JERMAINE BUTLER

Bass Guitar, Oud, Percussion

Jermaine was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana and raised in the capital of Baton Rouge where he first discovered his musical talents at a young age. Surrounded by a plethora of indigenous music such as zydeco, jazz, and blues, he began his formal studies of the bass guitar in high school while playing in several local musical acts in addition to his work with the Redemptorist High School jazz band. Upon completing high school, he took up the drums and after graduating from Louisiana State University he toured the country extensively as part of the group Moon Honey. It was during this time that Jermaine began his official studies of the oud under the tutelage of the former oudist for the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra. Following a year of study in Egypt, he has returned to Bloomington, Indiana to pursue a doctorate in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures while broadening his knowledge of the music and instruments of the Near East. Jermaine has been a member of the Silk Road Ensemble since 2015.