Basslines
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
Here I Stand
Tee Zee
London-born bassist-composer Britz came to the States in 1991 on a full scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He subsequently completed jazz studies at the New England Conservatory of Music before moving to Philadelphia in 1996, and...
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
Terms of Art
John Brown
Bassist John Brown, director of jazz studies at Duke University in Durham, N.C., has assembled a crew of capable sidemen in alto saxophonist Brian Miller, trumpeter Ray Codrington, pianist Gabe Evens and the New Orleans drummer Adonis Rose in this heartfelt...
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
Future Day
Soundbrush
A reliably swinging, in-demand jazz bassist who has also logged his share of Brazilian and Latin gigs over the past 20 years, David Finck plays it strictly straightahead on his long overdue debut as a leader, surrounded by such stellar sidemen as vibraphonist...
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
Panorama
Sunnyside
Since moving to New York in 1992, the Austrian upright bassist has found a certain musical niche, having recorded and gigged with such Latin-jazz veterans as Bobby Sanabria, Paquito D’Rivera and the late Ray Barretto. But he is also steeped in straightahead...
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
The Irrational Numbers
Palmetto Records
Gress not only has one of the most resoundingly deep tones and consummate feels of any upright bassist currently playing modern jazz (which explains why he’s in such demand), he is also one of the more accomplished composers on the scene. As a follow-up...
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
Cortland
Free Electric Sound
A bona fide Jaco scholar (he transcribed a collection of classic Pastorius solos for the instructional book A Portrait of Jaco, published in 2002 by Hal Leonard), Malone is currently a member of the adventurous prog-rock group Gordian Knot. He originally...
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
Marcus
Concord Records
The king of slap bass applies his golden thumb and Grammy-winning-producer’s sensibility to a collection of originals and pop covers on his seventh outing as a leader. While showcasing stellar vocal turns by pop singers Corinne Bailey Rae (on Deniece Williams’...
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
Palmystery
Heads Up
A longstanding member of the Flecktones and recent member of Chick Corea’s Elektric Band, Wooten is among a handful of elite electric bassists today who are developing a new post-Jaco vocabulary on the instrument. On the genre-bending Palmystery, Wooten...
April 2008 By Bill Milkowski
Clashes
Kayique
The Turkish-born electric bassist-composer has been freelancing around New York since arriving in town in December 2000. For his debut as a leader he is joined by some of his colleagues on the alternative-jazz scene, including saxophonists Michael McGinnis...
