Bassist/vocalist Aneesa Strings was born and raised in Oakland CA, attended Oakland public schools, moved on to higher education at the University of Southern California (USC), then to Michigan State University. This life journey has afforded her with many opportunities at different levels. Early support and encouragement came from her parents, through an extensive vinyl and CD music collection, listening to music of all genres. In middle school, the music teacher took note of Strings’ natural ability on stand-up acoustic bass. Strings benefitted from Oaktown Jazz Workshop (founded and directed by Khalil Shaheed who passed on in 2012), and also SFJAZZ.
Championed by SFJAZZ Education Director Rebeca Mauléon, Strings released her first album in 2014 “A Shift in Paradigm”, featuring a single “Simpin” with production by Patrice Rushen. In 2019, Strings followed up with the album “Ways”, with the single “Lovealution”, and “The Awakening (feat. Sean Jones)”. More recently Strings has posted and garnered much attention from a series of video clips focusing on her vocals accompanied by either acoustic or electric bass. These clips accentuate the purity, strength, honesty and rich tone of her vocals, which both at once complement and lend a contrast to the lower registers and timbre of the bass instrument.
Her musical journey – guided by her own musical compass – has brought her to share the bill on Festival stages with artists from Robert Glasper to Kamasi Washington, from Brian Blade to Brandee Younger. Along the way, Strings has met and collaborated with other bass and musical greats (including Christian McBride), supported artists including José James, Kandace Springs and Terrace Martin, and also reunited to perform with SF Bay Area musician friends at the Newport Jazz Festival Jazz earlier this month.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length)
What are some of your earlier music memories? Also, any touchstone moments related to learning the bass, and the path to jazz?
It was a combination of things, in middle school music class, with the upright acoustic bass, my music teacher thought I was really good, and made me sign up for a bunch of programs. My parents were like ‘Yes!’
The moment that I feel like I took to it was my parents on a Saturday morning, were having coffee and playing a bunch of jazz records, and “Haitian Fight Song” by Charles Mingus was on. With that open bass solo, I heard what the bass could do. I had no reference outside of the songs we were playing in middle school string orchestra,so hearing that song it was like “Oh wow! That’s what it can do – that’s what it’s supposed to sound like.” It just came on like a light bulb for me.
As far as playing bass, classical is cool, however it was restrictive where you have to play these notes – “this is the piece, these are the notes.” That was less appealing to me. With jazz, it was like “Here are the notes, but they’re sort of a guide. You can interpret.” There was just more freedom. I heard jazz before playing bass. But after playing bass, my understanding of what was happening grew. Now I understand melody, understand improvisation, and the structure of jazz.
You were born and raised in Oakland. How has growing up in the Bay Area shaped you and your life?
I’ve definitely gone through stages of my relationship to Oakland. As far as impact and influence on me, it’s a city that requires you to be aggressive, whether in music or not. Coming from a big family in East Oakland, going to Oakland public schools, it requires you to be quick-witted, defensive, resourceful, be aware, see everything before it’s coming! [laughs] It’s absolutely been an asset in world travel. Oakland has this kind of universal, nationwide, kind of inner city feel to it. It’s a place that people acknowledge as real, that people have suffered. It’s a place that people respect, and that’s been very advantageous for me. I feel I get a lot of respect being from Oakland. And I get a lot of street-smarts being from Oakland.
What are your thoughts on the influence of the Bay Area jazz scene, and of your musical contemporaries?
I feel like taking those [Oaktown Jazz] classes with Savannah [Harris], the infrastructure they provided and the honest, real feedback they’re giving to kids…we were kids! It’s like [in a perfect Khalil Shaheed voice] “You ain’t swingin’! What is that?”
So going to New York or going to the mid-west, it was easy for us. We can handle honesty, and we hold ourselves to a high standard. I feel like it’s more of a standard of excellence from the Bay Area. It’s not just, “do whatever you want” – there’s an upholding of the culture, the music. This is where the music comes from, these are the greats. If you want to be great, this is what you have to do. It gave us a great launching pad to be free ‘cause we know where we’re coming from.
Any Oakland/Bay Area artists that you’re drawn to?
Oh yeah. Raphael Saadiq, En Vogue, my brother loves Too $hort, we grew up with that. Absolutely love Tupac. As far as my direct access – Khalil Shaheed. And my peers, Savannah Harris (drums), Matt Wong (piano/keyboards), and Elena Pinderhughes (flutest/vocalist).
Any stand-out live performances – specific shows, artist you’ve performed with?
This year I got to play the Hollywood Bowl. That was like a life-long dream.
And Newport [Jazz Festival] – not just my set, but also the ‘Newport at 70’ set with my homies from the Bay. It was like a family reunion. So cool, Savannah on drums, and with Elena Pinderhughes. People were asking ‘You and Savannah have played together before?” Ah, yes. Even if they don’t know we know each other, they were like, “because the way you’re playing together, you’re all so locked in to one another.” We grew up together, and we were so chill. That was really fun, really great.
When did you know that you also wanted to sing?
Singing is something I wanted to do first. I didn’t have the intention to play bass. When I was 5 or 6, I was obsessed with singers - Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah. I went to school, and they popped a bass in my hand, and it was cool. I spent at least 10 + years hands-on studying. Then about 7-8 yrs into it, I said “hey I really want to sing,” but no one would let me, given all the programs I was in at the time. Plus my voice is so low, these were classical programs, and there were no parts for low female voices; it was soprano, or mezzo-soprano in this classical realm. Artists like Nina Simone, even Anita Baker, with these heavier, lower voices, they broke barriers. So it was by the time I got to college and had to pay for lessons, work with vocal coaches. Sure – they’ll teach you now! [laughs] I’m so happy, and it is new to me when people tell me “I like your voice,” as it was quite the journey to get there.
What’s next?
I’m wrapping up an EP. It’s being mixed & mastered. It’s on SRG-ILS, release date still to be determined – I’m open to what the label thinks is best - hoping maybe a single by the year end.
And I have an upcoming tour in December on the East Coast.
Looking ahead, Strings’ artistic compass points to wanting to be involved in the film scoring process. Mentioning there are some fashion things she’s been doing, she expresses ‘I’ve always been attracted to fashion. Also attracted to artists like Miles Davis – artists also known for fashion. To me part of my artistry, in my legacy, I want to be known for Music and Fashion, could be modeling, design, all of it.’
On the live stage, she says “I would love to play a festival like Lollapalooza, more mainstream, maybe not only jazz. I’ve been invited to, but with my schedule, I think next year will be it.”