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BassPlayer.com >> This Month >> The Harlem Experiment's Ruben Rodriguez
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Click on the Images Voice Of East Harlem The Harlem Experiment's Ruben Rodriguez| November, 2007 Ruben Rodriguez may be a seasoned veteran of the New York scene, but the Latin bass sessionista was in for a surprise when he showed up to track The Harlem Experiment, the latest city-themed release from Ropeadope. “I’ve never done anything like it,” says the affable salsero. “Everything I’d done up to that point was pretty much arranged—I’d have to read or create chord charts. But this was like, ‘Okay, what are we gonna do next?’ We would start messing around with whatever idea came up, and it would just develop from there.” Of course, Rodriguez is no stranger to improvisation. A sense of freedom and openness has always been a trademark of his musical personality, cultivated by playing with such Latin music heavyweights as Tito Puente, Ruben Blades, Willie Colon, Mongo Santamaria, Celia Cruz, and Dave Valentin. Rodriguez has also sharpened his groove with R&B superstars Roberta Flack and Grover Washington Jr. Rodriguez first began on upright bass in junior high school, and soon he began studying with Latin jazz veteran Victor Venegas. Within a few years, Ruben had joined Cuban jazz giant Machito on tour and was emerging as one of the hot young bassists on the Latin jazz and salsa scenes, with the Ampeg Baby Bass as his weapon of choice. “I saw every Latin band playing them at the time,” he recalls. “Already in the ’70s, guys weren’t playing the acoustic bass anymore because they couldn’t be heard. With the Ampeg, you could just plug in and be heard. Plus, it was easier to play than the upright, and it was more compact and easier to travel with.” Throughout The Harlem Experiment, Rodriguez swings between a steady, hypnotic throb and deftly rendered solos (as on the klezmer-tinged “Bei Mir Bist du Schön,” with Don Byron on clarinet), while his Latin roots shine through on such gems as “Mambo à la Savoy” and the salsa blues “Reefer Man.” Along with the smart arrangements by trumpeter Steve Bernstein, the rapport between Ruben and drummer Steve Berrios cinched the session. “I’ve played with Steve for many years,” Rodriguez notes. “He was one of the first guys to bring the Afro-Cuban hand drumming style to the drum set. And sometimes what I play is like a melodic conga, so I need to know where he is. If he wants to take some liberties, I’ve gotta keep the groove.” CAN BE HEARD ONThe Harlem Experiment, The Harlem Experiment [Ropeadope, 2007] CURRENTLY SPINNINGSergei Rachmaninoff, Panorama [Deutsche Grammophon, 2000] GEARBasses ’60s Ampeg Baby Bass modified with a new fingerboard for lower action; ’66 Fender Precision Bass modified to a 5-string by Roger Sadowsky with ESP bridge and EMG pickups; original Zorko Baby Bass (circa 1960); La Bella medium roundwounds Rig Rodriguez has no preference for amps or cabinets: “I’m too old to be choosy—I usually just use whatever happens to be at the venue or in the studio.” On The Harlem Experiment, Rodriguez recorded direct to a Neve board with his modified Baby Bass.
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