Conversations
Spicerack, 2021
8/10
A collection of tunes that span free improv/conversation to DeSpiritu-tone rows that tip their hat to Hildegard von Bingen, Rodney Jordan and Christian Fabian bring their upright basses to a very creative effort that was done in A=432hz, the original tuning of Mozart’s time.
“Just For You” gets the album off to a imaginative start with the low basses interacting with both playfulness and beauty, and this chemistry continues to the quicker, bouncy “Happy To Be Alive”, as well as the warm, romantic “My One And Only Love”.
In the middle, the album standout, “The Ride Over”, displays precise and memorable plucking, while “Body And Soul”, one of the few covers present, is indeed soulful as the pair interact in soothing, sparse ways. “Despiritu #2”, another exceptional track, then bows the strings with much emotion and grace in its stirring climate.
The final two tracks, “432” and “Conversations #2”, don’t disappoint either, where the former brings nature sounds into a meditative ambience of tuning, and the latter exits the listen with the duo playing off one another in a very fun, charming manner.
A listen that’s not short on melody, rhythm and elegance, even though it’s just two players, this is a musically rich journey that touches on classical, jazz and avant-garde sounds and sometimes interprets songs almost 2000 years old, which is no easy task.
Travels well with: David Finck- BASSically Jazz; Doug MacDonald- Live In Hawaii