Bio
"Bassist Tom Baldwin is one of the best of the new breed that I have heard in a number of years. He accompanies the trio flawlessly and has impeccable intonation and accuracy." - Vic Juris, guitarist
"Baldwin's musical instincts are superb. His phenomenal consistency stabilized this rhythm section." - A.J. Collins, producer
Tom Baldwin is a Jazz Bassist, Educator, composer, and arranger in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He has been one of the most in-demand bassists in the region for 30 years. Baldwin has taught at the University of Maryland since 1996, and appears on over 50 CDs as a side man.
Tom earned a BM in Jazz Studies at Ithaca College where he studied with Steve Brown, Henry Neubert, and Rick Beato. Soon after returning to his home town of Baltimore, Baldwin won 2nd place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Bass Competition. He has performed and recorded with scores of top Jazz artists. A partial list would include instrumentalists Eric Alexander, Peter Beets, Gene Bertoncini, Marc Copland, Stanley Cowell, George Garzone, Tutti Heath, Fred Hersch, Tim Hagans, Roger Humphries, Lee Konitz, Harold Mabern, James Moody, Walt Weiskopf, and James Williams, as well as vocalists Anne Hampton Calloway, Michael Feinstein, Eartha Kitt, Stacey Kent, Bernadette Peters, and Kenny Rankin. For a more extensive list, click here.
Some of Baldwin’s more notable recordings include his self-produced Glom On To This which features all original compositions and arrangements. Steve Herberman’s Ideals from 2009 resided on the Jazzweek national airplay chart for 28 weeks and peaked at number 10. Tony Martucci’s Life In Hand features pianist Marc Copland, 3 of Tom’s compositions, and was voted by the Washington Post among the best of 2011. Two more Baldwin originals appear on 2014’s Angel Eyes by the grammy winning Afro Bop Alliance. More recently, a series of performances with Dutch pianist Peter Beets culminated with the 2019 release Our Love Is Here To Stay and a tour of Holland.
In the academic realm, Baldwin teaches Jazz Bass and coaches small ensembles at both the College Park and Baltimore County campuses of the University of Maryland, where his arrangements are often performed by his student groups. He is also a frequent faculty member at Maryland Summer Jazz camps, and a clinician/adjudicator for regional festivals and workshops.
Contact Tom for additional information about upcoming events. You can also find many live video performances and audio recordings on his YouTube channel. A series of instructional videos is planned for the near future. Sign up for Tom’s mailing list to stay informed with the latest news!