Brandi Disterheft

Brandi Disterheft, born in 1980, is a Canadian jazz bassist and composer born in Vancouver, British Columbia, who grew up in the District of North Vancouver. She attended Handsworth Secondary School and upon graduation won a scholarship to attend Humber College in Toronto, Ontario, where she studied under Don Thompson. Disterheft has also studied under Ron Carter, Rufus Reid, Rodney Whitaker, and Oscar Peterson. She later relocated to NYC to begin an apprenticeship under Miles Davis' bassist Ron Carter. Her musical background is deeply rooted in her family—her mother, a Chicago-born jazz B3 organist who opened for acts such as the Supremes and Carlos Jobim in the 1960s, trained Brandi's ears from the tender age of 5 when she began classical piano studies. She won the 2008 JUNO Award for Traditional Jazz Album for "Debut" and received a 2014 JUNO nomination for Contemporary Jazz Album for "Gratitude." She has had the honor of being the bassist for the legendary Hank Jones on the album "Pleased to Meet You" and has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Opera House. Oscar Peterson notably praised her, saying "She has the same lope or rhythmic pulse as my bassist, Ray Brown. She is what we call serious." As a bandleader and sidewoman, she has worked with numerous jazz greats and continues to be an influential voice in contemporary jazz bass playing.

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