ABOUT
Name: Jay-Tee Teterissa
Place of birth: Schattenberg (Drenthe), The Netherlands
Occupation: Independent Music Professional
Education: Graphic Design | Conservatory Hilversum (now Amsterdam)
Additional functions: Musical Director Tom Browne EU | Musical Director Chazzy Green EU | Co-founder Sound in Vision in Sound Audio & Video Productions | Audio-engineer | Producer | Logic Specialist (user since 1994) | Videographer | Audio & Video Editor | Bassguitar teacher
Endorsers: EBS Professional Bass Equipment | Marleaux BassGuitars | Smooth Hound Innovations | True Temperament | Crescendo | Variphone
Where it all began
When Jay-Tee heard a record from the American based band called Slave with bass player Mr. Mark at the end of the seventies, he was immediately hooked on the bass. He started playing at the age of eighteen and two years later he was already playing professionally. As an only child he lived on his own at an early age. Therefore he was able to study much and without distraction. After one and a half years of study at the conservatory of Hilversum, he got the chance in 1984 to make his dream come true and go to NYC. He started working as a councillor at Minisink for the New York Mission Society.
Jay-Tee Teterissa strives for perfection and did study sessions up to eighteen hours a day. His goal of becoming one of the best motivated him to study as much as he did. Meanwhile, Jay-Tee has grown into a world-class musician. His very unique style and sound even captured Marleaux BassGuitars who, in consultation with him, released the unique 'Votan XS Jay-Tee Signature Bass' series.
"Music is the universal language; making music is the way to give positive NRG (groove).
I see playing with a band as the ultimate form of producing energy in a collective way."
Musical nourishment
Jay-Tee took his musical nourishment mainly from the jazz standards in 'The Real Book', also known as the Bible of jazz music. In addition, he tweaked for hours on his left and right hand technique.
Although he used to listen a lot to bands and artists like Journey, Steps Ahead and Chick Corea, he has no real examples. Nowadays he learns a lot about his own bass playing by teaching others.
"Teaching others is the best method to analyze yourself.
You have to be able to explain to your students what you are playing and how you play it."
Being able to read sheet music is considered a plus for every musician. Therefore fellow artists can ask you for everything. At the time in '92, he was approached by Jan Akkerman two days before Jan's new tour started. He spend several hours with his keyboard player to check the entire tour repertoire on music sheets. Memorizing the whole tour in two days is almost impossible so having the music on paper next to you on stage is helpfull (nowadays you see the iPads).
"The challenge here is the multitasking; think with your fingers - left as well as your right hand - listen and play in time. Letting it groove is the next move!"
Band-history
Jay-Tee played with the Moluccan band Umatilla in the early eighties. A band that went to the studio to record a song for the first 'Moluccan Moods' collection record on vinyl. This project was aimed at stimulating Moluccan musicians and organized by a working group consisting of Eddy Tutuarima, Zeth Mustamu and the late ♰ Eddy Lekranty.
In 1983 he played with Alex & The City Crew, a band that was ahead of time combining DJ/scratch/rap, electric boogie, breakdance, guitar/bass and replacing the drummer for a drummachine. Because of his unexpected departure to New York, his music career came on hold. After returning he picked up where he left and he started playing with Rob Winter in the band Siberia. Then he was asked by Captain Cocktail who had a hit with 'Stop Talking Nasty'. After that he started playing with Candy Dulfer's Funky Stuff in 1987. In September '89 'Lily Was Here' was released with Dave Stewart and Candy Dulfer. At the same time he worked on the solo CD 'Raindance' by Clark Datchler, the singer of Johnny Hates Jazz, and plays on the track 'The State of Play'.
Horrible accident
But something terrible happened; three weeks after the filming of the videoclip 'Lily Was Here' he fell five stories high from a scaffolding. Everyone thought he died, and after that it was silent for a long time around Jay-Tee. He broke almost everything in his body, including his rib cage and pelvis, and his vertebra and right wrist were shattered. The expectation was that he had to stay at the hospital for at least six months and then learn how to walk for another two years. The big question was whether he could ever play bass again... But after two months wheighing only 92 pounds, he was playing at the Dutch Music Fair in Rotterdam: "With swollen legs and bloodblisters, but I had to: Music is the God in me." People did not believe when they saw him and some even fainted. Jay-Tee is 80% disabled after his fall and is reminded daily by constant pain in his back.
Then came Gung-Ho, a funk-rock live band with a record deal at CNR Records. Then he ended up with Jan Akkerman. Here he played with Ton Dijkman (drums) and Willem Zwikker (keys). Jay-Tee also played with many well-known artists like Latoya Jackson, Sue Chaloner (Spooky & Sue), Hansen Tomas, The Barge, Woordlooiers, The Alessi Brothers, Bergit Lewis, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Jamal Thomas, Mike Stern, Paulo Mendonca and Tom Browne, just to name a few. Furthermore, many people saw and heard him at national and international music fairs where he provided demos and clinics for different brands. Through his travels and demos he made valuable contacts with famous musicians such as drummer Dennis Chambers and his bass brothers Alain Caron, Henrik Linder, Peter Ewers, Etienne & Swaéli Mbappé, Pascal Mulot, Mononeon, Gary Willis etc.
The complete devotion to the bass did not bother Jay-Tee, because artists like Candy Dulfer and Jan Akkerman asked him to play in their bands. Also the American jazz guitarplayer Mike Stern did not hide his admiration for Jay-Tee's bassplay when he heard a track from his first solo-cd in the studio.
In 1998 Jay-Tee released his debut solo album 'NEW JAZZ TRANSPLANT'. It is a striking album recorded in several studios. In addition to some of the best Dutch musicians such as Candy Dulfer (guest on 'Play Da Bass'), the brothers Martijn van Iterson (guitar) and Jerome van Iterson (co-producing, keyboard, programming, mix), Reyn Ouwehand (keyboard, mix, technique), Marcellino Latupeirissa (drums), Rolf Breemer (drums), Jerry Hoeby (tabla) and singer Louis Smith (rap), drummer David Garibaldi, guitarplayer Jaco Abel, Stanislav Mitrovic (bass clarinet), bassist Alain Caron, saxophoneplayer David Belmare and master guitarplayer Mike Stern play on his CD's. On 'Nubian Giraffe' and 'The Chase' you will hear Mike Stern in a unprecedented way. 'The Chase' is a song with indeed the excitement of a chase. Jay-Tee's bass and sound is more prominent in 'Lake Thun', 'Therese's World' and the duet with bass brother Darryl C. Anders in 'Stainless Steel'.
His second solo album 'DON'T JAY WALK', which he worked on for about ten years, was released in 2011. A track with the Moluccan tifa group Nahi Sane on native instruments, was composed to honor his origins. Mike Stern and Alain Caron are also playing on this album as well as the brothers Martijn van Iterson (guitar) and Jerome van Iterson (co-producing, keyboard, programming, mix), completed with drummer Marcellino Latupeirissa and saxophoneplayer Tom Beek.