Jazz bass

Audition + apply

Welcome to the jazz bass studioat the ñ College of Music!

Bijoux Barbosa is the jazz bass instructor at our college working with students on sound production and projection, time/feel, intonation, technique, scales, posture, jazz repertoire, improvisation, soloing concepts, stylesand other important topics—from history of the instrument to jazz history. These lessons are designed to provide students the tools, knowledge and vision toward becoming a successful musician.

Jazz bass students receive double bass lessons in the classical area as well as in the award-winningñ Jazz Studies Program, recognized 15 times in the past decade by DownBeat magazine for excellence in improvisation, arranging, compositionand ensemble performance.

Student information

The ñ jazz studies program is recognized for its excellence in jazz performance, jazz theoryand scoring and arranging.Jazz studies students have annually won numerous prestigious DownBeat awardsand our jazz ensembles have gained national acclaim and recorded several CDs.Jazz ensemble concerts often feature world-famous guest jazz artists.Throughout the school year, top jazz bass artists perform in the Denver/Boulder area.Many—including Victor Wooten, Rob Kassinger, John Clayton, Rob Fahie, Marc Johnson, John Goldsby, Mark Dresser, Reggie Workman and Stafford James—have come to the College of Music to work with our double bass students.Jazz bass players are involved in an active schedule of big band concerts on campusand weekly combo performances off campus.

ձ𲹳󾱲Բ:Barbosa and Susan Cahillwork together in guiding undergraduate jazz bass students’ development of technique, scales, fingerings, intonationand general musicality.

Jazz lesson focus areas:

  • Improvisation
  • Time/feel
  • Building bass lines
  • Sound
  • Technique
  • Memorizing tunes

The College of Music offers abachelor’s in jazz bassthat combines study in jazz and classical double bass.A supplemental Jazz Certificate is available for undergraduate double bass majors who have taken a sufficient number of excellent courses offered by the College of Music’sThompsonJazz Studies Programincluding Jazz Theory, Jazz Scoring and Arranging, Jazz Combo and Jazz Ensemble. Barbosa teaches lessons both to students pursuing jass studiesand interested bass students in the classical double bass program.

At the graduate level, master’s and doctoral programs are available for jazz bass players: the Master of Music in performance +pedagogy and the doctorate in jazz studies.TheCollege of Music is one of only a few music schools offering the jazz doctorate degree.Jazz bass players at the graduate level enjoy a curriculum of jazz courses that includelessons withBarbosa. Classical lessons are also available with Susan Cahill. For more information, contactJohn Gunther.

bijoux barbosa
Bijoux Barbosa

Eduardo “Bijoux” Barbosa was born in Sao Paulo-Brazil where he studied music theory and electric bass with Prof. Nadir Dos Santos. In Brazil he played with pop bands and Jazz Fusion oriented bands. He then moved to Caracas- Venezuela in 1991 where he worked with many well known artists. Besides studying Latin music, Bijoux also started his doublebass studies in Venezuela. He then moved to Denver-Colorado-USA in 1997 where besides staying busy with live performances, he is also one of the top studio musicians that can be heard on over 300 recordings. He has performed with Herbie Mann, Dave Grusin, Don Grusin, Bryan Lynch, Russell Ferrante, Chuck Loab, Gerald Albright and Lee Ritenour, to name a few. Currently you can find him playing with the Nelson Rangell Quartet, gogoLab, the Littleton Symphony Orchestra, the worship band for City Presbyterian Church and just about any local jazz musician and also many others passing through Denver. MORE

Contact

Bijoux Barbosa
Assistant Teaching Professor of Jazz Studies (double bass)
eduardo.barbosa@colorado.edu

Upcoming jazz events