An Oakland native, Mike Sweetland was drawn to the electric bass by funk and came to his love of jazz via the seminal fusion bands of the 1970s. Experiencing Jaco Pastorius with Weather Report at the Berkeley Jazz Festival inspired an epiphany, opening up “a whole other language,” Sweetland said. He first gained widespread attention around the Bay Area in the 1980s playing and composing in the experimental rock band Doug with keyboardist Michael Webster (who went on to join the avant-pop band Negativland). Constantly striving to expand his knowledge and extend his technical prowess, he studied music theory at Cal State Hayward, bass guitar with Joe Satriani, and upright bass with veteran jazz musicians Clark Suprynowicz and Neil Heidler. After exploring blues, funk, rock, and Pastorius-inflected fusion for a decade, Sweetland began delving into acoustic jazz in the late 80s.

He spent the next four years gigging and teaching in Madrid, Hong Kong and London. Upon returning to the Bay Area in 1992 he formed the band Bumptious with drummer Ben Ulrich. Featuring many of Sweetland’s songs, the band earned a large following on the Bay Area club scene with its greasy, Southern-fried grooves. After Ulrich’s death in 1999 Sweetland went on to record and tour widely with rock singer Meredith DiMenna. At the same time, he pursued his growing interest in jazz with guitarists Ken Jacobsen and Nick Koutsoukis. In 2003 Sweetland started studying at the Jazzschool in Berkeley (now the California Jazz Conservatory), which led to his bands Riff Raff and the Mike Sweetland Quartet.

Beyond imparting essential information, the Jazzschool provided access to a deep pool of talent, connecting Sweetland with Kelly Fasman and Taylor Eigsti, who was impressed enough with one of the bassist’s tune that he readily agreed to collaborate on his debut release, 2008’s Stringsongsgruvscaipsoundtreks. Since graduating from the Jazzschool in 2013 he released his second album, the blues-steeped Real Life Reel Time, and continued his study of composition, earning a degree in film scoring from California College of the Arts. Concentrating on the upright bass in recent years, he’s one of the most versatile accompanists in Northern California, playing everything from Brazilian to bluegrass.

In many ways, the KVX5 pivots on Sweetland, who connected with most of his collaborators while studying at the CJC. He worked with Dineen and Salcedo in a trio that performed around the East Bay, and got to know German when they were both studying with Marcos Silva (who has mentored many of the region’s best American-born players devoted to Brazilian jazz). With Radio Free Your World KVX5 is set to take its place among the top ranks of Bay Area ensembles.