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New Album: Scott Petito, Many Worlds
Scott Petito, Many Worlds…
Bassist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Scott Petito reimagines the retro jazz universe among all–stars on Many Worlds.
Scott Petito is a bassist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer with an exemplary career under his belt. He has recorded and produced an eclectic pool of legends including Chick Corea, John Scofield, Dave Brubeck and Keith Richards, to name a few. With credits stretching over a thousand recordings, Petito’s impressive slate of experience shines in his compositional efforts. This deftness became evident on his 2018 melting pot of a masterpiece, Rainbow Gravity. It is endured on his latest excursion, Many Worlds, due out February 24, 2023 via Planet Arts.
Rhythms bounce between genres instinctively on this new enterprise, a conceptual sequel to Rainbow Gravity. Both albums source inspiration from quantum physics. The interplay of musicians is much like the quantum dance between infinite time and space.
Petito’s Many Worlds, exists in a universe filled with cyclones, clouds and great and sudden change. Daring and imaginative, Petito takes these flights alongside a top tier lineup, including saxophonist Bob Mintzer, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, trumpeter Randy Brecker, drummers Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine and Omar Hakim, percussionists Mino Cinelu and Bashiri Johnson, pianists Rachel Z Hakim and Kevin Hays, bassist Larry Grenadier and vocalist Anna Maria Jopek.
Created amid the staggering standstill of the 2020 pandemic, Many Worlds was an opportunity for the bandleader to craft and curate meticulously. A skilled producer and engineer, he capitalized on recording remotely during this time. The result is an internationally-lauded band of friends that would have otherwise been unable to gather in a single studio. Notable on Many Worlds is Petito’s expertise in tailoring each composition to his world-class bandmates.
As a musician and composer, he strives for a sense of timelessness and design. The title track “Many Worlds” is an effective example. Petito’s bass and layered electronics capture the feeling of spacious grandeur. “The experience of playing and listening to music can suspend us and yet at the same time sweep us away to new places with infinite possibilities. That relationship between music and our very essence of being always struck me as the most human of experiences,” he adds.
At times an homage to the works of Miles Davis, Weather Report, Chick Corea and others, Many Worlds connects to an inspiring period of jazz during the ‘70s. The scintillating developments at that time would lay a historic bedrock for the evolving scene of jazz fusion. “Many Worlds is not nostalgia but a reimagining of that period,” Petito explains. This idea influenced his choice of personnel, as many of the musicians on this record were directly involved in the evolving jazz scene of the 1970s and 80’s.
Musically, one of the unique elements of this album is that each track has a different ensemble. Due to the nature of remote recording, Petitio was able to call exactly who he envisioned to bring the tracks to life. As a result, each composition is in itself a microcosm of style and expression. Album opener “Dabwala,” a Latin-inspired original groove held down by Steve Gadd on drums, defends this sentiment. Acclaimed Polish vocalist, Anna Maria Jopek, contributes a jubilant and energized vocal performance followed by an expressive and buoyant EWI solo from Bob Mintzer. Rachel Z Hakim follows on piano before passing back to Petito for a piccolo bass solo on the ride out.
On “The Alchemist” Randy Brecker contributes a haunting trumpet to a groove reminiscent of Bill Laswell with a dose of Domi and JD Beck. The rhythm section of Omar Hakim, Rachel Z Hakim, Petito and Mino Cinelu simmers throughout this atmospheric piece.
Petito honors the legacy of late piano icon Lyle Mays on his arrangement of the Mays original “Close to Home.” Recorded not long after Mays’ passing in 2020, the track rallies a seasoned cast for the rendition. Rachel Z Hakim, Peter Erskine and Mike Mainieri form a salient and chilling tribute to the longstanding member of the Pat Metheny Group, forging Petito’s most wistful planet within this sonic cosmos.
The placid title track constructs a temporary trance before the pace increases with “Bombogenesis”. An indication that a stronger, more powerful storm is looming, the climatic term is commonly referred to as a “bomb cyclone,” meaning the atmospheric pressure has dropped. It’s not a coincidence that Petito’s stirring instrumental cyclone is stationed at the heart of Many Worlds, a composition that is more outstanding than disastrous. “Mr. Peanut” ensues in celebration of survival, offering a harmonious post-storm conversation where Kevin Hays, Mainieri, Gadd and Mintzer all shine as soloists.
One of the most powerful elements of Many Worlds is the band itself. This album pools a myriad of experience, expertise and master stylists to craft something delicate and soulfully resonant. “They are among the best who have ever played modern music,” Petito shares. “I am so lucky to have worked with every one of them in various configurations over my career as a musician and producer. They make it easy.”
Parsing through the physics of nature and eternity,Scott Petitoprovides clarity to terms that are otherwise bewildering. A sensational experience presenting consummate performance and thought, Many Worlds is a challenge as much as it is a gift. As Petito emplores listeners to maintain hold of the past, he asks that we continue to reach forward with him, boundlessly.
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes…
It is always great to meet a super busy bassist who simply exudes a love for music and his instrument. Erick “Jesus” Coomes fits this description exactly. Hailing from Southern California, “Jesus” co-founded and plays bass for Lettuce and has found his groove playing with numerous other musicians.
Join us as we hear of his musical journey, how he gets his sound, his ongoing projects, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Bob Forte
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www.lettucefunk.com
IG @jesuscsuperstar
FB@jesuscoomes
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Bass Videos
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
“These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
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Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
