The title of bassist Lonnie Plaxico’s newest and fifth album, Emergence, is a bit misleading considering his noteworthy playing with legends like Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie; his immeasurable contributions to the early developments of M-BASE; and, more recently, his appointment as musical director for Cassandra Wilson’s touring band. But after first listen, you quickly realize that Emergence is a most fitting title, because it exhibits a bold confidence and unflinching vitality that was lacking on his previous albums.
“Well, with those other records, I was thinking a lot about airplay,” explains Plaxico. “I was thinking about pleasing the record companies, because they think a lot about airplay. But I noticed that I was still not making money, and I was never really satisfied with those records. So I decided to do what I’m really feeling and just go for it.”
