Chuck Bergeron: Bass & Face

There is a certain confidence that comes with age and experience. It is the kind that allows a musician to gather friends, trust their instincts, and let the music tell its own story. Bassist Chuck Bergeron's Bass and Face feels exactly like that. As one of Florida's long-admired and versatile players, Bergeron proves himself to be an equally thoughtful curator. What makes this release inviting is that Bergeron surrounds himself with an extraordinary lineup of vocal personalities, each bringing a distinct sensibility to the proceedings.

There are the familiar masters of the art, including Manhattan Transfer's Janis Siegel, the ever-inventive Pete McGuinness, the sophisticated storyteller Roseanna Vitro, and the soulful George Rabbai, along with Lisanne Lyons with her emotional directness, Deborah Silver with her polished warmth, Kate Reid with her easy swing, and Nicole Yarling with her affinity for the sounds of New Orleans. The album also offers an emotional tribute to two irreplaceable voices who are no longer with us, including the incomparable Sheila Jordan, whose lifelong devotion to improvisation remained undiminished at ninety-five. The much-missed Kevin Mahogany is represented by performances that preserve the richness and authority of his artistry.

The opening selection, "An Occasional Man," introduces Siegel in a breezy fashion, enhanced by percussionist Richie Bravo. Floating on a tropical sway, Bergeron provides the buoyancy beneath Siegel's relaxed phrasing and scatting, guiding rather than driving. McGuinness contributes his own arrangement of the Johnny Mandel classic "Emily." His warm baritone carries the lyric with affection before yielding to a playful scat interlude that dances around Bergeron's unshakeable pulse.

Bob Dorough's hip gem "Devil May Care" is offered by Reid with finger-snapping cool. Her reading blends sophistication and spunk, transforming the song's carefree attitude into a convincing state of mind. Rabbai performs double duty on "I Thought About You," singing the wistful lyric while adding trumpet commentary that answers his own vocal reflections.

Judiciously sprinkled throughout the album is an excellent supporting cast of musicians. These include the previously noted percussionist Bravo, saxophonist Charles Pillow, drummer John Riley, and pianist Phillip Strange, as well as guitarist John Hart who sits in on the Jordan track. Together, these musicians transform the release from a simple vocal showcase into a shared commitment to serving the song.

The two performances by the late Mahogany were drawn from several sessions led by Bergeron more than 20 years ago, deepening the album's emotional resonance. John Lewis's "Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West" features Pillow, Riley and Strange, swinging with effortless sophistication as Mahogany's rich voice reminds us of a talent lost far too soon. The other offering is Charles Mingus's "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love." Bergeron's expressive arco passages, along with Strange's lush playing, frame Mahogany's heartfelt interpretation with reverence and depth.

Yarling escorts Bergeron on a vocal excursion to his hometown, New Orleans, for a mash-up of The Meters and The Dixie Cups classics from the Crescent City, "Audubon Zoo/IKO-IKO." Blending the earthy grooves with the communal joy of these groups, the track becomes a street celebration, with Yarling's violin interjections adding a Cajun touch.

One of the release's more touching moments is Jordan's version of "Fair Weather." At 95, she was joined by Hart and Bergeron in her tribute to trumpeter Kenny Dorham, in which every phrase carries the authority of lived experience.

The album closes with a bonus track, "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans," in which Bergeron and Strange strip everything down to the essentials. Bergeron's bass sings as eloquently as any of the vocalists featured throughout the program.

In these presentations, Bergeron gives each performer room to own their interpretations while acknowledging that, in the right hands, the bass can be at the heart of the conversation.