Jeff is a big fan of NASCAR's Bobby Labonte, note the number 18 on his Steinberger bass.

More about Jeff

Beginning on upright bass at the age of 9, Jeff studied classical music as a private student of the highly acclaimed teacher Warren Wyrich. By the age of 12, Jeff had added electric bass to his studies, and after hearing Stanley Clarke on a Return to Forever record, Jeff switched entirely over to electric bass. He continued his jazz studies under the tutelage of jazz pianist Gretchen Gould. By the age of fifteen Jeff was performing professionally in local bars and jazz clubs.

In 1978 Jeff was a recipient of the Prestigious Downbeat Magazine DB Award as a jazz instrumental soloist. At this time he continued his studies by entering the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston. Here he shared classes with renowned guitarist Steve Vai (Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake) and Hollywood Music Editor Eric Reasoner (Lethal Weapon, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Last Action Hero).

After his years at Berklee, Jeff performed professionally for a number of top bands in Providence Rhode Island, Framingham Massachusetts, and with the high-powered rock quartet “Island” on a number of regional tours throughout the Northeast.

In 1983 Jeff returned to his roots in the Hudson Valley and immediately began working with the renowned Silk and Sounds Band. Concurrently, Jeff became a member of the cult favorite original band “Lost at Home”, with Frank Mazzocca, Paul Duffy, and the late Paul O’Reilly. Lost at Home released one of the Hudson Valley’s first original recordings, “This is a Test”, in 1984.

Jeff's one-of-a-kind Steinberger 12 string w/Ned's signature, a parting gift for Jeff after his ten years of service at Steinberger Corp. Jeff typicaly uses Steinberger Basses, Ampeg Amplifiers, Mesa Boogie Speaker Cabinets, and LaBella Strings.

Jeff combined his musical activities with a career in the corporate world, where he was General Manager of the elite Steinberger Guitar Company through 1990. Jeff continues to use his trademark Steinberger basses today, and maintains a friendship with company founder and lead designer Ned Steinberger.

Throughout Jeff’s career he has performed and/or recorded with national artists such as jazz legends Herb Ellis, the late Tommy Tedesco, Wishbone Ash guitarist Andy Powell, and David Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrelles. Recently Jeff has also worked as the bass player for John Hall and Robbie DuPree of Orleans fame.

On the local scene, Jeff has been a fixture in the prestigious Tony DePaolo Band, The Matt Jordan All Stars , and with Murali Coryell. An accomplished jazz musician, throughout the years Jeff has been a member of local jazz bands “The Chris Parker Band”, The “Charlie Benjamin Quintet”, Steve Raleigh’s “Evidence”, and “The Intrepid Jazz Quartet”. He has also performed and/or recorded with “The Bandits”, “The Frank Band”, Rob Affuso’s (Skid Row) “Soul System”, and Frank Maraday’s “Both Worlds”. In addition, Jeff has freelanced with wedding bands Heart and Soul, The Ed Michaels Orchestra, and the Harvey Citron Band.

Four Guys in Disguise

In 1994 Jeff was recruited by local legends “The Four Guys in Disguise”. Throughout the years Jeff and band leader Vito Petroccitto had been “warned about each other” by Vito’s older brother, trumpeter Tony Petroccitto, and mutual friend and recording engineer John Chocianowski. The two musicians had already been on many recordings together without actually meeting each other! After numerous recordings at the famed Mind Magic Studios, where the two collaborated on albums by Christian Artists David Hendrickson, Anthony DeBarros, and Bradley Thomas Wilder, Jeff and Vito began their work together in Four Guys. Already an accomplished song-writer, Jeff had penned “Buttcrack Man” and “The Breakfast Song”, which he co-wrote with his son Vincent. (The Breakfast Song was recently featured on the Bill Moyers PBS Special “America’s First River”).These two songs have become favorites of Four Guys fans. Jeff and Vito continue writing together today. “Eleventy-Seven”, a sultry jazz swing number on the Four Guys in Disguise debut CD is a great representation of their cooperative efforts.

Jeff was the contract bassist for many of the renowned WPDH “Demented Ditties”, produced by the WPDH Morning Show, as well as the infamous “Yankee Song” written by Vito Petroccitto and Mark Cooper.

In 2001 Jeff wrote the tribute song “I Am America”, co-produced with John Chocianowski and performed by The Four Guys as well as with Quad Studio keyboardist Keith Slattery and local radio personality Stan Beinstein. The song received extensive airplay on local station Z93, as well as on other stations throughout the tri-state area. All of the proceeds from this CD Single were donated to the Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Jeff is currently performing weekly with The Tony DePaolo Jazz Trio (Tony DePaolo-gtr, Jeff-bass, Paul Beretta-drums), The Michael Dell Band, The Michael Dell Orchestra, and of course on the scattered performances of the Four Guys in Disguise. An “obligatory, self-centered, pretentious, self-serving” solo CD is in the works, and will feature many of Jeff’s good friends.

Jeff and his wife Tina have a home in the Town of Poughkeepsie. They have two children, 19 year old son Vincent and 10 year old daughter Bianca. Vincent is college sophomore as well as an aspiring guitarist, and occasionally works for The Four Guys in Disguise as a roadie. (He can often be seen at the side of the stage critiquing Vito’s choice of chords on the Dave Matthews songs…). Bianca is studying to be a dancer at Estelle and Alphonso’s. She will occasionally grab the mic at Jeff's gigs and belt out a mean "Amore". Bianca is also a cellist in the Spackenkill Elementary School String Orchestra.

Jeff Carano and Jeff Babicz launched the Babicz Guitars USA company in late 2003. The two "Jeff's" had worked together for many years at the Steinberger Guitar Company in the 1980's, and have been involved with other successful enterprises since then. Babicz Guitars USA has already made a significant impact on the American guitar industry. The company has a number of patents pending, a major US distribution deal with Hohner/HSS and currently has further innovations in development.