Ed Spargo is one of the most sought-after bass players in the region who has garnered more than thirty-five years of experience performing and recording across the country and overseas. Ed picked up the bass at just fifteen years old after a few friends of his who had a band told him, ‘if you can get a bass you can be in the band’. So, his parents bought him a bass and he hasn’t put it down since.

Ed has been teaching privately for more than thirty years throughout the Boston area. In addition to being an ensemble, bass instructor, and operations manager here at Real School, Ed also started his own jazz quartet, Ed Spargo Band, with whom he has released three albums. He also performs with The Jazz Punishers, a Real School faculty jazz band, in addition to a slew of other local Boston-based bands including Boston Horns, The Brian Templeton Band, and Heavy Metal Horns.

Ed received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Berklee College of Music. After graduating from Berklee, he went on to study with renowned artists and educators including Charlie Banacos, Anthony Wellington, and Hal Crook.

In recognition of their achievements, Heavy Metal Horns won the ‘Outstanding Funk Band’ award at the Boston Music Awards in 1992. Ed also received recognition alongside his own band, Ed Spargo Band, after gaining attention from their record The Playroom which had airplay on several national radio stations and spent eighteen weeks on the smoothjazz.com ‘Top 50 Indie Chart’. Ed’s extensive gigging resume includes, performing at the Newport Jazz Festival at Sea, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the VH-1 Music First Benefit, Blues in Meudon in Paris, France, and the NEMO Music Showcase & Conference in Boston, among many others.

When working with his students, Ed stresses the fundamentals and really getting to know the fingerboard. Being fully aware of the determining factors of a style are critical to great Bass playing. He enjoys seeing students make steady progress and reach their goals and believes that the key to learning the bass is slow but steady progress.