Bassist Ian Underwood’s Newest Project – Help, I Lost My Body by Joshua Barnhart

Bassist Ian Underwood’s Newest Project – Help, I Lost My Body… NYC bassist Ian Underwood’s newest project ‘Help, I Lost My Body’ is a strong first step forward in to the Modern Jazz and Fusion realm for a young musician. On this project Ian surrounds himself with a trio of great young musicians. Melissa Aldana on saxophone, Juan Ospina on piano, and Devin Collins on drums.

‘Ian, age 12, originally from western Connecticut picked up the bagpipes and the bass pretty much simultaneously. The Vast Majority of his musical Studies were dedicated to the pipes, which He still teaches and plays professionally today. When Ian was 15 he got serious about the bass, starting studying jazz and harmony. Ian attended Berklee College of Music from 2005-2009, where he studied under the likes of John Lockwood, Oscar Stagnaro, and Esperanza Spalding, graduating cum laude.’

The sound from the beginning of this album is more modern in that it avoids the straight ahead swing of the 60’s, but is still very organic carrying the real heart of Jazz. Ian really plays the role of bassist on this album, and because he has such a stellar cast around him you feel that the load is equally shared between all the players. Each of the solos on this album is very tasteful and expressive.

The album explores the true idea of fusion, combining various genres with jazz. The second track on the album, ‘The Doinklesphere’ has a very Flecktones country/jazz fusion feel while many of the other tracks employ various rock ostinatos that’ll get stuck in your head such as the track ‘Nooblique’. Ian’s compositions explore the many different styles of jazz’s history. At some points it sounds very modern, and then suddenly you can almost hear Sinatra singing over the top of the B sections.

Visit online at www.ianunderwoodbass.com