Maxwell Salinger-Ridley is a musician from Boston. His life in music started as a toddler by imitating the conductor of the Boston Pops from the audience while watching his Mom sing with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Later, he would watch his Dad sing with the Boston Opera Company so it’s no surprise that he began participating in music in a formal way by singing in the school choir. In middle school, he fell in love with punk rock and started playing electric bass and drums with friends in basements and garages after school. He began taking lessons on the upright bass at the Brookline Music School and playing in youth jazz bands there. It was in high school at the Boston Arts Academy where he really fell in love with Jazz and the upright bass. During his first year at BAA, he had a profound spiritual experience listening to John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” on the way to school early one morning.
While still in high school, he was part of the Berklee City Music program and through this program, was able to perform with and be mentored by musicians like Delfeayo Marsalis, Patrice Rushen and Quincy Jones. He was awarded full-tuition scholarships to study at Berklee College of Music for both undergraduate and graduate degrees, earning his graduate degree from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute under the direction of master pianist, educator and humanitarian Danilo Perez. An equally important part of his education was down the street from Berklee at Boston’s historic Wally’s Jazz Cafe. He began going to jam sessions there in high school and eventually became the house bass player every Friday and Saturday in the band of mentor and incredible trumpet player and human, Jason Palmer.
Ridley has been lucky to share the stage with some of his greatest teachers and heroes such as George Garzone, Terri Lyne Carrington, Bruce Molsky, Perico Sambeat, Jack Dejonnette (for one song but I'm still unpacking all the lessons I learned in that moment), Tony Malaby, Tia Fuller, Kenny Werner, Fransico Mela, Walter Smith III, Kris Davis and Nat Mugavero. He is one of the most in-demand musicians in New England and beyond and can be found playing as a sideman in many different groups with some of his favorite musicians (see groups and gigs) and has a few albums out of his own music. He also serves as the music director for tap dance company Subject:Matter (https://www.subjectmattertap.com/)
He hopes to spread love in the world and be of service through sound and devotion.