Ray Brown. With these and many other strong influences, Kristin Korb has created a style and presence all her own.

Her latest recording, Get Happy (on Grace Base), features the talents of 6-string electric bassist Todd Johnson and drummer Kendall Kay. Kristin plays bass and joyously sings her way through standards and pop tunes.

Where You’ll Find Me (on Double K Music), features Kristin singing AND playing bass in a trio setting with drummer Jeff Hamilton and pianist Mike Wofford. The San Diego Union-Tribune states that this recording features a “…ravishing approach…” to seven standard tunes and four original tunes.

Born and raised in Montana, Kristin grew up in a musical family and often presented concerts with her three younger brothers. Her passion for music eventually led to a bachelor’s degree in music education from Eastern Montana College. In 1992, she moved to San Diego to hone her bass skills with bass professor Bertram Turetzky, earned a master’s degree from the University of California (San Diego), and became one of the busiest bassists in San Diego. Kristin had a brief stint as director of jazz studies at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. After two years of teaching, she decided to follow her dreams and relocated to focus on her performing career based out of Los Angeles. She hasn’t looked back since.

Her debut CD, Introducing Kristin Korb, was on the Telarc label and featured bassist Ray Brown (Kristin’s main musical influence), pianist Benny Green and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. Guest artists included Conte Candoli, Plas Johnson and Oscar Castro-Neves.

Kristin tours internationally as both an artist and educator.  Recent performances include concerts at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) Conference (2004), the 2005 Playboy Jazz Festival at the Rose Bowl, the West Coast Jazz Party and Bass Encounters conference in Vienna, Austria. She was a featured performer and clinician at the International Society of Bassists Conference (2005) and is a member of their Board of Directors.

In addition to Ray Brown and Benny Green, Kristin has appeared with such artists as Bill Mays, John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Alan Pasqua, Carl Allen, Joe LaBarbera, Tamir Hendelman and Mike Wofford. Her own trio features Llew Matthews (former musical director for Nancy Wilson and Lena Horne) on piano.