Eric McPherson: Double Bass Quartet - Live

Drummer Eric McPherson has long been recognized as a musician who combines rhythmic ingenuity and structural awareness in any project he undertakes. With Double Bass Quartet, recorded before a quietly appreciative New York audience, McPherson has assembled an unconventional line-up of Cuban pianist David Virelles along with bassists John Hébert and Ben Street, that challenges and redefines the traditional quartet format. The ensemble's two-bass configuration immediately invites comparisons to the more exploratory aspects of jazz history, yet this is no mere novelty. McPherson and his colleagues harness the format's harmonic depth and density with a clear purpose.

Part tribute to the late pianist Andrew Hill, with whom McPherson and Hébert once worked, the set includes two Hill originals, "Ode To Von" and "Ashes," using his framework for fresh explorations. The performances retain Hill's angular lyricism and unpredictable momentum while allowing the two basses to weave contrapuntal lines that expand the music's harmonic fabric. Virelles is clearly up to the challenges presented by these singular compositions. The program also embraces works from other pianistic maverick voices. Stanley Cowell's "Illusion Suite" becomes a vehicle for Virelles' crystalline touch and sly rhythmic displacements. Thelonious Monk's "Skippy" is taken at a bristling clip by Virelles with its off-kilter phrasing sharpened by the push-and-pull between Hébert and Street.

McPherson's compositional offering is aptly entitled "Solo Drum." This is a six-minute excursion that offers a concise, percussive meditation, reminding us of his deep sense of pulse and texture. Other original compositions further underscore the group's inventiveness, beginning with Hebert's "Blind Pig." This moody number works a slippery groove that shifts underfoot as the bassists lay down bold-toned interventions. Not to be outdone, Virelles offers "Transmission," probably the most abstract piece here. Virelles roams the keyboard in fragmented motifs, which the bassists alternately anchor and destabilize. The lone standard, Jimmy Van Heusen's "Darn That Dream," offers a contrasting moment of repose. Here, the two basses create a lush cushion for Virelles' reflective reading while McPherson's brushes add a soft, almost whispered commentary.

The closer is from another iconic pianist, Jaki Byard called "Cinco Y Quatro." With its sly Latin tinge, Virelles takes the number through unexpected harmonic turns, providing yet another canvas for the ensemble's playful interaction. In McPherson's hands, the unorthodox becomes logical and the daring becomes inevitable, a testament to jazz's enduring spirit of reinvention.

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