Listen to recordings below, on which I play upright bass. These are all my compositions, with the exception of one traditional song. Further down the page you will find links to more tunes, videos, and my music bio.
One of my earliest and favorite tunes, Ashes Unbound has a folky, americana style. Recorded with Karen Waltuch (viola) and Joey Weisenberg (guitar) in New York City.
Heliotrope was written and recorded in Thailand with the experimental jazz group, Vatchapuj Collective: Vincent Martial (flute),Eric Pailhé (tenor sax), Uriel Barthélémi (drums). See video further down the page featuring founding members Pharadon Phonamnuai (tenor sax) and Bain Chompoowong (guitar).
This traditional song, Yukla Uvlum, was recorded in Lithuania with Maria Krupoves (voice/guitar) and Joey Weisenberg (mandolin). It comes from our album “Without a Country: Songs of Stateless Peoples,” which collects music from different cultures who lack political representation at the level of the nation-state. This song comes from the Karaim people, thought to be originally from Crimea.
Floodtug is a duo inspired by Edgar Meyer’s classical meets americana. Recorded with Ben Cassorla (guitar).
Requiem Solaris is a funeral dirge that was written and recorded in Paris with Vatchapuj Collective.
Travis DiRuzza on Sound Cloud with Vatchapuj Collective with Freshy Fresh Orchestra with Alukomarai with The Village Klezmer Quintet
Vatchapuj Collective on tour in Nepal and Thailand in October-November 2009:
Music Bio:
Unsatisfied with the size of his violin, Travis DiRuzza began playing the upright bass in middle school. He received his bachelor’s degree in 2004 from Columbia University in New York City where he studied music composition with spectral music composer Tristan Murail, as well as John McGuire, mentee of Penderecki and Stockhausen. He studied jazz bass with Brad Jones and classical with Jeremy McCoy. Playing professionally in a variety of styles in New York, Travis worked in venues such as the Knitting Factory, Carnegie Hall, and John Zorn’s now-closed Tonic, with musicians such as Joey Weisenberg and Ben Cassorla. He also traveled abroad to record albums with foreign musicians, such as “spontaneous actions” with guitarist Carsten Radtke in Germany and “Without a Country: Songs of Stateless Peoples” with singer Maria Krupoves in Lithuania.
Travis lived in Paris from 2005 to 2008, continuing his musical pursuits. In addition to club dates, he composed, performed, and toured with the Pseudonymo marionette company. He also appeared at the 2006 summer music festival in Romania with native-born singer Maria Raducanu. Travis was an artist in residence at Steim electro-acoustic music research center in Amsterdam, recording in trio with Uriel Barthélémi and Tarek Atoui.
From 2009-2011 Travis lived and toured in Asia and Europe with Vatchapuj Collective and Alukomarai, appearing at the Kathmandu Jazz Festival in Nepal, as well as other venues in Thailand, Malaysia, France, and Belgium. He came back to New England briefly, working with artists such as the late Charles Neville, Ted Levine, and Robert A.A. Lowe (“Lichens”).
Travis moved to San Francisco in 2012 to complete a Masters and PhD in Philosophy and Religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies. There he began playing with South African musician Sharon Katz and The Peace Train humanitarian band, and collaborating with the dancer, Soleil Chappelle. Travis was invited back to France in 2013 to offer a jazz workshop and concert with the Freshy Fresh Orchestra. In 2017, he took up residence in Sarasota, Florida. He just finished mixing his concept album for sextet and narration, titled The Wicked Wonder: A Symphonic Fairytale, and is also working on a film score with Brendan Kidd.
Reality Conspires 