Wood 2 on Jazz and Conversation
Burning Wood with Brian Bromberg. 
Brian Bromberg Acoustic Mix
From: Wood II (Artistry Music - 2006).
It’s been a while, eh?
I guess you could say I’ve had “bloggers block”, which means some kind of resistance to sitting down and posting. I’ve also been tremendously busy at KPLU, basically shaking up the music library and the sound of the radio station (more tempo, more variety and color); organizing a huge project where we’re ripping thousands of CDs onto a lot of hard drive space; and organizing a large music research project. This, in addition to trying to find a permanent residence in the Seattle area.
I have been listening to a LOT of music too, and I will get around to sharing the best stuff I find in the postings to follow.
Now, regarding Brian Bromberg and his latest CD, Wood II. This trio of tunes I’ve selected from the disc simply knocked me out. For those not familiar with Brian Bromberg, here’s his bio from AllMusic:
A very versatile acoustic and electric bassist capable of playing straight-ahead jazz, funk, and fusion, Brian Bromberg is also one of the few bassists to master the tapping technique made famous by Stanley Jordan, sometimes sounding like three bassists at once during his often-thunderous solos. Although he was a drummer at the age of 13, the folowing year Bromberg started classical lessons on bass. He developed quickly and by the time he was 19, he was part of Stan Getz’s group. Bromberg has been a valuable sidemen with many bands since including those led by Horace Silver, Monty Alexander, Dizzy Gillespie, Richie Cole, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, and Freddie Hubbard. He recorded his first album as a leader in 1986 (A New Day for the Blackhawk label) and has since led sessions for Intima and Nova; unfortunately, all of those record companies have since gone out of business. Brian Bromberg into the next century remained one of the most underrated bassists in jazz.
My two cents: he’s every bit as creative and exciting on the electric bass as Jaco Pastorious was, and with this new recording, he’s nearly in the same category amongst acoustic players. Wood II is a celebration of the acoustic bass. Brian’s bass is old (like, 300 years old; an Italian make I believe). And the CD is collection of piano trio recordings with a few solo pieces in between.
The thing that got me about this recording is how it was mixed. Bromberg’s bass sits right out in front, yet blends so well with his two collaborators, pianist Randy Waldman, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. All three musicians are in top from. Their collective energy is simply breathtaking.
Today’s mix starts off with Duke Ellington’s Caravan, in a kind of New Orleans-Second Line kind of groove. Bromberg is doing stuff here that I have rarely heard from bass players. After that, we hear a sharp version of Cedar Walton’s Bolivia, which features some cool drumming from Colaiuta (who as a youngster played with Frank Zappa, and who Zappa considered his best drummer ever.) The third track is a sprightly rendition of I Remember April.
The mix here is a simple 64k MP3 file. The real treat is to hear this recording on your CD player, with the loudest speakers you’ve got. Do your ears a favor. Get the disc, y’all!
[Jazz and Conversation]
6:11:47 PM 
|
