1. Maestros de las Frecuencias Bajas
2. Thunder
3. Hillbillies On A Quiet Afternoon
4. Mongoose Walk
5. Los Tres Hermanos
6. Medley: Lopsy Lu, Silly Putty
7. Milano
8. Classical Thump
9. Tutu
10. Lil' Victa
11. Pendulum
12. Lemme Try Your Bass
13. Grits
Stanley Clarke - Basses (tracks 1-7, 9-13)
Marcus Miller - Basses, bass clarinet, alto
sax, tenor sax, synths, beat prog, Mini-Moog
Victor Wooten - Basses (tracks 1-11, 13)
Ruslan Sirota - Keyboards (track 1)
Ronald Bruner Jr. - Drums (tracks 1, 10, 13)
Patches Stewart - Trumpet (tracks 1, 6)
Steve Baxter - Trombone (tracks 1, 6)
Ariel Mann - Synths (track 1)
Butterscotch - Vocals, beat box, voice trumpet
(tracks 2, 9, 11)
Derico Watson - Drums (tracks 3, 4)
George Duke - Clavinet, Mini-Moog (tracks
3, 6)
Kevin Ricard - Percussion (tracks 4, 5, 7)
Chick Corea - Piano (track 4)
Poogie Bell - Drums (tracks 5, 6)
J. D. Blair - Drums (track 9)
Karlton Taylor - Keyboards (track 9)
This CD is rather like "The
Three Tenors" - but using bass-players instead
of singers. Like The Three Tenors, it features
two famous performers - Stanley Clarke and
Marcus Miller - plus one lesser-known musician:
Victor Wooten (who has nevertheless played
with such stars as Larry Coryell, Prince,
Branford Marsalis and Bela Fleck). Three bassists
on one album might seem excessive but the
players can make their basses sound like guitars
(as in Los Tres Hermanos), so it is
not all a cacophony of deep notes.
Having said that, I should
note that the first track is very noisy -
almost like heavy metal, with pompous keyboards
and thudding bass guitars. But Clarke, Miller
and Wooten are clearly having a ball. Thunder
is spoilt by the electronic drumbeats and
mystifying vocal intrusions. But Hillbillies
on a Quiet Afternoon has the benefit of
a real drummer and a catchy tune by Wooten
and Clarke. There's a bass solo on this track,
but the sleeve-notes don't tell us who does
which solo.
The predominantly low sounds
are in danger of becoming excessive, so it
feels a relief when Chick Corea's airy piano
enters for a solo in Mongoose Walk.
Many of the other tracks are in jazz-fusion
style, with heavy bass rhythms. But variety
is provided by Stanley Clarke's arco
bass in Milano, and duets between Wooten
and Miller on Classical Thump and Clarke
and Miller in Lemme Try Your Bass.
The featured musicians clearly
have secure techniques and plenty of ideas,
but this may still be an album which will
appeal primarily to other bassists. Devotees
can catch the trio on their world tour, which
continues into October.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Dreyfus
Jazz FDM 46050 369212
