Bassist/composer Drew Gress performs extensively with artists on the cutting edge of contemporary improvised music. He leads three ensembles: Spin & Drift, Jagged Sky and most recently, 7 Black Butterlies which features an impressive lineup of Tim Berne, Craig Taborn, Tom Rainey and Ralph Alessi. Previously, he was a founding member of the cooperative quartet Joint Venture, producing three albums in the early 1990s for Enja: Joint Venture, Ways, and Mirrors. When Drew is not leading his own ensembles, he can be heard within the groups of Uri Caine, Ravi Coltrane, and Fred Hersch, among others. Drew has toured North, South, and Central America, Europe, and Asia, and has served as Artist-in-Residence at St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia and at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Meet the Composer, and currently resides in New York.