Air (Laika)
Martin Wind New York Bass Quartet
Released February 2022
DownBeat Four-and-a-Half-Star Review
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About:
Curtain up for a world premiere of a special kind! An album that finally presents the double bass where it should have belonged for a long time due to its tradition: in the center of the action! This is ensured by Martin Wind , who was born in Flensburg , who emigrated to New York a quarter of a century ago to seek his musical fortune in the world capital of jazz – and found it. On his album Air, Wind introduces us to his New York Bass Quartetbefore. The idea of founding an all-bass ensemble came to Wind about ten years ago when he began teaching at Hofstra University/Long Island. “I wanted to bring students from different styles together in order to play a wide repertoire of pieces with them – from Bach chorales to pop songs and jazz adaptations. And because I didn’t want the material to repeat itself week after week, my students and I started writing arrangements,” Wind recalls. A total of eight of these arrangements can be found on”Air” for which he was able to win top-class musicians for the recording. First there are Jordan Frazier (principal bassist with the renowned Orpheus Chamber Orchestra NYC), Gregg August (2020 Grammy nominee in the category “Best Large Ensemble Jazz Recording”) and Sam Suggs , who at 30 sounds “outrageously mature”. , as Wind puts it and adds:“Together they are the A-Team. Thanks to their versatility and their perfect bowing technique, I can not only explore the tonal possibilities of the instrument with them, but also generously explore the scope between classic, rock and jazz.” The result contains numerous moments of surprise and vocally meanders over four octaves. With “Air” the ensemble starts with solemnity and close to the original by Johann Sebastian Bach. Also the following (Give Me Some) G-string”seems similar at first, before it takes on a completely different spin after three minutes. Then drum legend Lenny White (“Return to Forever”) and Gary Versace on the Hammond B3 ensure that the piece grooves powerfully at the push of a button. Also on the Weather Report anthem “Birdland” it is White who puts his stamp on the arrangement with his hung backbeat. With his Beatles medley, Martin Wind has long since made a name for himself as an arranger. Like himForming “The Long and Winding Road”, “Here, There and Everywhere”, “She’s Leaving Home” and “Lady Madonna” into a polyphonic work of art is great arranging art. The same applies to “Silence” penned by Charlie Haden. The starting point for Wind’s adaptation was an eight-bar chord progression, from which he created an eight-minute composition. “Starting with a musical cell and expanding it – that’s something that particularly excites me”, reveals Wind, who has again achieved a special coup with “Air” – musically and personally. The liner notes are by Ron Carter, whose words speak with respect and admiration. As the former bassist of Miles Davis writes: “Imagine an album on which four bassists and a few guest musicians dare to play exceptionally difficult arrangements – and thanks to their outstanding skills they are successful. Stop just imagining it. Because this album is resounding proof that it can be successful.”
Track Listing:
1. Air [Quartet Version] (Johann Sebastian Bach) 02:57
2. (Give Me Some) G-String (Martin Wind) 07:17
3. Beatles Medley (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) 08:50
4. Birdland (Joe Zawinul) 06:04
5. Silence (Charlie Haden) 08:08
6. I’d Rather Eat (Martin Wind) 06:52
7. Tell Her You Saw Me (Pat Metheny) 04:19
8. Iceland Romance (Martin Wind) 06:16
9. Air [Trio Version] (Johann Sebastian Bach) 03:33
Personnel:
Martin Wind: lead bass (except 1)
Gregg August: bass (first solos on 2 and 5)
Jordan Frazier: bass
Sam Suggs: bass (lead on 1, arco solo on 8)
Special Guests
Matt Wilson: drums, percussion (2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
Lenny White: drums (2, 4)
Gary Versace: piano, organ, accordion (2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
Recorded March 19, 2021 & March 27, 2021, at Teaneck Sound Studio, Teaneck, NJ, by David Kowalski
Mixed by Tyler McDiarmid in April/ May 2021 in Astoria, New York
Mastered by Gene Paul in May 2021 at G and J Audio, Union City, New Jersey
Photos by Pete Coco, Garden City, New York
Produced 2021 by Martin Wind
Executive produced 2021 by Peter Cronemeyer
Review:
When a bass player’s album comes out accom – panied by kudos from bass legends like Rufus Reid, who called it “a tour de force that has raised the bar to a higher level for the 21st cen – tury double bass community,” and Ron Carter, who wrote the liner notes, attention must be paid. Wind, a reliably swinging German-born bassist who emigrated to New York 25 years ago, has a lengthy track record including work with pianist Bill Mays, drummer Matt Wilson, pianist-vocalist Dena DeRose and singer Janis Siegel. This brilliant bass manifesto finds him in the company of fellow double bassists Gregg August, Jordan Frazier and Sam Suggs. Drummers Matt Wilson and Lenny White and keyboardist Gary Versace accompany the core four on three tracks. From an exquisite four-bass take on J.S. Bach’s “Air On A G-String” to Wind’s wicked hoedown “(Give Me Some) G-String,” which morphs into a funky B-3 throwdown, to an invigorating rendition of Weather Report’s “Birdland” and a tender reading of Pat Metheny’s poignant “Tell Her You Saw Me” with Versace on accordion, this is a low-end triumph. A beautifully arranged “Beatles Medley” includes snippets from “The Long And Winding Road,” “Here, There And Everywhere,” “She’s Leaving Home” and “Lady Madonna.” And there’s a reverent reading of Charlie Haden’s sublime “Silence,” with Wilson taking a remarkably melodic approach to the kit. Artfully done yet entirely accessible.
Bill Milkowski (DownBeat)
