Dave Bass: The Trio Vol. 3

The life of any jazz musician is precarious and the road to that life is often compromised by unexpected misadventures. Just ask pianist Dave Bass. After completing piano studies with renowned teacher Madame Margaret Chaloff, and composition with George Russell, he began playing firstly around San Francisco but subsequently moved to Southern California. One day on his way to a gig, Bass fell and so damaged his wrist that he was told he would never play piano again. Thus he began a second career by obtaining an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine and subsequently a law degree from UCLA School of Law. Thereafter followed a successful law career until 2015, when he serendipitously discovered that his hand had completely healed, and he decided to return to jazz full time.

Fast forward to The Trio Vol. 3 wherein Bass is joined by bassist Kerry Kashiwagi and drummer Scott Gordon, along with guitarist Barry Finnerty on several tracks, as they run through a smorgasbord of originals, American Songbook standards and jazz classics all done with imagination and panache. Fittingly the opening track is a Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn number "As Long As There's Music," which was originally introduced by Frank Sinatra in 1944. Ever the innovator, Bass changes the time signature from 4/4 to a jaunty 6/4 thereby shifting the accent variations of the rhythmic figures.

The music of Thelonious Monk holds a special place in Bass' repetoire as he has used one tune on each of his previous trio releases. Here both "Criss Cross'' and "Played Twice" are featured with effective results. On the former, the number's internal metronome provides the foundation for Gordon and Kashiwagi to layer a foundation on which Bass gambols along. The latter is a sly piece, in which each of the participants is given an opportunity to refine the texture of Monk's work. Staying with the jazz composition theme, the trio addresses two classic numbers, namely John Carisi's "Israel" and Tadd Dameron's "If You Could See Me Now." The Carisi composition is a 12-bar minor blues that Bass carries along in a sprightly swinging fashion full of inventive twists. The Dameron tune is given its usual ballad reading, but Bass arranged it as a feature for bassist Kashiwagi. He is full value for being in the spotlight as he demonstrates that each note matters as part of the flow of the arrangement.

Argentinian Astor Piazzolla is considered by some the most influential figure in the history of the tango and his composition "Libertango" is one of his most important. In this interpretation, Bass' trio is joined by guitarist Barry Finnerty, and they capture the ebb and flow of the tango's dramatic quality.