Igor Saavedra (

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, May 31, 1966 ) is a player and pioneer of the

extended-range bass An extended-range bass is an electric bass guitar with a wider frequency range than a standard-tuned four-string bass guitar. Terminology One way that a bass can be considered 'extended-range' is to use a tuning machine mechanism that allows fo ...

(ERB) guitar. , he has dedicated his musical career to the study and performing of the eight string extended-range bass guitar and is considered a pioneer on that field by the world's most prestigious bass publications. As collected from many interviews worldwide, Saavedra was the first ERB player in South America and is also credited as being the creator of the Mic Ramp in 1995, which is a height adjustable wooden ramp that contains the bass pickups which are derived from the Willi's Ramp. At the same time, in 1993, he started developing a technique for the electric bass named Vectorial Synthesis Technique, about which he's been writing a book.

Early life

In 1988, at 22 years old, Igor Saavedra was a Kung Fu instructor with almost ten years of experience who was preparing to move to China to continue with his Martial Arts studies. He had not seen music as being a part of his life at that point. He was also in 4th year at the University, studying to become a physical education teacher until the day he assisted with a Jazz concert at the University Campus that made him realize he was a musician and specifically that he wanted to dedicate his life to the performing of the Electric Bass.

Highlights

, Saavedra has been featured, interviewed, and published in more than seventy specialized magazine editions worldwide. He has also been cover featured on issue 7 of the European magazin
''Bajos y Bajistas''
on issue 12 of the Brazilian Magazine ''Linha de Frente''. and the August 2013 6th Anniversary Special Edition of the American Magazine ''Bass Musician Magazine''. In 1997, Saavedra was the first bass player in the world to record the full original version of "The Flight of the Bumblebee" with no pick and at the real speed. Saavedra was also the head teacher of the Bass department at California Music Studio in

Los Angeles, USA Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

for four years. After touring in South America with expert keyboardist David Garfield in the year 2011, and due to his special recommendation to Chris Jisi, Saavedra was formally invited to perform a Master Class and to be part of the All-Star Jam at the prestigious Bass Player Live 2011, along with bass experts such as Marcus Miller, Anthony Jackson, Darryl Jones, Abraham Laboriel, Larry Graham, Brian Bromberg, Verdine White and Lee Sklar. Because of that, Saavedra was specially featured on Latin American

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

. A following October 2011 issue of ''Bass Player Magazine'' called his BPL performance, "A fascinating Solo Seminar by South American 8 String Bassist Igor Saavedra". In 2012, he was officially invited for second time in a row to be one of the guests at the Bass Player Live 2012 along with bass legends like Gary Grainger, Chris Squire, Hadrien Feraud, Dave Ellefson, and Robert Trujillo. He again was invited to join the All-Star Jam. In March 2013, Saavedra was one of the 10 featured artists at The London Bass Guitar Show along with Pink Floyd's Guy Prat and Stevie Wonder's Nate Watts. He has performed many concerts and Master Classes in several countries and places such as these: University of British Columbia at The Cush in Kelowna, Canada; Long & McQuade in Vancouver, Canada; Bass Player Live 2011 at NAMM Show 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2012 in Los Angeles, USA; Musikmesse 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany; Master Class at The New York Bass Collective 2013 in New York City; Master Class at Todobajos in concert at El Barco in Madrid, Spain; jazz and pop concert at EMBA in Buenos Aires, Argentina; in concert at AECID Theater in Zerú Club, Zeppelín Club, and Central Square in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia; Master Class at Franco Boliviano in La Paz, Bolivia; in concert and Master Class in Cochabamba, Bolivia; in concert at Cavas Club in Posadas, Argentina; in concert at the Central Square in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; in concert at the Central Square in Villarrica, Paraguay; in concert at the Central Square in Encarnación, Paraguay.

Collaborators

* David Garfield – Keyboardist for

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

, Freddie Hubbard, Cher,

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

, Manhattan Transfer * Bob Sheppard – Saxophonist for Chick Corea,

Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, ...

and

Tribal Tech Tribal Tech was a progressive fusion band, originally formed in 1984 by guitarist Scott Henderson and bass player Gary Willis. From 1993 forward the band included Scott Kinsey on keyboard and Kirk Covington on drums, and released ten albums tha ...

* Danny Gottlieb – Drummer for

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...

and

Mahavishnu Orchestra The Mahavishnu Orchestra were a jazz fusion band formed in New York City in 1971, led by English guitarist John McLaughlin. The group underwent several line-up changes throughout its history across its two periods of activity, from 1971 to 1976 ...

* James Gadson – Drummer for

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, Herbie Hancock,

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

and

BB King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shim ...

* Damien Schmitt – Drummer for

Jean-Luc Ponty Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz violinist and composer. Early life Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitt ...

* Miucha Buarque – Singer for

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ma ...

, Joao Gilberto,

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...

Toquinho Antônio Pecci Filho (born July 6, 1946), better known as Toquinho (), is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. He is well known for his collaborations, as composer and performer, with Vinicius de Moraes. Childhood and musical studies Toquinho was b ...

