Jazz Articles about Rob Thorsen

Rob Thorsen: Lasting Impression

by Jerry D'Souza
June 8, 2009

Bassist Rob Thorsen became interested in jazz when he heard Dave Brubeck, Cannonball Adderley and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The acoustic bass, which he discovered when he was in his twenties, became his instrument of choice as he began his career as a performer on a cruise ship. On Lasting Impression, his fourth CD as leader, Thorsen plays compositions by Charlie Parker, Jackie McLean, John Coltrane and George Gershwin, along with his own work.

Thorsen grafts his ideas convincingly onto the ...

Rob Thorsen: Lasting Impression

by Dan McClenaghan
May 19, 2009

San Diego-based bassist Rob Thorsen seems to be shining up a '50's-'60's jazz classics lesson with the first four cuts on Lasting Impression. The set opens with Charlie Parker's “Dexterity," a crisp, jaunty take on the classic, with Gilbert Castellanos--another San Diego jazz scene stalwart--sitting in on trumpet, giving the tune a bright, fluid feeling. John Coltrane's “Giant Steps" is done in piano trio mode, with Josh Nelson's upbeat keyboard workout making the melody shine before he accompanies with a ...

The Rob Thorsen Quartet: Evolution

by C. Michael Bailey
November 1, 2003

Bassist-led recording dates make among the most interesting and swinging music produced in jazz. Paul Chambers’ recordings for Blue Note are a great case in point. Veteran bassist Rob Thorsen extends this tradition with Evolution. Thorsen is a San Francisco native who has been playing and performing the better part of his life and has appeared with many jazz luminaries, including Mark Murphy, John Hendricks, James Moody, Charles McPherson, and Richie Cole. He is a bassist in the vein of ...

Rob Thorsen Quartet: Evolution

by J. Robert Bragonier
October 8, 2003

One pleasant consequence of so many independent CDs on the market is the opportunity to hear regional musicians who otherwise would have gotten little or no national exposure. It is exciting to find groups as good or better than nationally known variety. Rob Thorsen's quartet is but one example. When he was 18, bassist Rob Thorson began playing in San Francisco blues and street bands. Over the next several years, he was exposed to the artistry of ...