Washington Navy Yard, DC
Musician 1st Class William Ledbetter, a native of Hampton, Virginia, joined the Navy Band
Commodores jazz ensemble in December 2021. He is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in the
upright bass. He graduated from the University of North Carolina Greensboro Miles Davis Jazz
Studies program in 2019, where he studied double bass and blended jazz with foundations in
the blues, gospel and R&B.
Ledbetter has played with The Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra, The Camel City Jazz Orchestra
and the John Coltrane All-Stars. He has performed with many prominent jazz artists, including
Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Shana Tucker, Christian Tamburr, and Keenan McKenzie and the Riffers. In
2019, Ledbetter placed second in the jazz division at the International Society of Bassists
competition.
Thursday, January 5, 2023
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM US EST