Category Archives: Bass
A 1996 WKCR Interview with Ray Brown, Born 85 Years Ago Today
For bass king Ray Brown’s 85th birthday anniversary, here’s a piece that ran on the www.jazz.com website a couple of years, incorporating the proceedings of a 1996 WKCR encounter on which he joined me in the studio with Christian McBride. … Continue reading
A Pair of Interviews with Bassist Fred Hopkins (R.I.P.) on his 64th Birth Anniversary
Few bassists ever played with the energy, drive, and virtuosic derring-do projected by Fred Hopkins (b: October 10, 1947; d: January 7, 1999), who made his mark playing Henry Threadgill’s compositions in the collective trio Air and in Threadgill’s Sextet, … Continue reading
Filed under AACM, Bass, Fred Hopkins, WKCR
Stanley Clarke: Uncut Blindfold Test
To be on the road seems to be the default condition of the virtuoso bassist Stanley Clarke, who turned 60 today. Having spent much of the past year-and-change touring with three of his own ensembles, the forty-year veteran launches his … Continue reading
Filed under Bass, Blindfold Test, DownBeat, Stanley Clarke
The Pile (#1)
As I’ve had a bit of down time recently, I’m trying to catch up on new releases, which arrive inexorably. It’s hard to make a dent—there’s only time to listen to a couple or three 60-70 minute recordings in a … Continue reading
Filed under Alexis Cuadrado, Bass, David Gibson, Gerald Clayton, James Carter, Piano, Review, Tenor Saxophone, The Pile, Trombone
