Ryan
Shultz (b. 1963) performs on the bass trumpet, an instrument
pitched in the range of the slide or valve trombone. He has performed with
a wide variety of internationally acclaimed jazz stars including
saxophonists Anthony
Braxton, Ari
Brown, Don
Menza, Dave Liebman
and Nick Brignola, trumpeters Randy Brecker, Johnny Coles,
Paul Smoker,
John McNeil and
Bobby Shew, percussionists Killer Ray Appleton, Manolo Badrena, Steve
Barrios, Robby Ameen and Steve Houghton, french hornist Tom Varner, and
multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan. Shultz has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1989-90-93-95; In 1995 he appeared with the Damon Short Sextet at the "What Is Jazz" festival at New York's Knitting Factory, and has performed at other New York clubs including the Bottom Line, S.O.B's, Augie's, the West End Cafe and Visiones, and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In 1997 Shultz was a featured performer at the International Association of Jazz Educators' annual convention, and was a member of finalist bands in the Cognac Hennessy Jazz Search in 1993 and 1995.
Shultz has received two artistic grants from the City of Chicago for original compositions, including a four movement suite for bass trumpet, cello, bass and percussion, and works for solo bass trumpet, bass trumpet quintet and octet, duo with percussion and trio with bass and percussion.
He is a leader of his own quartet and trio projects, and member of many Chicago-based groups including the Kelly Brand Quintet, Bob Dogan Quintet, Damon Short Quintet/Sextet, Chicago Jazz Coalition, Rudresh Mahanthappa Quintet, Brackets, and Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls. In 1994 and 1995 he was a member of Urban Gateways, an organization that brings the arts to the Chicago public school system.