Rob Kohler (born October 3, 1963) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

bass player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low bra ...

, composer, educator, and author, best known as being the bassist for the band

This World This World may refer to: * ''This World'' (TV series), a BBC television series * "This World" (Selah Sue song), 2011 *"This World", a song by the Dream Academy from their 1985 eponymous album *"This World", a song by Earshot from their 2002 debut a ...

and a bass instructor at the

Stanford Jazz Workshop Stanford Jazz Workshop (SJW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to jazz education and the annual concert series known as the Stanford Jazz Festival. SJW was founded in 1972 by saxophonist and educator Jim Nadel. Though many of its activities a ...

Early life

Raised in Montana, Kohler often performed music with his parents and siblings in his youth. He began playing bass at age 12. He has listed Jon Entwistle,

Eberhard Weber Eberhard Weber is a German double bassist and composer. As a bass player, he is known for his highly distinctive tone and phrasing. Weber's compositions blend chamber jazz, European classical music, minimalism and ambient music, and are regarded ...

, and

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, ...

as early influences.

Music career

Kohler has performed with artists such as

Danny Gottlieb Daniel Richard Gottlieb (born April 18, 1953) is an American drummer. He was a founding member of the Pat Metheny Group and was co-founder of Elements with Mark Egan. Biography Gottlieb was born in New York City on April 18, 1953. He took lesso ...

Taylor Eigsti Taylor Eigsti (born September 24, 1984) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Eigsti's trio features bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Eric Harland. He is also a member of Eric Harland Voyager, Kendrick Scott Oracle, and Gretchen Parlato ...

John Stowell John F. Stowell (born July 30, 1950) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, author, and lecturer. Biography Stowell, who plays electric and acoustic guitar, was born in New York and raised in Connecticut. He had private studies with Lin ...

Ambrose Akinmusire Ambrose Olusiji Akinmusire ( born May 1, 1982) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and trumpeter. Biography Born and raised in Oakland, California, Akinmusire was a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, where he caught the atten ...

Fabian Almazan Fabian Almazan (born April 16, 1984) is a jazz pianist and composer born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Miami, Florida. Biography In addition to being a solo artist,NPR.orFabian Almazan Trio String Quartet Live at the Village Vanguard Retrieve ...

Anton Schwartz Anton Schwartz (born July 16, 1967) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer based in Seattle, Washington and Oakland, California. Biography Anton Schwartz was born and raised in New York City, the son of Tony Schwartz, the audio documenta ...

, and

Leon "Ndugu" Chancler Leon "Ndugu" Chancler ( ; July 1, 1952 – February 3, 2018) was an American pop, funk, and jazz drummer. He was also a composer, producer, and university professor. Biography Early life Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 1, 1952, Leon Cha ...

. With his older brother Lee Kohler, he was a founding member of the band

In Flight In baseball, the rules state that a batted ball is considered in flight when it has not yet touched any object other than a fielder or his equipment. Such a ball can be caught by a fielder to put the batter out. Once a batted ball touches the gr ...

in 1985. In Flight grew popular in Montana and performed at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

in Switzerland in 1989.Rob Kohler , Kohler Music
/ref> After disbanding in 1990, Lee and Rob reformed the group in 1995 under the name This World. They released an eponymous album in 1996, produced by Cookie Marenco. Kohler has been associated with Oregon-based Folk singer Alice Di Micele since 2000, appearing on several of her albums and touring with her often. Kohler works often with local Pacific Northwest musicians such as Olem Alves, Ann Tappan, and Jared Burrows. Since 2018, Kohler has toured with Halie Loren. With the Peterson Kohler Collective, Kohler released the acclaimed album '' Winter Colors'' in the winter of 2019.

Teaching

Kohler began teaching at the

in 1991. He was education director at SJW from 2006–2007. Kohler also taught at NOCCA in New Orleans, Louisiana, implementing a Middle School Jazz program there that lasted until 2009. He has been an instructor at the annual South Delta Jazz Workshop in Ladner, BC since 2003. In 2013, Kohler wrote and published a text book on Beginner Jazz Theory, entitled ''Music Theory from A to G''.

Personal life

Kohler's brother Lee Kohler and sister Kate Kohler are also prominent musicians, and the three collaborate often. Formerly based in

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Kohler returned to Montana in 2014 and currently resides in Great Falls. He has three children.

Discography

As leader

*'' Winter Colors'' (Origin Records, 2019) (With Peterson Kohler Collective) *''Harmony and Bells'' (2007) (with Clay Green) *''Spirit Session'' (2005) (with Morgan Scott and Jason Palmer) *''A Thousand Faces'' (1998)

As sideman

This World *''Intentional Feedback'' (2018) *'' Celestial Skies'' (2013) *''Beyond the Beyond'' (2000) *''

'' (1996) *''...Imagine a Music'' (1986) (as In Flight) With Alice Di Micele *''By Ebb & By Flow'' (2007) *''Alice Live'' (2000) With Kate Kohler *''Wake Up! Songs for a Rainy Day'' (2015) *''Unexpected Romance'' (2010)Rob Kohler , Credits , AllMusic
/ref> Inner Limits *''Live at the McDonald Theater'' (2005) *''The Sound'' (2005) with Jared Burrows *''Aspects'' (2009) *''Plan on Stan'' (2003) *''December Sessions'' (2001) *''Northern Exposure'' (1999) With others *The Honorifics, ''¡Wow!'' (2014) (Winner of Best Easy Listening Producer at 2014 Indie Music Channel Awards) *The Real Cool Killers, ''Parades and Saints'' (2010) *Len Aruliah Quartet, ''Full Circle'' (2007) *Knotty Ensemble, ''Knotty Bit'' (2000)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohler, Rob 1963 births Living people American jazz bass guitarists American male bass guitarists People from Great Falls, Montana Music of Montana 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians