Bassist Brian Bromberg (just try saying that 5 times real fast) is on a creative roll. He’s released three top notch discs the past couple months, each one as different and yet satisfying as the other.
Bromberg Plays Hendrix is an intriguing concept in that Bromberg strips down the Hendrix Experience from a Power Trio to a Power Duo. Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta is the only partner for Bromberg, as he overdubs electric basses, acoustic basses, piccolo basses and who knows what other kind of basses in this energetic Decalogue of rocking jazz, or jazzy rock. Except for a few little vocal refrains on “Fire” and “Crosstown Traffic,” it’s all instrumentals here, and it actually works better than the originals in a myriad of ways. “Hey Joe” sounds bluesy and foreboding, while “Spanish Castle Magic” ferociously swings with attitude. Lots of wistfulness on “The Wind Cries Mary,” and throughout the session, the sounds you hear will make you scratch your head in bewilderment. This is a bass? I want one!!!!
In The Spirit of Jobim has Bromberg still playing everything outside of the treble clef, but this time with a wide variety of support that includes a String section as well as guests Airto/perc, Alex Acuna/dr, Mitch Forman/p, Oscar Castro-Neves/b among others. Bromberg’s authoritative picking on the intro to “One Note Samba” is resonant, while other tunes like “Cha Chika Chika Boom” have a seismic energy that will make you want to pull your kids off the streets in fear of getting hit by falling bricks. The arrangements of the strings throughout this fine session display moments of ecstatic joy, with little riffs here and there to generate a propulsive energy. Bromberg mixes it up between electric and acoustic material here, making you wonder why this music sounds so easy, yet no one makes accessible jazz like this anymore.
Artistry Music
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