DOUG JOHNS
Pocket Fulla Nasty
[dougjohns.com]
On his second solo record, the little-known Doug Johns continues to make a case for himself as one of the most credit-deserving bass virtuosos in America. His technical facility is stunning and innovative; he doesn’t play the instrument much like anyone else, and it’s his inventiveness that’s consistently compelling. Johns doesn’t let his remarkable facility undermine his musicality, and this collection of uptempo funk and intricate fusion demonstrates this throughout. Guest guitarist Oz Noy is an added treat. (JH)
VATO NEGRO
Bumpers [N2O Records;
myspace.com/vatonegro]
You’ve seen those pictures of Mars Volta bassist Juan Alderete’s pedalboard. Ever wondered what he does with all those effects? Ever wonder what you could do with them? The 17 tracks on Vato Negro’s Bumpers explore the badass possibilities. A collection of recordings Alderete made with drummer Mathias Sherrod between 1999 and 2005, Bumpers drills deep into sonic sickness and strikes black gold with jams that are as thick and oily as they are hypnotic and funky. Alternating with sweet little 45-second groove bumpers are six-, eight-, even 15-minute tracks that move through an evolving buffet of dense sonic sauces, proving that Juanito has as much mastery of his pedalboard as he does his fingerboard. (BL)
DAVID DYSON
Unleashed [Lo’hand Funk]
For the third time in eight years, modern funk/soul bassmaster David Dyson breaks away from his sideman career (currently with fellow Berklee alum and R&B royalty Lalah Hathaway, among many others) to write, produce, and mix a collection of tunes deep in the groove. The opening tune alone, “The Lion’s Den,” features a thumb-muting pattern of sequencer-level consistency, a Marcus-style slap melody, greasy fingerstyle funk, a confident solo statement, and enough tasty tonal butter to bake a batch of biscuits. (For pure uncut funk, “Hot Sauce” just drips P-Funk-y goodness.) But while there’s standout fretted and fretless bass throughout the album (as well as the myriad other instruments he tracked), it’s Dyson’s application of modern R&B and hip-hop grooves that make Unleashed the confident artistic statement of where he’s at today. The groove in “The Dream” could just as easily be a Jill Scott track, and “Coco’s Butter Café” meets somewhere between Meshell Ndegeocello, Jaco Pastorius and Miles Davis. Not a bad place for a bassist to be. (BB)
DAVID FIUCZYNSKI
KiF Express [Fuze Licious Morsels]
The Gotham avant-jazz guitar hero follows his 2003 CD, KiF, this time sturdily backed by his regular trio of Steve Jenkins and drummer Skoota Warner (Mike Rivard plays upright on one track). As before, the 11 tracks blend exotic eastern sounds (Fiuczynski features his fretless and quarter-tone guitars) with East Coastedged blowing, grooving, and programming. Jenkins is supremely sympathetic throughout, from the Jaco-esque percolations beneath “Shiraz” and the odd-meter throb of “Cumin,” to his expressive, extended solo on “Habibi Bounce.” (CJ)
KEITH JARRETT
Yesterdays [ECM]
Jazz pianist Jarrett seems to be on a triple-handed mission with his trio to preserve the great American songbook’s true gems. His most recent release, a live recording from a 2001 Tokyo performance, continues the tradition established decades ago by his venerable ensemble: combining commonly played standards with a few more esoteric cuts that deserve wider recognition. On Yesterdays, Jarrett seems to favor tunes commonly associated with the bebop era, including one burning Charlie Parker number and a couple of beautiful Jerome Kern ballads. The excellent sound quality does bassist Gary Peacock particular justice, with one of his richest live recorded tones to date. (JH)
VICTOR WOOTEN
Groove Workshop [Hudson Music]
Rather than delve into the myriad techniques that make him such an inspiration for many bassists, Victor Wooten instead uses this DVD to explain his unique approach to music and music education. Aided by sideman Anthony Wellington, Vic relays his concepts about what playing bass is about to an intimate clinic of six working bassists. These ideas aren’t about learning to play bass, and this isn’t an instructional DVD per se. Instead, Wooten focuses on the nature of music and how that relates to our attempts to play it. Hence, the workshop provides a series of insights into bass playing which are revelatory to anyone who hasn’t been to any of Wooten’s clinics already. For those who have, this video will be familiar territory, only seasoned by the solos and duets scattered throughout. However, for those yet to be exposed to Wooten’s revelatory concepts, this is a must-see, even if his thumb wizardry doesn’t float your boat. (TC)
TOUR PICK
FLEETWOOD MAC
The Mac is back! Check out John McVie and company out on the road to support a new greatest hits record, Unleashed, and look for an album of new material later in the year. (BF)
3/1 Pittsburgh, PA
3/3 St. Paul, MN
3/5 Rosemont, IL
3/8 Auburn Hills, MI
3/10 Washington, D.C.
3/11 Boston, MA
3/13 Uniondale, NY
3/14 Uncasville, CT
3/16 Rochester, NY
3/17 Albany, NY
3/19 New York, NY
3/21 East Rutherford, NJ
3/24 Ottawa, ON
3/25 Montreal, QC
3/26 Toronto, ON
BB Bryan Beller
BL Bill Leigh
CJ Chris Jisi
JH Jonathan Herrera
TC Tom Cox