Bassist, Composer, Educator, Producer

Warren Oree began playing the upright bass in 1973 at age 25. In 1975 he joined the group Weusi Mutrubi and in 1979 he started the group that he leads today - The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble.

In addition to performing with Arpeggio, Warren has toured and/or recorded with: Jamaladeen Tacuma and Basso Nouveaux; Khan Jamal; Hamiette Bluiette. He has also performed with Donald Byrd, Wynton Marsalis, Odean Pope, and drummer Norman Connors. He has toured Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and throughout the United States.

When he's not performing on stage, Warren is also busy behind the scenes composing and producing.  Warren has produced the Woodmere Art Museum Friday Night Jazz Series since 2013, and is the Artistic Director for LifeLine Music Coalition.  He was co-producer of the 2003 Philadelphia Jazz and Poetry Festival, and for eight years (2004 - 2011) from it's beginning to it’s end, and was co-producer, designer, and Artistic Director of the West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival. He was also a music consultant for Philadelphia's Tourism Bureau's Sound of Philadelphia Tours. Warren has composed the score for two documentaries by Harmony Image Productions entitled, "Anna Russell Jones - Praise Song for a Pioneer Spirit, which detailed the life and accomplishments of one of the first African-American designers, and "Moving Through the Dreaming," which was an in-depth look at the past and current struggles of the Australian Aborigines.

Warren also composed the theme song for two seasons of Through the Lens, a TV program produced by Nadine Patterson for WYBE-TV channel 35, Philadelphia. In addition, Warren has produced two jazz operas entitled, "The Dream Tree" (1992), and "Never Back Down" (2010); he has also written and directed a one-act play about the effects of prison life on those inside and outside the prison walls entitled "Living Forever, Waiting to Die".

Warren has recorded and produced nine CDs for the  SilkSkin label and has appeared on several others as a musician and/or producer.  The most recent CD "Man Bites Dog"  featuring The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, includes a varying repertoire of original songs and rhythms reflecting the group’s travels and touring experiences.

In addition, in 2008, The Philadelphia Museum of Art commissioned Warren to compose music for five paintings by African-American artists. Warren's music has been featured in several commercial spots including a national T-Mobile radio and television ad campaign.

Since 1990, Warren has been lecturing and presenting workshops on jazz, music composition, and other aspects of music at libraries, public and private schools, and universities. In 2003, Warren created a program: "The Essence of Music", which includes interactive workshops on music composition and comprehension for musicians and non-musicians designed to motivate children and adults to find the music that lies within all of us no matter what side of the stage we're on.