Todd Sickafoose is an American jazz and rock musician, composer, and producer/engineer from San Francisco, California. He is best known for playing acoustic bass and keyboards with

Ani DiFranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influe ...

but has also led his own group, Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors.Biography
''

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''allmusic.com'', Retrieved February 22, 2009 Sickafoose has been a member of the bands of

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, and

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. He has performed and recorded with

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, Steven Bernstein,

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Tiny Resistors
''allaboutjazz.com'' June 03, 2008 Sickafoose has produced three albums for

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– ''

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'' (2010), '' Young Man in America'' (2012), and ''Hadestown Live Original Cast Recording'' (2017). He arranged and orchestrated ''Hadestown'', along with

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, for productions at

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in Edmonton, Alberta, and the National Theatre in London. He has also produced albums for Rupa & the April Fishes,

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. Sickafoose, along with Michael Chorney, received Tony Awards for Best Orchestrations after ''Hadestown'' opened on Broadway in 2019. Sickafoose also won a Grammy award as a co-producer of the ''Hadestown'' cast recording, which won Best Musical Theater Album in 2019. Sickafoose has also composed original music for the fourth season of the

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winning podcast

Threshold Podcast ''Threshold'' is a Peabody Award-winning podcast and radio show that tackles one pressing environmental story each season. The podcast explores the intersections of environment, history, culture, science, politics and social justice, focusing on t ...

At the age of 13 Sickafoose began playing

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

after seeing

Edgar Meyer Edgar Meyer (born November 24, 1960) is an American bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. He has won five Grammy Awards and been nominated seven times. Meyer is a member of the Telluride Bluegrass ...

perform. He later studied with

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

and then with

Mel Powell Mel Powell (born Melvin Epstein) (February 12, 1923 – April 24, 1998) was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, and the founding dean of the music department at the California Institute of the Arts. He served as a music educator for over ...

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

. He moved to Brooklyn, New York's vibrant music scene, joining many musical friends that were residing there. Sickafoose began playing with Ani DiFranco in 2004 after opening for her on tour.Rex Butter
Todd Sickafoose: The Art of Non-Resistance
''allaboutjazz.com'' September 22, 2008 Critic Steve Greenlee of ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'' states Sickafoose's 2008 release ''Tiny Resistors'' is one of that "year’s most compelling listens."Steve Greenle
CD Reviews: Tiny Resistors
''

'', September 2008 The CD also received positive reviews from ''NY Times'' and ''USA Today''.

Discography

* ''Dogs Outside'' (Evander, 2000) * ''Blood Orange'' (Secret Hatch, 2006) * ''Tiny Resistors'' ( Cryptogramophone, 2008)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sickafoose, Todd 1974 births 21st-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American male musicians American jazz bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Grammy Award winners Guitarists from California Jazz musicians from California Living people American male jazz musicians Tony Award winners