Content area
Full text
In any historical, account of great jazz bassists, the name fronting the JACO PASTORIUS BIG band likely comes first and foremost. Among current jazz bassists, VICTOR WOOTEN stands out for solo projects as well as work with Bela Fleck & the Flecktones. Wooten is one of several Pastorius disciples featured on the Big Band's new tribute to the late bassist, Word of Mouth Revisited (Heads Up). Remaining true to the original, fretless-bass arrangement of "Teen Town" (featured) until the solo part, Wooten then applies his slapping, fretted-bass trademark. Trombonist/conductor Peter Graves also orchestrates great performances from bassists Jimmy Haslip, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, and Victor Bailey. He even uses Pastorius' archived bass line from the late 1970s on "Wiggle Waggle."
After winning consecutive Grammys for 2000's In the Moment: DIANNE REEVES Live in Concert and for 2001's The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan, the singer headed in a different direction on A Little Moonlight (Blue Note Records). Produced by Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin, Norah Jones), the all-acoustic CD features Reeves' touring trio of pianist Peter Martin, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, plus special guests guitarist Romero Lubambo and trumpeter Nicholas Payton. Reeves' deep, rich contralto voice inter-twines with Lubambo's delicate samba patterns and stunning solo on "I Concentrate On You" (featured). "What we're doing is up-close and personal," Reeves observes. "This is a very intimate record."
In charting his solo career, guitarist STEVE OLIVER followed the lead of, former Rippingtons percussionist Steve Reid. Oliver joined Reid's post-Rippingtons Bamboo Forest band in 1999, gaining visibility through a 120-date U.S. tour and used it as a springboard to release his solo debut [First View] later that year. The guitarist's sophomore effort, Positive Energy, features a parade of smooth-jazz all-stars in Reid, saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa, Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman, former Yellowjackets drummer Will Kennedy, and bassist Brian Bromberg. Tracks like "High Noon" (featured) showcase Oliver's prowess on both acoustic guitar and electric-guitar synthesizer, scatted vocals, and even drums and keyboards.
Guitarist PAT KELLEY recently joined Charlie Christian, Chet Baker, Lester Young, and Barney Kessel in the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Now one of the busiest studio guitarists in Los Angeles, the Oklahoma native teaches in the music department at USC and has recorded several solo...