* Hanz Zermuhlen – Keyboardist for

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five ...

and

Frank Gambale Frank Gambale (; born 22 December 1958) is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released twenty albums over a period of three decades, and is known for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques. Recording career Solo ...

* Jonas Hellborg – Bassist for

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...

* Lee Sklar – Bassist for Phil Collins * Gary Grainger – Bassist for

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...

* Fareed Haque Quartet – Guitarist for Sting, Garaj Mahal, Paquito D'Rivera and

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his f ...

Walfredo Reyes, Jr. Walfredo Reyes Jr. (born Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV; December 18, 1955) is a Cuban American musician who is an expert in drum set and auxiliary percussion, a music educator, and a clinician. He has performed with many jazz, Latin, World mus ...

– Drummer for

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

, Carlos Santana, and now

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

* Tom McMorran – Keyboardist for Tom Scott,

The Rippingtons The Rippingtons are an American contemporary jazz group, mainly relating to the genres smooth jazz, jazz fusion, jazz pop, and crossover jazz. Formed in 1985 by guitarist and band leader Russ Freeman, their career has spanned more than three de ...

and

Robben Ford Robben Lee Ford (born December 16, 1951) is an American blues, jazz, and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton, Rick Sprin ...

* Ramón Stagnaro – Guitarist for Hossana, Alejandro Sanz, and

Abraham Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...

* Jim Paxson – Drummer for

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first ja ...

and Alanis Morissette * Óscar Giunta – Drummer for

Luis Salinas Luis Salinas (born 24 June 1957) is an Argentine jazz guitarist who plays electric and nylon string guitars. His music includes elements of bossa nova, samba, Afro-Uruguayan candombe, salsa, boleros, and jazz. He blends traditional South Amer ...

and Javier Malosetti * Jan Fabricky – Drummer for Marc Antoine and Andre Manga * Jean Marc Belkady – Guitar professor at

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...

* Antti Kotikosky – Guitarist for

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the '' Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2014. Cola ...

* Marcelo Berestovoy – Guitarist for

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...

Daniela Romo Daniela Romo (born Teresa Presmanes Corona; 27 August 1959) is a Mexican singer, actress and TV hostess. During her career, she has sold 17 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Biography Born Teresa Presman ...

Bebu Silvetti Juan Fernando Silvetti Adorno (27 March 1944 – 5 July 2003), professionally known as Bebu Silvetti or simply Silvetti, was an Argentine- born Mexican pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, and record producer. In the 1970s he moved to M ...

, guitar professor at

* Robert Incelli – Saxophonist for Oscar D'León, and

Otmaro Ruíz Otmaro Ruíz (born June 27, 1964, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and educator. Son of Oscar Ruiz Beluche and Omaira Prado Hurtado, both medical doctors. He has a sister named Orlena, also a musicia ...

Equipment

Igor Saavedra uses exclusively Ramsay Basses, Phil Jones Amplifiers, La Bella Strings, Analysis Plus Cables, Wittner Metronomes, Nordstrand Pickups and Mey Chair Systems.http://www.igorsaavedra.com Igor Saavedra Official Website.

Discography

Solo

* Igor Saavedra – ''The Flight of the Bumblebee (Independent – USA 1997)'' * Igor Saavedra – ''Organic Bass 1 (Independent – Germany 2015)''

Session musician

* De Kiruza – ''Presentes (Alerce – Chile 1991)'' * Juan Coderch – ''Repercusión (Independent – Chile 1993)'' * Al Este – ''Del Cielo está el Paraíso (Polygram Latino, Polydor – Chile y USA 1995)'' * Francisco Cortez – ''Mentiras por Amor (DA Records – USA 1997)'' * Brazza – ''Mapule (DA Records – USA 1998)'' * Juan Coderch – ''CD Compilado (Independent – Chile 1999)'' * Lorena Taibo – ''Mitología Privada (Warner Music Argentina 2001)'' * Lorena Taibo – ''Single Huellas en el Mar (Warner Music Argentina 2001)'' * Grupo de Percusión Sinfónica de la Universidad Católica – ''Música Chilena (Independent – Chile 2002)'' * Emilio García – ''Ultrablues (Petroglyph USA – Chile 2005)'' * Ricardo Arancibia – ''One Day (Independent – Chile 2005)'' * Pedro Cruz – ''Los Amigos de mi Voz (Independent – Argentina 2011)'' * Mauricio Pareja – ''Energía Vital (Independent – Bolivia 2012)''

Educator

* CDs along with the Jam Session section included in Bajista Magazine, issues 18 to 29. ''(Ares Editorial – Spain 2006, 2007)'' * CD included with his book ''Rítmica Aplicada al Bajo Eléctrico Vol.1'' (JC Sáez Editores – Chile 2008)

Books

Igor Saavedra is the author of a three book series for bass written in the Spanish language (by JC Sáez publishing), which is dedicated to rhythm, technique, harmony, and improvisation all specifically written for the electric bass. The first book named ''Applied Rhythmic for the Electric Bass, Vol. 1'' () was released in 2006, and the following ones ''Applied Technique for the Electric Bass, Vol. 2'' and ''Harmony and Improvisation for the Electric Bass, Vol. 3'' are yet to be released.