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Max Gerl

Max Gerl is an acoustic and electric bassist hailing from Dallas, Texas. Gerl picked up the electric bass at 11 and the acoustic bass at 15. He quickly became an integral part of the Dallas music scene before moving to Boston, MA, where he graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music ('17). As a member of the Dallas, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles musical communities, Gerl has performed or recorded with Tia Fuller, Jordan Rakei, Makaya McCraven, Stanley Clarke, Bob Mintzer, Mike Moreno, Shaun Martin, Bernard Wright, Sean Jones, Marshall Gilkes, Chris Cheek, James Francies, Beka Gochiashvili, Cameron Graves, and Mike Mitchell at historic venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. When he is not touring, Gerl lives in Los Angeles, CA, where he maintains a busy teaching, performing, and recording schedule.

Spirit Fingers: Peace

Read "Peace" reviewed by Phillip Woolever

by Phillip Woolever
August 11, 2020

Variety is said to be the spice of life and it's also a big plus for music. What stands out on this record is variety of the broadest measure. Pianist Greg Spero has a diverse resume that includes assembling this powerful quartet boasting guitarist Dario Chiazzolino and the mighty rhythm section of bassist Max Gerl and drummer Mike Mitchell, along with some excellent guests. Mainly, this release advances the promise of the band's debut album from 2018 (with ...

Album Review

Max Gerl: Tbilisi

Read "Tbilisi" reviewed by Phillip Woolever

by Phillip Woolever
August 2, 2020

In a four-song display of highly skilled writing and musicianship, Max Gerl provides deep liftoff points for a versatile quartet to roll through thirty-three minutes of distinctly different pieces in a widely comprehensive range of jazz contexts. The songs share similar length and instrumental dexterity, but that's about it. In Gerl's thematic landscape, most uncommon ground is prime musical territory. “Tbilisi" is a sax-based romp that swings for the fences with a big band aesthetic. Aaron Shaw delivers ...

In Maximilian’s case, he is a unique bass player who excels on electric bass as well as the acoustic bass. When I first heard Maximilian, I was impressed with his steadiness, along with his outstanding technique and dexterity on both instruments, which he uses to make next level music. - Stanley Clarke