Band: Global Funk

Bio:
Jonathan began playing the electric bass at the relatively late age of twenty-one, but after only a year and a half on the instrument he was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts on a performance scholarship. Over the next five years he was able to study with such incredible players as Bruce Gertz, Jim Stinnett, and funk guru Anthony Vitti, and also had the opportunity to perform with some the best young musicians in the world.

After finishing at Berklee in ’01, he immediately put the experience to good use by co-founding and later recording with the group Pimp the Cat, the members of which included Mark Greenberg, (Dickey Betts, Ronnie Earl), and Steve Grzeskowiak, (Angelique Kidjo). He also began touring with Favored Nations recording artist Johnny A, an experience that both enriched his overall musicality and allowed him to take the stage in some of the finest rooms in the country including The House of Blues, L.A. and The Fillmore East.

Over the past three years, Jonathan has traveled with and written for the national touring act Global Funk. In that time the group has performed over 600 shows, released two full-length albums, (Keep on Pushin’ and Bogo), recorded for CMH Records, (Up All Night with the Talking Heads compilation), opened for such well known acts as Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Ozomatli, Spearhead, Oteil Burbridge and the Peace Makers, Garaj Mahal, The Isley Brothers, Liquid Soul, Maceo Parker, and Robert Walters, and played some the nation's most prestigious festivals including the Monterey Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, BerkFest, the Baja Bash, the Riverbend Festival, the Oyster Ridge Music Festival, The Shakedown Festival and Atlanta's Harvest Festival. Jonathan has also had the opportunity to play and/or share the bill with Larry Coryell, Jeff Sipe, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Bill Wyman, Huey Lewis, Morelli Coryell, Dave Mason, Brian Jordan, Rick Parnel (of Spinal Tap), John Staton, and many others.

Jonathan continues to work on his playing and musicianship during every free moment that he has off the road, and has found renewed inspiration to this end since beginning a relationship with Zon Guitars. He now plays a custom Sonus 4-string fretless bass and loves it. To listen to some of Jonathan’s playing and compositions, or to contact him by e-mail, please visit his web page at www.myspace.com/jstoyanoff.

Discography:

Zon bass of choice:
Sonus 4, Flamed koa/fretless