CD Review: Jason Raso – Man of 40 Faces

CD Review: Jason Raso – Man of 40 Faces…

Jason Raso is, simply, one of my favorite bassist-composers working today. So, it is my humble pleasure to review his predominately solo 6-string outing, Man of 40 Faces! Though this is a heretofore-unheard format for Jason, he and his gorgeous tone sway and swoon nimbly across his fretted (Furlanetto) F Bass with the ease of a master surgeon! The release opens with the 4-part Suite Smell Of Success that also encompasses the title track. The track “That Tropical Island Mood” gets my vote for “cool tune on the CD” as it features a beautifully placed melody that’s somewhere sounds somewhere between tapped and hammered. Very cool approach to melody, Jason!

The first composition that features another player is the “White Russian Waltz”, and the featured player is the great Francesco Pinetti on mallets! Yes! Perfect. Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon is featured on thumb-style delivery of “Stone Cold Liberation”, and the great Alan Caron adds his horn-like fretless as he teams with Jason to deliver the delightful bass basse duet, “Blues For Rocco”.

In all, this is a very, very well produced and well-played collection of great tunes that I recommend highly! Amazingly, after several listening to this CD several times, I am not bored in the least! Jason can hold your attention and give you a reason to run to the practice shed! Again… simply delightful!

Must hear tunes: ALL OF THEM! That Tropical Island Mood, White Russian Waltz, Blues For Rocco, Stone Cold Liberation…

Visit online at jasonrasomusic.com