Christian Fabian

Christian Fabian was born in Sweden, and moved to the USA in the 1990s to attend Berklee College. He is currently active in the New York City jazz scene, playing with Mike Longo’s NY State of the Art Jazz Ensemble and around the metro area. He is a co-leader of the New Lionel Hampton Band featuring Jason Marsalis. He co-founded the Native Jazz Quartet—featuring Jason Marsalis and Reuel Lubag—with Ed Littlefield. The Quartet was selected by the US State Department to be American Jazz Ambassadors in 2013 and toured South America for the US in 2014.

Christian’s family moved to Germany when he was six, and it was there he saw a Dizzy Gillespie concert when he was 12. He met Dizzy and was so inspired he decided to play jazz. He learned electric bass, and when he was 16 began studying upright acoustic bass. Fabian studied at Maastricht Conservatory in The Netherlands with the principal bass player from the Concertgebouw Symphony Orchestra. He spent nearly four years there, playing with, and later co-leading, the jazz-rock-fusion band Time Design. The band recorded three albums and built a strong regional following. He has performed throughout Europe, in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Hungary.

When Berklee College of Music awarded him a full scholarship, he moved to Boston to study. He earned a degree in performance and film scoring, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2000. Lionel Hampton selected him as bassist for the Lionel Hampton Big Band, and he remains the Bass Chair of the band. He is frequently invited by the Thelonious Monk Institute to participate in summer workshops. He was an Artist in Residence at the University of Massachusetts, and has studied with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Billy Taylor, Mike Longo and other Jazz greats. He is currently a student of Ron Carter.

Christian has become one of the best-regarded bassists on the US Jazz scene. In addition to teaching in New York, and travelling to give workshops and clinics, he plays with The Mike Longo Big Band, and has performed with Jimmy Owens, Gary Burton, Danny Gottlieb, Lewis Nash, Jason Marsalis, John La Porta, Elvin Jones, Cheryl Bentyne, Ed Thigpen, Makoto Ozone, Chaka Khan, Bob Mintzer, Charlie Mariano, Claudio Roditi, Rick Margitza and Jon Hendricks.

He performs regularly with several bands including the New Lionel Hampton Big Band, and the Native Jazz Quartet. He co-founded The CRANE/FABIAN PROJECT featuring top musicians Frank Gambale, Scott Henderson, Mitch Forman, Alex Acuna, Steve Hunt, Eric Marienthal and Luis Conte among others. His compositions earned the Project two awards and three nominations with Hollywood Music in Media in 2008 and 2009 for Best Jazz Artist. In Japan he toured with world-famous ukelele player Herb Otha-san to sold-out houses. In 2010 the duo produced the Japanese hit CD STARDUST 4 STRINGS on JVC.

Christian’s own band, The Fabian Zone Trio, has released six CDs since 2006: Across the Tracks, Curtain of Life, Of The Essence, The Masters Return!, Keys in Ascension and West Coast Sessions, featuring top musicians as special guests. On national airplay charts, The Fabian Zone Trio reached #1 on Music Choice, Top 10 on Jazz Radio for Canada and Top 20 on Jazz Week (national US radio chart) several times.

Christian’s music is available from CAP Records, Spice Rack Records, CDbaby.com, Amazon.com, iTunes and more.