Basso Profondissimo
Self-Released, 2021
8/10
Although he spends most of his time in the area of music for film, the veteran bass player Richard Ford steps away from any commercial activity for some music of his own here, and he’s got a handful of esteemed musicians, vocalists, engineers and mixers with him to help birth this very unique album.
Ford starts the listen with the playful ‘Rivers, Rivers”, where Jake Reed’s drum skills are aligned with Ford’s very precise bass manipulation that emits a vast amount of atmosphere, and “Spongelanding” follows with frisky percussion from both Reed and Aaron Serfaty as Lisbeth Scott’s wordless vocals match Ford’s bouncy bass lines in terms of impact.
The middle tracks bring us the bare “Martinique”, which is just Ford handling basses with much precision and warmth, while “The Stepwell” enters darker territory that gets quite ominous as Ford drones with fascination in yet another inventive way to use his instrument.
Moving deeper into the listen, “Even Further Offshore” relies on brass from Steve Elson and Juan Chaves to complement Reed’s drumming and Ford’s bass as the setting shifts from gentle to firm amid much groove and rhythm, and “Tale Of Two Mangos” exits the listen with keys, vibraphone, harmonica and vocals from Michelle Gonzalez, which all contribute to an initially calm, even meditative beginning that leads into a flowing, jazz spirit alongside cozy vocal scatting and lush textures.
Falling somewhere in the area of ambient jazz fusion, while rubbing elbows with funk, bossa nova and world music gestures, even if you’ve heard many bass focused albums before, they’ve probably never sounded like this, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Travels well with: David Finck- BASSically Jazz; Kristin Callahan- Lost In A Dream