Kai Eckhardt

Kai Eckhardt is a Liberian/ German bassist and composer best known for his contribution to the John Mclaughlin Trio in the 80’s, Billy Cobhams International Quartet in the 90’s and the band Garaj Mahal in the new Millennium. Kai has also recorded and performed with Trilok Gurtu, Stanley Clarke, Wayne Shorter, Patrice Rushen, Dewey Redman, George Brooks, Donald Byrd, Bela Fleck, Maria Joao, Dino Saluzzi, Sertab Erener, Palle Mikkelborg, Victor Wooten, Alphonse Mouzon, Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, Michael Franti, Larry Coryell, Warren Hill, Al Di Meola, Zakir Hussain, Steve Smith, John Scofield , Bill Frisell, Mike Stern and George Benson.

Kai Eckhardt has performed at distinguished venues around the globe such as the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Philharmonic in Munich and the Esplanade in Singapore. Festival engagements include Montreal Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Haque, Womad World Music Festival in Spain, Summer of Love at Golden Gate Park and Glastonbury in the U.K.

In recent years, Kai began to distinguish himself as a first call bassist and composer for artistic collaborations with musicians from the Eastern regions such as Dubai, Qatar, Oman, India, China, Turkey, Bulgaria and the former Soviet Union.

Besides being an active performer, Kai is a passionate and experienced music educator who teaches privately and online while being a faculty member of the Jazz School Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has taught clinics and master classes world-wide with engagements ranging from Berklee School of Music in Boston, the Bass Collective in New York, the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, the Anton Bruckner Conservatory in Austria, Amsterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands and Victor Wooten’s Bass and Nature camp.