Ryan Cross

Ryan Cross was born in Seattle, Washington on May 31, 1977 where he grew up playing classical music through the public school system. He started playing cello in the fourth grade then he discovered the acoustic bass in his sophomore year of high school. He met the famous bass player Ray Brown and began studying with him. Upon graduation he received a full scholarship to study under John Clayton at the University of Southern California. He graduated from USC in 1999 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. In his young professional career, he has already appeared and recorded on several TV shows and movies including “Friends,” ”One on One,” “West Wing,” “ JAG,” “Starsky and Hutch,” “Along Came Polly,” and “The Big Time” with Stanley Clark. He composed a score for the Showtime movie “Crossover”, which was a Konwiser Brothers production with executive producers Magic Johnson and Penny Marshall. He also has written and arranged for Greg Porée’s new album Vertical Motion. Cross plays in all styles on cello, acoustic bass and electric bass. Locally he has played with the late great Billy Higgins, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Weller, Phil Ranelin, Spanky Wilson, James Torme, Ralph Moore and Red Holloway. As a member of the “Kids Cotton Club” band, began by Danny Masterson of “That 70’s Show”, Cross has played with such artists as John Mayer, Macy Gray, Mystic, and Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas. This has lead to several recording sessions including one with Macy Gray for the “Desperate Housewives: Music Inspired” by CD. In his long association with Ann Kline, music supervisor for John Wells productions, he has contracted several on screen and recording dates, including a recording session in which he contracted, played, and help arrange “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas”, for an upcoming episode of “ER”. His band, The Cross Hart Jazz Experience, performs every Monday night at The Hotel Angeleno in Brentwood, featuring some of the top musicians in the business. Stevie Wonder paid Cross Hart a visit, in which he performed the Cross original “Tell Me What” with the band. Cross Hart Jazz Experience has their first self titled album with jazz standards and Ryan Cross originals. Ryan just finished contracting 25 musicians and recording Bass and Cello for Alicia Keys new album in New York.