Joe Fonda: Joe Fonda & Bass Of Operation

Only bassist /composer Joe Fonda—who cut his teeth and honed his humor in the company and camaraderie of such global visionaries as Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton, Barry Altschul, Paul Bley, and Annette Peacock— can stand defiantly at the  epicenter of a free jazz and classical quartet and ease the ensemble through either door with the deceptively sly and boozy opener "Deja Vu for DC." 

It whirls. It twirls. It is a whole lot of fun and a particularly grand way of kicking off an album. As a quartet of individuals, Fonda, Michael Rabinowitz (bassoon), Jeff Lederer (clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, piccolo) and Harvey Sorgen (drums) take "Deja Vu for DC" for a ride, and what a woozy ride it is. As is "Magic," as was "Soon to Know," with "Fast" pulling up the rear. 

It is simply a cynic's joy to hear a bassoon cut and swing like it does throughout  Joe Fonda & Bass of Operation. Rabinowitz excels, Lederer is valedictory, Fonda is Fonda as you would expect, Sorgen? Well, Sorgen has that rock n' roll touch to make you think Jimi Hendrix with Band of Gyspies, and he intuitively knows when to throw it in the mix.

"Fast" could make any listener swear to the truth of this review. If not "Fast" then certainly the chugging closer "Mosaic." A roller coaster gone awry, each man has his moment, and that moment is a thing to hear. Ditto Joe Fonda & Bass of Operation.

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