Education
Sharpe began playing piano at age eight and also studied accordion in his youth. He learned both electric and acoustic bass as a teenager, then studied with Reggie Workman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Sharpe began playing piano at age eight and also studied accordion in his youth. He learned both electric and acoustic bass as a teenager, then studied with Reggie Workman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
He played with Wynton Marsalis and Pat Metheny before joining McCoy Tyner"s sextet. From 1984 through 2002 he played with Tyner"s trio. He has also played as a sideman with Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, Ricky Ford, Joe Ford, and others
As a leader, he has release on Sunnyside Records, and several albums on his own label, JKNM. Although not as well known as Ron Carter or Christian McBride, he is remarkably versatile as a bassist.
A switch-hitter on bass guitar and upright bass, his humming-and-bowing, à la Slam Stewart, as well as his chord work on stand-up bass make quite an impression when seeing and hearing him live.