Bassist Don Messina has an impressive touch and pulse, as exemplified by these two diverse albums.
Doing a solo bass album can be a lead in for a plethora of music jokes, but Messina makes it a successful outing for a couple of reasons. First, he’s got an excellent touch and tone, always either stating or implying the pulse, and second no song overstays its welcome here on mix of originals, standards and even a classic thrown in.
Of the latter, JS Bach’s segment in a three part “A Suite for Thomas C. Scott III” is clever and sheek, and his deliveries of “A Ghost of A Chance” along with “Embraceable You” are ebullient and warm. His own tunes are never over indulged, as his fingers dance on “ An Oscar for Pettiford” and bop with delight for “(It’s Always) Sonny in Dallas” and “One for Fats Navarro.” His touch is resonant during a rich”Blues for JF” and nimble for “In Motion.” Able to be absorbed upon either close listen or simply to allow the groove to carry you through for an hour.
An earlier recording has him along side drummer Bill Chattin as part of jazz hero Sal Mosca’s piano trio. Mosca has swing in his dna, allowing for Messina and Chattin to create a swinging rivulet on a driving “I’ll Remember April” while firmly laying out a relentless beat on “Nowhere.” Chattin gets a chance at the spotlight as well, leading into a hip “How High The Moon” while the team is joyfully elegant on”If I Had You.” Rhythm in the nursery rhymes!