{"id":2,"date":"2016-02-07T18:33:17","date_gmt":"2016-02-07T18:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.new.abcarian.com\/main\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2025-10-24T22:04:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T05:04:16","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"Bio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ravi Abcarian<\/strong>\u00a0is a San Francisco Bay Area-based composer, bassist, and educator with over three decades of experience contributing to the local music scene and mentoring the next generation of musicians.\u00a0His musical journey began at the age of seven when he started learning guitar. However, his path took a significant turn during high school when his band director encouraged him to switch from electric guitar to upright bass, a challenge that would define his musical future.<\/p>\n

Abcarian quickly made a name for himself in the vibrant Bay Area jazz scene. He became a regular member of the house band at the legendary Yoshi’s Oakland, where he had the opportunity to perform with some of the region\u2019s most esteemed musicians, including Faye Carol, Edwin Kelly, and Smiley Winters. By his mid-twenties, Ravi was performing a wide array of gigs, ranging from intimate club shows to regional jazz festivals.<\/p>\n

In 1997 Ravi was invited to teach at Oakland, CA\u00a0based nonprofit organization, Oaktown Jazz Workshops, by Founding Director, Khalil Shaheed.\u00a0His dedication and leadership earned him the role of Educational Director, and in 2011, he was appointed Executive Director. Under his leadership, Oaktown Jazz Workshops expanded its impact, offering invaluable mentorship and musical development to aspiring young artists in the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

Beyond his work at Oaktown Jazz Workshops, Ravi has been deeply involved in youth music education for over 30 years. He served as Artistic Director for\u00a0The Richmond Jazz Collective\u00a0from 1993 to 2013, working with young musicians at the\u00a0East Bay Center for Performing Arts. His work has also extended to K-12 schools, as well as individual lessons at his home studio.<\/p>\n

As a performer, Ravi has had the privilege of collaborating with legendary artists from across genres. From accompanying dancer and choreographer\u00a0Fayard Nicholas\u00a0of the\u00a0Nicholas Brothers\u00a0to performing with the influential vocal group\u00a0Sweet Honey in the Rock, and playing alongside saxophonists\u00a0Chico Freeman,\u00a0Joshua Redman, and\u00a0Sonny Simmons, Ravi\u2019s musical versatility has enabled him to work with some of the most respected figures in jazz and beyond.<\/p>\n

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Ravi Abcarian\u00a0is a San Francisco Bay Area-based composer, bassist, and educator with over three decades of experience contributing to the local music scene and mentoring the next generation of musicians.\u00a0His musical journey began at the age of seven when he … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"showcase.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":469,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions\/469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abcarian.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}