A New Voice In Jazz
by ksmaaa
Blue In Green has quickly become one of my favorite jazz albums. Not since the Bill Evans Trio of the early sixties, which gave birth to the innovative pizzicato bass playing of Scott LaFaro, has there appeared an album which has exposed such a new and original direction for the acoustic bass. Just as LaFaro defined the shape of things to come in his pizzicato playing on the Village Vanguard recordings of June 25th, 1961, so has Terry Plumeri on his new CD Blue In Green, created the benchmark of bowed acoustic bass solos in the world of standard jazz tunes. The beauty of his singing sound on the bow, as well as the accuracy of his intonation and flowing rhythmic ideas, makes for a very pleasant and unusual experience in listening to acoustic bass improvisations. This I say as a professional jazz bassist of 23 years, as well as a never-ending student of the bass.
The true beauty of this recording is that a new and unique voice has arrived, not only in the world of jazz bass playing but in the world of jazz as a whole. A new voice, which is singing the soul of the music in a fashion yet to be exposed. The vocal quality is so strong, very often you can almost hear the lyrics of the instrumental improvisation.
David Goldblatt on piano, provides an unending sensitivity to the challenge of accompanying a more subdued instrument, very easy to cover in volume. The interplay between Goldblatt and Plumeri, whether it is bass as a lead voice or bass in accompaniment to the piano solo, has a fluent, free flowing and spontaneous personality. The composite effect is that of music which is truly being improvised at the moment of the recording. Goldblatt’s choice of notes during his solo improvisations is continually unique and colorful, always carrying the ear to the fresh and unexpected.
Joe La Barbera on drums, gives a solid and sensitively integrated foundation for the flowing counterpoint of Plumeri and Goldblatt. His contribution to the contrapuntal texture always seems to be in complimentary dialog to the rhythmic characters displayed by the bass and piano. La Barbera’s drum solos on Beautiful Love, Autumn Leaves and Wayne Shorter’s Footprints, are beautifully displayed percussive landscapes of modern drumming.
From a professional musician’s point of view, Blue In Green is a welcome addition to the milestone jazz recordings of the past which have given us, not only a new approach to an instrument, but an additional and valid personality to the established voices of Jazz. If you are someone who appreciates the arrival of a new and unique voice, presented in a high level musical environment, I strongly recommend this recording.
