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John Bass is an associate professor of music and the director of the Mike Curb Institute for Music. Dr. Bass holds two degrees in jazz performance and a Ph.D. in historical musicology. His current research focuses on amplifying underrepresented voices in jazz history and high-impact pedagogical practices, as shown in his 2023 article “White Supremacy and the Major Scale: Reframing Narratives to Teach the Blues, Improvise, and Check in with Students.” His work appears regularly in both peer-reviewed and public-facing forums. 

At Ұ������, Bass has developed and teaches innovative courses such as “Music and Community in Ұ������,” “Audio Engineering: History, Theory, and Practice,” “Applied Improvisation,” and “Songwriting in Ұ������” (scheduled for Spring 2024). As a guitarist Bass has performed and recorded with artists including Bobby Rush, Kirk Whalum, George Coleman, an Eden Brent. In 2021, he arranged, produced, and performed on an original recording of ” that featured blues legends Bobby Rush and Eddie Cotton. Dr. Bass serves on the education committee of the Ұ������ chapter of the Recording Academy, and has served on the board of numerous local arts organizations such as ArtsҰ������, the Overton Park Shell, and the Ұ������ Slim Collaboratory. Dr. Bass has been honored for his work with Ұ������ Shelby County Schools and was featured in their “901 Soul Stories” series. 

Selected Writings

"," Research & Issues in Music Education: Vol. 17: No. 1, Article 2. (2023)   

“,” Remote—Close, Ұ������ College (2020)

“,” Daily Memphian (2019)