Avant-garde bassist
Jason Roebke was raised in Kaukauna, WI, and he began playing bass at age 14. After graduating from Lawrence University, he moved to Madison, WI, to study with Chicago jazz legend
Roscoe Mitchell. He earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1998, then briefly taught at Albion College before moving to Chicago the following year. Since his arrival in Chicago,
Roebke has performed with many of the city's most famous avant jazz musicians, including
Ken Vandermark,
Jeb Bishop,
Jeff Parker,
Chad Taylor, and
Rob Mazurek. In 2001 and 2002,
Roebke played on two recordings led by
Fred Lonberg-Holm,
A Valentine for Fred Katz and
Terminal 4's
When I'm Falling. He also repeatedly appeared on disc with guitarist
Scott Fields.
Roebke has also made numerous trips to Japan, performing with musicians like
Toshimaru Nakamura,
Taku Sugimoto, and
Tetuzi Akiyama. Since 1998,
Roebke has also performed with Art Union Humanscape, a duo with dancer Ayako Kato. Tigersmilk, which featured
Roebke along with
Mazurek and percussionist
Dylan van der Schyff, was released in 2003. ~ Charlie Wilmoth