Ike Sturm, born on June 29, 1978, in Wisconsin, is an American bassist, composer, and bandleader. Raised in a musical home, Sturm learned from his father, Fred Sturm, a composer and arranger. He received degrees from the Eastman School of Music and began his career performing with notable artists such as Gene Bertoncini, Donny McCaslin, Bobby McFerrin, and Maria Schneider. In 2004, he released his debut album Spirit. Sturm has played on four Down Beat award-winning recordings and contributed to Steve Reich's albums for Cantaloupe Music and Nonesuch Records. He composed the large-scale work Jazz Mass, which premiered in Europe in 2011 at the Gedächtniskirche in Berlin. The recording of Jazz Mass received a four-and-a-half-star rating and was named among the Best of 2010 in Down Beat magazine. Sturm also serves as Music Director for the Jazz Ministry at Saint Peter's Church in Manhattan.
