Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian Dillingham currently performs with a number of diverse projects crossing genres from jazz, classical and roots to the avant-garde and leads his own band, which features his original compositions.

Dillingham’s debut album Cascades was released September 1, 2023 on Greenleaf Music and his followup album, Halcyon, releases on October 11, 2024.

A native of Brookfield, Ohio, Dillingham has built a thriving classical career alongside his intuitive feel for nuance and improvisation in jazz. His parents spun jazz records around the house while his mother was an avid pianist who played Chopin and Debussy; the duality of this childhood experience left a deep impression on his music. In fall of 2020 he joined the faculty at Indiana University teaching jazz bass.

Dillingham’s past Chicago performances include Fred Anderson’s iconic Velvet Lounge, the Green Mill, the Jazz Showcase, Constellation Chicago, Hungry Brain, Andy’s Jazz Club, Elastic Arts and other Chicago venues as well as the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Dillingham has played and recorded with dozens of musicians, including Terreon Gully, Jeff “Tain” Watts, John Legend, Kirk Franklin, Herlin Riley, Peter Bernstein, Kevin Mahogany, Willie Pickens, Dee Alexander, Victor Goines, Bobby Broom, Sean Jones, Greg Ward, and Mike Reed. Cascades is his first album as a bandleader.