MARC JOHNSON - Overpass
ECM 381 0819
Marc Johnson (double bass)
Recorded January/February 2018
From the very first notes as the full toned and resonant notes are plucked from the double bass there is a sense of knowing that you are about to hear something special, and this exceptional album does not disappoint.
Coming to prominence in the late 1970s during his tenure with pianist Bill Evan's last trio, Marc Johnson proved himself to be unphased by the great bass players that had occupied that role before him and demonstrated that he was very much his own man. Evans too recognised this and gave the bassist plenty of opportunity for development. A staple of the pianist's repertoire was the Miles Davis tune 'Nardis', which became a nightly feature for Johnson to explore the potential of the bass. It is therefore appropriate that Marc should revisit the tune here, and while he will have played the piece countless times, he still makes it sound fresh and exciting.
Excitement is also very much to the fore, but never at the expense of good taste and invention on 'And Strike Each Tuneful String' that has a primal yet deeply rhythmic feel that takes the breath away. Inspired by a field recording of musicians from Burundi recorded in the late 1960s, and in particular a couple of tracks that feature an instrument called an inanga. A traditional instrument made from a hollowed log and strung with ox tendons for strings the strings were plucked creating various rhythmic patterns, and these have formed the basis for the piece In this extraordinary improvisation in which the bass sings joyously, Johnson also works in a short reprise of his composition, 'Prayer Beads' from the second of his Bass Desires albums, Second Sight.
There is the use of subtle and effective overdubbing present on a couple of tracks that Johnson uses to explore sonorities and textures, but more importantly to create a way to incorporate some beautiful melodies that further enhanced with his own accompanying lines. 'Yin And Yang' is based on harmonics produced by strumming all four strings of the bass allowing the sound to decay before the next attack. Over this harmonic bedrock the bassist lays down a tender and lyrical improvised arco line. This use of the bow is also a delight on 'Samurai Fly', an altogether tougher and muscular piece and a reimaging of his earlier composition 'Samurai Hee-Haw' heard with both Bass Desires and the John Abercrombie Trio.
This tougher side to Johnson's solo playing is also heard on the propulsive, rhythmically driven 'Whorled Whirled World' that is full of energy and clever use of minimalistic repetition combined with subtle variations the music ploughs on relentlessly and joyously. If by the end of the piece you are left re-energised or simply exhausted I would refer you back to the very first notes of the album, an equally energetic reading of Eddie Harris's 'Freedom Jazz Dance', in which the bassist displays not only the ability to drive the music but also contributes his own stunning improvisation on this classic composition.
Overpass will inevitably be regarded as a fine and worthy addition to ECM's solo bass recordings, but it is much more than that. It is a complete and well-conceived set that is an apt summation of Marc Johnson's contribution to the music, and his most personal statement to date.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
ECM 381 0819
Marc Johnson (double bass)
Recorded January/February 2018
From the very first notes as the full toned and resonant notes are plucked from the double bass there is a sense of knowing that you are about to hear something special, and this exceptional album does not disappoint.
Coming to prominence in the late 1970s during his tenure with pianist Bill Evan's last trio, Marc Johnson proved himself to be unphased by the great bass players that had occupied that role before him and demonstrated that he was very much his own man. Evans too recognised this and gave the bassist plenty of opportunity for development. A staple of the pianist's repertoire was the Miles Davis tune 'Nardis', which became a nightly feature for Johnson to explore the potential of the bass. It is therefore appropriate that Marc should revisit the tune here, and while he will have played the piece countless times, he still makes it sound fresh and exciting.
Excitement is also very much to the fore, but never at the expense of good taste and invention on 'And Strike Each Tuneful String' that has a primal yet deeply rhythmic feel that takes the breath away. Inspired by a field recording of musicians from Burundi recorded in the late 1960s, and in particular a couple of tracks that feature an instrument called an inanga. A traditional instrument made from a hollowed log and strung with ox tendons for strings the strings were plucked creating various rhythmic patterns, and these have formed the basis for the piece In this extraordinary improvisation in which the bass sings joyously, Johnson also works in a short reprise of his composition, 'Prayer Beads' from the second of his Bass Desires albums, Second Sight.
There is the use of subtle and effective overdubbing present on a couple of tracks that Johnson uses to explore sonorities and textures, but more importantly to create a way to incorporate some beautiful melodies that further enhanced with his own accompanying lines. 'Yin And Yang' is based on harmonics produced by strumming all four strings of the bass allowing the sound to decay before the next attack. Over this harmonic bedrock the bassist lays down a tender and lyrical improvised arco line. This use of the bow is also a delight on 'Samurai Fly', an altogether tougher and muscular piece and a reimaging of his earlier composition 'Samurai Hee-Haw' heard with both Bass Desires and the John Abercrombie Trio.
This tougher side to Johnson's solo playing is also heard on the propulsive, rhythmically driven 'Whorled Whirled World' that is full of energy and clever use of minimalistic repetition combined with subtle variations the music ploughs on relentlessly and joyously. If by the end of the piece you are left re-energised or simply exhausted I would refer you back to the very first notes of the album, an equally energetic reading of Eddie Harris's 'Freedom Jazz Dance', in which the bassist displays not only the ability to drive the music but also contributes his own stunning improvisation on this classic composition.
Overpass will inevitably be regarded as a fine and worthy addition to ECM's solo bass recordings, but it is much more than that. It is a complete and well-conceived set that is an apt summation of Marc Johnson's contribution to the music, and his most personal statement to date.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
