John Sims

Bassist John Sims was born in Dallas, raised in Phoenix, and came up as a musician in Chicago before settling in New York. The son of two choir teachers, he began on piano and switched to the bass at eighteen, shortly before entering Arizona State University, where he earned degrees in jazz performance and economics in 2012. Over roughly five and a half years in Chicago he appeared on four albums and reached the finals of the International Society of Bassists jazz competition in 2014 and 2017. Based in Brooklyn since late 2018, he has worked across the New York scene with players such as Steve Cardenas, Joel Frahm, Ingrid Jensen, Darrian Douglas, and Marianne Solivan. He also teaches through Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz for Young People program, introducing students to the jazz tradition.