INTRODUCING STEPHEN O'CONNOR

Stories in Sound

Steve O’Connor

San Diego recording artist Steve O’Connor is well known for not only his masterful jazz guitar work but also as a composer, arranger, and producer. Steve was born in San Diego and attended San Diego State University. In 1972 he was awarded the prestigious DownBeat Magazine scholarship for jazz composition and improvisation to Berkeley School of Music where he attended for a time.

Steve has performed with such luminaries as Red Mitchell, Bob Magnusson, Charles MacPherson, Bob Mover, Jim Plank, Ronny Ogden, The Joe Farrell Big Band, featuring ex-Chick Corea saxophonist Farrell, Mike Wofford. Don Menza, Frank Rosolino, Russell Farrentes (of Yellow Jackets fame), Oscar Brashear and John Guerin of the L.A. Express, and Joni Summers. He led a jazz group called “Stream” with renowned bassist Jeff Rew, Ogden, Plank, Magnusson, and Joe Marillo. His extraordinary talent in composing led him to write for Sea World, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Disney, the Muppets, the Republic of China, the 1994 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Seville World’s Fair and the Kennedy Space and Rocket Center, commercials for Jeep, Toyota, Chrysler, Folgers Coffee, NBC.

One of the more challenging commissions was a suite for five jazz soloists and full orchestra for the San Diego Symphony which featured saxophonists Charles MacPherson and Hollis Gentry, guitarist Peter Sprague among others. He was also commissioned to compose a “trio” suite for violin, jazz bass, and piano featuring Mary Karo, Bob Magnusson, and pianist for Ella Fitzgerald, Mike Wofford. Steve recently completed production for a Warner Brothers Park in Spain and an amazing musical production for the Queen Mary in Long Beach, as well as a “4-D” movie for Stone Mountain, Georgia, scores of music library production for First Com Music Library, playing worldwide, and all the Jeep commercials on the West Coast of the USA and Canada. He has currently scored music and sound design for an audiobook of the poetry of T.S. Eliot. Also, Stephen also scored an audiobook by Arthur C. Clarke soon to be released in Audiobooks.com. Completed in 2009 was the soundtrack for the movie Scare Zone, The Visitant, and The Re-Visitant