bassist•songwriter•composer
A man of many passions, Erik Applegate is a jazz bassist, a composer, and a songwriter. Current projects include recording and touring with Born To Wander (an indie jazz & Americana band) and the Dana Landry Trio & Quartet, and composing big band pieces including a jazz-electronica hybrid for an upcoming “Alice In Wonderland” project and arranging pieces for vocalist Julia Dollison’s forthcoming big band album. His most recent CD is “Two’s Company”, a collection of duos, and the follow up “Three’s A Crowd” releases Spring 2018.
Called “a top-notch acoustic bass performer” by JazzReview.com, and “a seriously swingin’ dude” by Bass World Magazine, Applegate has performed throughout the U.S. with jazz artists including the Bob Mintzer Big Band, Nnenna Freelon, Milt Jackson, Jeff Coffin, Mulgrew Miller, Eddie Daniels, Dick Oatts, George Garzone, Clay Jenkins, Ron Miles, Dave Pietro, Deborah Brown, Marlena Shaw, Bob Dorough, Billy Pierce, Alan Dawson, and others. He toured with renowned pianist James Williams and in a trio with Harold Mabern and Ed Thigpen, and has appeared at jazz festivals, clubs, and concert series throughout the U.S. and in Europe, Australia, and China.
Red Skies, Applegate’s first CD as a leader, reached #2 on the Roots Music Report chart, and he can also be heard on charting albums including Born To Wander’s self-titled debut, Dana Landry’s Grammy-nominated Journey Home, 7ON7’s Back When It Was Fun, Don Aliquo’s Another Reply, and others by David Caffey, Glenn Kostur, Bob Washut, Dan Gailey, Steve Owen, and Wil Swindler.
A versatile composer and arranger, Applegate has written commissions for jazz artists, university jazz and classical ensembles, and professional chamber groups, and he was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the Colorado Council on the Arts for his “Walt Whitman Jazz Suite.” His most recent recorded works are two pieces for “The Romeo and Juliet Project” (Artist Alliance Records).
**** “stellar”
-Out Front Magazine
“like blue jeans, Applegate’s jazz goes well with just about anything” -The Scene Magazine
“Applegate has strong enough chops to have performed with jazz heavies like Milt Jackson, Harold Mabern and Tom Harrell, but on Red Skies, his debut as a leader, Applegate shows he's a skilled and well-versed composer, as well.”
-Westword Magazine
#2 Colorado Jazz CD of the year
-The Colorado Sound
#2 Jazz CD
-Roots Music Report, National Radio Airplay Chart
