Reuben Rogers

Jazz bassist Reuben Rogers draws inspiration from his birthplace in the Virgin Islands, pulling from jazz, gospel, calypso, and reggae to form his own style. Born on November 15, 1974, in St. Thomas, Rogers was immersed in music from a young age; in his early years he tried his hand at clarinet, piano, drums, and guitar before finding an affinity with bass at age 14. He studied jazz in high school in the Virgin Islands alongside fellow students Ron Blake and Dion Parson. Backed by various forms of funding from the St. Thomas arts council, he was able to continue studying over the summer in the U.S. at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan and Berklee College of Music in Boston; the latter school would go on to award him his bachelor's degree in music in 1997. Rogers' live performance career began at 17, when he went on tour with the Marcus Roberts Trio. Although he toured the world extensively, he often returned home to host music workshops and engage with the community to propagate music education to younger generations. Rogers has worked and recorded with several musicians over the course of his career, most notably Charles Lloyd, with whom he has appeared on five studio albums. He released his debut album as a bandleader, The Things I Am, in 2006. ~ Liam Martin, Rovi