Von Essen played in the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra in 1978, where he met Jeff Gauthier and began working with him.
Together with twin brothers Alex and Nels Cline, the four formed an ensemble called Quartet Music, which played together until 1990.
Among the other musicians Von Essen played with are Frank Morgan, Jimmy Rowles, Vinny Golia, Billy Childs, and Mike Campbell.
In 2000, Cryptogramophone Records released a tribute album, The Music of Eric Von Essen, Vol.
With Alex Cline With Art Farmer with Lou Levy, Pete Christleib, and Ralph Penland on LUNARCY (Verve, 1993)