Two-time Grammy Award-winning bassist and Blue Note Recording Artist Derrick Hodge grew up outside of Philadelphia in Willingboro, N.J. Within his formative years, Hodge pursued multiple styles of music as early as 6 years old ranging from gospel and pop music to jazz and orchestral music, continuing his formal music education at Temple University where he studied Jazz Composition and Performance. While attending Temple, Hodge uniquely became the first jazz major to participate in the Temple University Symphony Orchestra conducted by Luis Biava and New Music Chamber Orchestra.
During this time, Derrick played with such Philly jazz greats as tenor saxophonist Bootsie Barnes and trumpeter Terrell Stafford, meanwhile reaping considerable session work with some of Philly’s finest modern R&B artists such as Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Floetry, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Throughout his early career, Hodge continued to show an adept proficiency and broad ability across numerous musical genres, and platforms. Ranging from orchestrations with Common and Kanye West for Common’s album Be, (which reached Billboard No. 1) and production work on Common’s Finding Forever to winning R&B Grammys in 2012 and 2014 with the Robert Glasper Experiment as a founding member of the group. As a Blue Note Recording Artist, Hodge has released three solo projects under the label: Live Today (2013), The Second (2016) and Color of Noize (2020).
Derrick has been a part of several of the prior sailings of Blue Note at Sea, performing with various groups and musicians.