Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jim Hall: Jim Hall & Basses

388

Jim Hall: Jim Hall & Basses

By

Sign in to view read count
Jim Hall: Jim Hall & Basses
Around five years ago fellow guitarist Pat Martino cut an album with fellow guitar players of differing styles. Now master guitarist Jim Hall, is walking down a similar path, only with a gaggle of highly accomplished bass players representing somewhat, but not completely, different artistic profiles. Dave Holland has been on the cutting edge of jazz, a leading member of the avant-garde. Christian McBride is the youngest member while Charlie Haden is a veteran having participated in those revolutionary double quartet recordings with Ornette Coleman. Haden can also go middle of the road as he has shown with his Quartet West. George Mraz comes from the mainstream. Mraz teams up with fellow bassist Scott Colley for the rare trio combination of two basses and guitar. Seven of the 13 tracks have Hall working with the tandem of Mraz and Colley or one of them individually.

The play list has ten originals composed by the participants and three standards. Given the nature of the instruments, much of the session can be classified as chamber jazz, with a lived in feeling, especially on the "Abstract" quartet. Brightness breaks through on "Bent Blue" where Hall goes electric, but not so loud that one misses McBride's happy, bouncing bass. Hall plays rhythm while Charlie Haden wanders around the melody line on "Don't Explain" then turns up the amps as he and Haden reverse rolls. Colley's approach to "Besame Mucho" is to allow a lot of breathing space creating a contrast with Hall's medium tempo pace.

The virtuosity present on this album is so great as to be awesome. But as mesmerizing as it is, from time to time one wishes that there were a little more instrumental variety present, such as a piano or a horn. But one can't get greedy and must take genius where one finds it. Recommended, of course.

Track Listing

End The Beguine!; Bent Blue; Abstract 1; Al The Things You Are; Abstract 2; Sam Jones; Don

Personnel

Jim Hall
guitar

Jim Hall

Album information

Title: Jim Hall & Basses | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Telarc Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.