tarus mateen

Tarus Mateen ranks among the jazz world’s most in-demand players on both acoustic and electric bass, while also contributing as a bassist and producer to numerous R&B and hip-hop projects. After earning his degree from Atlanta’s Morehouse College, he spent several years working in the South before moving to New York in 1988. There he secured a coveted position in Betty Carter’s ensemble and collaborated with trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard on the soundtrack for Spike Lee’s Malcolm X as well as the Malcolm X Jazz Suite.

His R&B and hip-hop résumé features Monica, Outkast, Goodie Mob, the Roots, Fugees, De La Soul, and Fishbone. In jazz settings he appears and records most frequently alongside pianist Marc Cary, and he maintains additional affiliations with vibraphonist Stefon Harris and the New Directions ensemble, which also includes Greg Osby, Jason Moran, and Mark Shim. In 2000 he joined drummer Nasheet Waits on two acclaimed piano-trio recordings: Marc Cary’s Trillium and Jason Moran’s Facing Left.