Bio

Sebastian Arias grew up in a small town in Costa Rica where he began to play music and take lessons at the age of 9. He took up electric bass when he was 11 and upright bass when he was 14. At the age of 18 he moved to the state of Utah, where he got his Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Snow College. There, he developed his jazz bass studies under the instruction of Philip Kuehn, as well as other mentors such as Carl Allen and Chase Baird, and was an active player in the Salt Lake City jazz and pop scene during this time. In 2023, he moved to Kansas City, where he’s currently pursuing his Master’s Degree at UMKC, continuing to study under Carl Allen and other instructors such as Eric Hitt, Jeff Harshbarger and Marcus Lewis. Since moving to Kansas City, he has continued to maintain a regular performing schedule within the local jazz scene. He recently attended the JAS Aspen Academy, led by musical director Christian McBride.

Some of the artists Sebastian has performed with include Chase Baird, Adam Larson, Peter Schlamb, Roger Wilder, Matt Villinger, Michael Eaton, Trample Man, Marcus Lewis Big Band and Brass & Boujee, Stephen Martin, Matt Otto, Stan Kessler, David Halliday and many others.