Martin Wind: No Second Thoughts

Bassist/composer Martin Wind is nothing if not brave. But then any contemporary jazz instrumentalist courageous enough to so forthrightly comport himself on the instrument in the shadow of the late icons such as Charles Mingus and Jaco Pastorius would certainly have no compunctions about recording and releasing two differently conceived albums within just months of each other. Air and My Astorian Queen feature two different quartets anchored by the German-born musician who also displays the audacity (albeit in understated style) to mix his own original material with that of artists ranging from Lennon and McCartney to J.S. Bach. Yet what seems overreach at a glance turns out to be exceedingly fluent upon close perusal: Wind's band-leading is an indispensable element in not only fusing each record into a seamless whole but also formulating creative continuity between the two LPs. Perhaps merely pleasant on first hearing(s), the records reveal incremental nuance with repeated listenings that ultimately turn them addictive.

Martin Wind/ New York Bass Quartet
Air
Laika Records
2022

Hearing bassists Martin Wind, Gregg August, Jordan Frazier and Sam Suggs dance their way through "Lady Madonna" in such sprightly fashion is really all that's necessary to appreciate their individual and collective facility with the instrument. But track sequencing that positions the "Beatles Medley" right before a cover of Weather Report's most famous tune, "Birdland," seems like nothing so much as a setup to convince the skeptics and/or naysayers of this album's worth, not to mention it's accessible nature. Likewise, the quietude radiating from "Air" (Trio Version)" not only offers the opportunity to ruminate on this Bach piece, but also contemplate the expanse of ground this adventurous musician and his collaborators have traversed in the prior fifty-plus minutes of originals, the aforementioned covers as well as material composed by such esteemed personages as bassist Charlie Haden and guitarist Pat Metheny. The other high-profile names involved here—Lenny White on drums and a master of the bass himself Ron Carter as an essayist—are not exactly secondary to these proceedings, but rather some distinctive footnotes.

Martin Wind Quartet
My Astorian Queen
Laika Records
2021

Musiclovers reticent about the prospect of becoming engrossed in the sound of multiple basses might well avail themselves of Martin Wind Quartet's My Astorian Queen. Quite likely the album will turn out to be a revelation on multiple fronts, in large part because the bandleader's deceptively imposing approach mirrors the cover graphic on the front of the glossy package: Wind is towering over a city skyline in much the same way his ambition—on this record and its ostensibly more challenging counterpart—transcends what is often merely rote within the jazz milieu. Drawing upon a quarter century of experiences in New York City—and his affection for the object of this album's title—the bassist and his counterparts (hornman Scott Robinson, pianist Bill Mays and drummer Matt Wilson) illustrate how musical, professional and personal bonds are formulated, nurtured, and ultimately interwoven. In tracks such as the bandleader's original "Solitude" and Gershwin's "There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York;" this music and the players creating it bring to life a multi-layered metaphor for such relationships.

Tracks and Personnel

Air

Tracks: Air (Quartet Version); Give Me Some) G-String; Beatles Medley; Birdland; Silence; I'd Rather Eat; Tell Her You Saw Me; Iceland Romance; Air (Trio Version).

Personnel:Martin Wind: bass; Gregg August:bass; Jordan Frazier:bass; Sam Suggs:bass: plus Matt Wilson, Lenny White and Gary Versace

My Astorian Queen

Tracks: Mean What You Say; Solitude; Broadway; Peace Waltz; E Preciso Perduar; Out in P. A.; My Astorian Queen; There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York; New York. New York.

Personnel: Martin Wind: bass: Scott Robinson: tenor & bass saxophone, clarinet, trumpet; Bill Mays: piano; Matt Wilson: drums & percussion.