
Image Phil Stiles
Rick McLaughlin
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Rick McLaughlin is a multifaceted musician. He is a bassist, educator, composer, arranger, author, producer, and music superfan. These characteristics have taken him to stages on four continents; performances and recording sessions with legendary musicians; clinics, classrooms, and private lessons both in person and virtual; and to the microphone as a podcast guest. He was a featured guest on The Wonder of Stevie is a seven-part podcast focusing on the life, career, and music of Stevie Wonder, which was released in 2024. Among guests such as Barack and Michelle Obama, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning host Wesley Morris, and Stevie Wonder himself, McLaughlin reflected on the ways in which Wonder uses musical elements to tell nuanced, moving, and meaningful stories. McLaughlin’s reflections stem from working with hundreds of students in a course that he designed and teaches on Stevie Wonder at Berklee College of Music, where McLaughlin is an associate professor in the harmony and jazz composition department.
As a bassist, McLaughlin is a longtime member of the Grammy-nominated jazz group Either/Orchestra and has been heard on stage and in recording studios worldwide. Along the way, he has shared the stage with jazz luminaries, rock and country music legends, stars of stage and screen, and has collaborated with Ethiopian music innovators Mahmoud Ahmed and Mulatu Astatke. His own debut as a leader, Study of Light, garnered critical acclaim, and he is featured on a multitude of recordings. In addition to his work as a performer, McLaughlin is a composer and published author.
- Featured guest on The Wonder of Stevie podcast, produced by the Obama Foundation, Questlove's Two One Five Entertainment, Audible, and Stevie Wonder
- Multiple CDs and performances worldwide with Either/Orchestra, including Glastonbury Festival 2008 (featuring Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatke, Alemayehu Eshete and Getachew Mekurya)
- Leader of the Rick McLaughlin Trio and bassist/composer/producer of Study of Light
- Label owner of Altered Music Productions
- Bass player of Lennie Tristano Centennial Quartet for Live at Berklee (2021)
- Performances with Mick Goodrick, Steve Lacy, Roger Miller, Peter Wolf, and Miguel Zenón
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School NameNew England Conservatory of MusicDegreeMaster of Music (MM)Field of StudyMusicDate Degree Received
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School NameNew England Conservatory of MusicDegreeBachelor of Music (BM)Field of StudyMusicDate Degree Received