Live & Local: Bass Superhero Derek Frank on 70s Jazz-Funk Inspired Origin Story

Bass superhero Derek Frank is on a mission to bring his special blend of bass funk to the world. His latest album Origin Story was unearthed from the cultural debris of his 1970s childhood in The Steel City, Pittsburgh, PA. “I used to love the music in Dirty Harry movies, and in the Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk television series,” the LA-based artist says. “When I finally found my voice as a solo artist, I decided to make that kind of music along with jazz and funk as the main influences.”

As a longtime touring and in demand LA studio bassist, Frank has used his experience playing alongside iconic artists like Shania Twain, Gwen Stefani, Air Supply, Kelly Clarkson, Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, Shakira, and more to lock in his sound, which is rapidly moving more and more toward instrumental jazz-funk. "When I moved to LA, I set out to be a session player, a touring musician. I didn't really set out to be an artist, but the more I spent with these artists and great songwriters and people like that, I think it just kind of inspired me to do my own thing." Derek Frank shared with us, "And I think also because I spent so much time playing other people's music, I think eventually there was a hole that kept getting bigger that I needed to fill. And so, I eventually decided to be a little bit more serious about doing my own music."