Get the subwoofers primed for this one. Three of jazz fusion's finest and most respected bassists -- Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten -- join forces for an hourlong frolic in the studio that's a fun, frisky, funky romp for the players and a potent showcase for an instrument often relegated to support status. Not here. On paper, it would seem unwieldy for three bass players, especially with the proficiency of this trio, to navigate their parts in the same song without the sound getting hopelessly cluttered. But it takes less than a minute into the opening track, which unexpectedly kicks off with full orchestration, for the concept to prove viable. One bass works the traditional low riff while the other two solo in harmony and trade licks with such ease and finesse that you wonder why someone didn't think of this collaboration earlier. Actually, someone did. Wooten came up with the idea but it took until the group worked together at the October 2006 Bass Player Live! event in N.Y.C. (where Clarke won the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award) for it to be discussed as a reality with the other two. Clarke was no stranger to playing with his fellow bottom dwellers, as he proved on his Night School DVD where he joined with about ten other bassists for an extended version of "School Days." Still, it's amazing how well these guys navigate their strummed, plucked, and thumped parts around each other without clashing. Horns, drums, loops, and keyboards (from guests Chick Corea and George Duke as well as Miller) flesh out the upper registers while Miller's clean, unfussy production also keeps things in order. Acoustic bowed bass and strings on "Milano" shift the sound away from the more rhythmic approach naturally favored on the majority of the tracks. The three amigos take on a Spanish spaghetti Western feel for "Los Tres Hermanos," a refreshing changeup that features some of the disc's most nimble playing and its prettiest melody. Some tunes will be familiar to jazz fans. "Tutu" was written by Miller for Miles Davis and Clarke's "Quiet Afternoon" gets referenced, as does his "Silly Putty," but these versions are quite different than the originals. All three musicians weave their lines together on the lovely ballad "Lil' Victa," with Clarke's high end sounding enough like a guitar to hold down the strong melodic line. The closing "Grits" is a hot slab of funky jazz that gives each a chance to solo over a sparse beat. Although their styles are relatively distinct, it would have been helpful if the liner notes described who was playing which part, especially for newcomers. Otherwise, this will thrill fusion fans -- and for bassists it's nothing less than a master class on the instrument from a handful of its most accomplished, eclectic, and veteran practitioners. Hal Horowitz
Tracklist :
1 Maestros De Las Frecuencias Bajas 2:52
Bass – SMV
Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Marcus Miller
Drums – Ronald Bruner Jr.
Keyboards – Ruslan Sirota
Synthesizer – Ariel Mann
Trombone – Steve Baxter
Trumpet – Patches Stewart
Written-By, Arranged By – Stanley Clarke
2 Thunder 6:37
Bass – SMV
Vocals, Voice [Voice Trumpet], Human Beatbox – Butterscotch
Written-By, Synthesizer, Programmed By – Marcus Miller
3 Hillbillies On A Quiet Afternoon 6:11
Bass – SMV
Clavinet – George Duke
Drums – Derico Watson
Synthesizer – Marcus Miller
Written-By – Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten
4 Mongoose Walk 5:57
Bass – SMV
Drums – Derico Watson
Percussion – Kevin Ricard
Piano – Chick Corea
Written-By – Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten
Written-By, Synthesizer, Keyboards – Marcus Miller
5 Los Tres Hermanos 5:25
Bass – SMV
Drums – Poogie Bell
Percussion – Kevin Ricard
Written-By, Synthesizer – Marcus Miller
6 Lopsy Lu - Silly Putty 6:12
Arranged By – Victor Wooten
Arranged By, Synthesizer, Programmed By – Marcus Miller
Bass – SMV
Drums – Poogie Bell
Keyboards – George Duke
Trombone – Steve Baxter
Trumpet – Patches Stewart
Written-By – Stanley Clarke
7 Milano 4:21
Bass – Victor Wooten
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass] – Stanley Clarke
Percussion – Kevin Ricard
Written-By, Bass, Synthesizer – Marcus Miller
8 Classical Thump 4:50
Arranged By, Bass – Marcus Miller
Written-By, Arranged By, Bass – Victor Wooten
9 Tutu 5:04
Arranged By, Bass – Victor Wooten
Double Bass [Acoustic Bass] – Stanley Clarke
Drums – J.D. Blair
Keyboards – Karlton Taylor
Vocals – Butterscotch
Written-By, Arranged By, Bass, Bass Clarinet, Synthesizer, Programmed By – Marcus Miller
10 Lil' Victa 4:10
Bass – SMV
Drums – Ronald Bruner Jr.
Written-By – Stanley Clarke
11 Pendulum 4:15
Bass – SMV
Human Beatbox – Butterscotch
Written-By – Antoinette Clinton, Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten
Written-By, Synthesizer – Marcus Miller
12 "Lemme Try Your Bass" 0:57
Written-By, Bass – Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke
13 Grits 5:24
Bass – SMV
Drums – Ronald Bruner Jr.
Written-By, Synthesizer – Marcus Miller
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There is little information about European jazz singer Anne Ducros
within the liner notes to Piano, Piano, but she clearly endeared herself
to each of the four guest pianists with whom she worked on her CD. She
soars in the lush setting of "Never Let Me Go," where she packs an
emotional punch, though her tripping over a few words slightly handicaps
her interpretation of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child." One of
Europe's greatest jazz pianists, Enrico Pieranunzi, joins her for the
powerful rendition of "You Go to My Head" and a graceful take of "Moon
and Sand." She came to the United States in order to work with Chick
Corea, singing "Les Feuilles Mortes" (Autumn Leaves) in its original
language in a terrific duet and adding some humorous horn-like scatting
reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald on-stage. Both her lyrical "My Foolish
Heart" and explosive "Body and Soul" are just as effective. Another
veteran European pianist, René Urtreger, is paired with Ducros for a
gently loping duet of "I Thought About You" and anchoring the rhythm
section for another Ella-like scat exhibition in the swinging "Just in
Time." Benoît de Mesnay, who doubles on piano and Fender Rhodes in
"Four" (where she once again scats up a storm) and joins her for the
swinging interpretation of "Naima," is evidently her regular
accompanist. All in all, this is a very enjoyable effort. Ken Dryden 
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