Autumn Moonlight is the third consecutive recording where you have partnered with pianist Onaje Allen Gumbs and drummer Winard Harper. What about those particular musicians led you to tap them for a working band?The first thing is experience. When playing, I might want to take things in a different direction. I don’t need to explain it to them, because they’ve probably been there before.
What’s special about the trio format?There’s a lot of nuance people miss when there is a singer or a horn player. With McCoy, it would blow my mind how many things we’d get into as a rhythm section.
How has your approach to bass playing evolved?I’m not trying to prove anything anymore. When I listen to my first album, I’m struck by its raw energy. I always want to keep that fire going. But now it’s more about conveying a concept. Now when I hit a note, it has a little more meaning behind it. It has more of a simmering energy.
CHECK HIM OUT
Avery Sharpe, Autumn Moonlight [JKNM Records, 2009]; Avery Sharpe, Legends and Mentors [JKNM Records, 2008]
GEAR
Bass 1936 Roth, u-size
Strings La Bella 7720 mediums
Rig David Gage Realist pickup, Ashly SC-40 Preamp, Ashly parametric EQ, Hafler Pro1200 power amp, Electro-Voice 1x15 cab
Studio Mix of DI and Sennheiser MKH 800 condenser mic
Golden Gate Bass Camp
The Golden Gate Bass Camp, July 5–12 at Holy Names University in Oakland, California, promises to be an amazing experience for bassists of all ages. Directed by luminary Bay Area double bassist Barry Green and in partnership with the San Francisco Symphony, the camp is a multidimensional experience, with clinics and concerts from David Murray, Robert Hurst, Kristin Korb, and many more. John Clayton and Robert Hurst direct the Ray Brown Jazz course, and fretless magician Michael Manring will conduct a two-day electric intensive. Go to www.innergameofmusic.com/basscamp for more information.