Paul Sikivie

Paul Sikivie is a New York double bassist known for a warm, buoyant tone rooted in the straight-ahead jazz tradition. Raised in Gainesville, Florida, he moved to New York in 2007 to study at the Juilliard School and became a fixture of the city's mainstream scene. A longtime member of Cécile McLorin Salvant's groups, he has also worked with Aaron Diehl, Matt Wilson, Johnny O'Neal, Ted Nash, and Grant Stewart. He turned toward composition and arranging in 2015, writing the string-quartet-and-piano-trio settings for six pieces on Salvant's Dreams and Daggers, which won the 2018 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. He also leads his own projects, including the 2020 recording I'm in the Mood for Love.