John Daniel Ray

John Daniel Ray is a progressive jazz bassist, composer, and innovative producer with over two decades of professional experience. Through his production company, Mr. Haircut, he has released more than 30 albums spanning progressive jazz, electronic, experimental, and genre-blurring music. His extensive session work includes collaborations with hundreds of artists and ensembles, with notable appearances alongside The Allman Brothers Band, The Roots, Common, Wu-Tang Clan, George Clinton, and many others.

John began studying music at age five, learning piano and music notation before reading English. By eight, he was studying classical guitar and became Suzuki-method certified at thirteen. He attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, earning a Music Performance Certificate in 2000, and at seventeen became the youngest member of the Winston-Salem Symphony. He has toured nationally and internationally since 2001.

As a composer, John has written music for feature films, documentaries, and dance productions, including the film 0530. A dedicated educator, he has taught private lessons for over 20 years and regularly leads improvisation workshops for students.

John currently leads Vintage Astronaut, a progressive jazz/electronic project integrating computers as improvisational instruments, and Floraphonics, which transforms plant bioelectrical data into music using PlantWave technology. He also performs with Emerald Empire and Posture, and co-hosts the Mr. Haircut Podcast with drummer Jonathan Greene. John tours regularly in a trio with guitar phenomenon Isaac Hadden and legendary fusion drummer Jeff Sipe, continuing to expand the boundaries of modern improvised music.