Customer Reviews

ECM Touchtones: Bass Desires

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I cannot believe that no one has reviewed this seminal work until now. Everytime I listen I am mesmerized by the compositions and how they source the finest inventions of John Scofield and Bill Frisell. The improvisational ideas here are continually absorbing and evoke multiple, deep and personal moods and desires. These feelings are suspended by the perfect synergy of Scofield's incredible structurings and Frisell's astonishing guitar synthesizer. I often concentrate on Marc Johnson's or Peter Erskine's lines just to enjoy new surprises. The last time I felt this way about a group was John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. Bass Desires is musical sorcery.

I've been listening to this record since the initial release, and find it consistently satisfying. The mock-power rock line-up is more than just a gimmick, it's a refreshing sound for jazz, and though little of this music actually swings - the beats are very straight, some rock, some reggae, etc. - it is most definitely jazz in conception.

The run of the first three tunes is quite astonishing and shows tremendous promise which the rest of the album doesn't deliver on, although it's still very solid. There is a sense of self-consciousness about the compositions and arranging, and Johnson conveys a seriousness throughout that could have been leavened with a touch of humor or joyous enthusiasm - this is especially true in the folk arrangement, but the imaginative choice of material and the original sound are a definite plus. A solid record.

Before the days of Amazon I bought this CD on one of my infrequent trips to a "hip" record store back in 1987. I subsequently listened to it probably at least 200 times and still return to it occasionally with great joy.

This is one of the all-time great examples of improvisatory music involving two guitars. The interplay here is just amazing. When Scofield solos on "Resolution," it just seems like Bill Frisell, Marc Johnson, and Peter Erskine are GLUED to him. Every twist and turn of his solo brings forth complimentary jabs, thrusts, and DRIVE from the rhythm section. It is truly awesome.

The first two songs are the easy standouts; "Mojo Highway" is almost as good. It's worth the purchase price (especially a used price) for those three tracks alone. The rest is not quite as engrossing but is still very good. Almost 20 years later I still think this is some of the best guitar jazz ever put down.

Yes, it's quite clear it was recorded in the late 1980s, when even JAZZ was affected by the production trend toward copious amounts of reverb. Get past that -- and this CD will reward repeated listening.

I'm in total agreement with Tom Polson's excellent review of this amazing work. On top of it, from an audiophile perspective, it's very well recorded. Johnson's bass reaches deep and shows luscious timbre. This same group reaches almost as high in another work of the same era: "Second Sight". I've been following the Marc Johnson path of late and have liked simply everything he does. He is often found working with Bill Frisell, another worthy musician to follow. Bill's huge discography is a bit more uneven than Marc's, but at times I feel that he's the best living guitar player on the planet.

I am not, by and large, a fan of 'fusion,' whether it's called that or any of the other euphemisms for bad cocktails of rock and other musical forms. I also have no use for 'smooth' jazz as the term is used.

This is one of those instances where the musicianship of the participants rises above a contrived splice of styles. Peter Erskine's infallible time, Sco's signature blowing (at a time when it was maturing from the Miles years), and Marc Johnson's virtuoso bass playing would be enough. But Bill Frisell's synthesizer guitar work is the catalyst that really makes this album a great one.

Perhaps most amazing of all is, with an electric player like Sco, AND Frisell's synthesizer guitar, the album is so utterly organic and naturual.

And from the wonky 'Samurai Hee-Haw' to the hard-swinging 'Resolution' (the Coltrane tune from 'A Love Supreme,' not the Mahavishnu song), to the ethereal 'Black is the Color,' the album has no weak spots. It's four great artists who had absolutely spectacular chemistry. The result is a rarity for 80's jazz recordings, genuine originality, variety and absolutely nothing contrived or phony.

As far as the test of time, it's been in my rotation in vinyl and then CD for roughly 15 years, and out of the thousands of albums I own, it's still one that I keep coming back to.

This is one of the better examples of jazz fusion to come out of the otherwise dead period of the 80's. Marc Johnson's songwriting, bass playing, and supporting cast blend to create a cohesive and melodic jam session of world music rhythems.

So many cultures are sampled in these compostions, Folk, Country and Western, Japanese, Blues, Funk, Indian, Reggae,

classical...you name it and it is represented somewhere on this disk. My personal fav is "Mojo Highway". A half funk/half reggae opus featuring many of Peter Erskines subtle and not so subtle drum riffs. It also features the best (of the many available) versions of John Scofield's blues classic "Thanks Again".

As typical on the ECM label the recording quality is stunning...particularly the bass response. You wanna test out your subwoofer and annoy your neighbors? Pop in this disk and let the bad neighbor relations commence.

I did not like this album when I first heard it because I was heavily into 40's - 60's Bebop and and it was very different. The record grew on me and it became one of my favorites. I have been playing jazz guitar for a long time, and my friends and I loved this record in the late 80's. I feel that nobody was more transcendantly musical than Frisell was in 86-91 (OK- Coltrane and Parker kicked some...in their times as well). I agree that Scofield and Frisell did some of there best work with this lineup. There is another with the same lineup called Second Sight ( if I remember correctly).

The two Bass Desires Albums, include Second Sight, are very special jazz albums. .... I'm frustrated that Marc Johnson has not created anything close to their quality since then. I'd rate Samarai Hee-Haw one of the best fusion guitar tunes ever created, period. Bill Frisell and John Scofield excel in a uniquely interactive setting, with Marc setting the tone throughout. Then, to top it off, Peter Erskine puts in an incredible and classy performance on drums. Bass Desires is simply one of those classic jazz albums that appear eery 20 years or so,

Brilliant bassist ,Marc Johnson combines with Peter Erskine,John Scofield and Bill Frisell in this ECM classic. Each player is at the height of their power. John Scofields solos on Samurai Hee-Haw and Mojo Highway are masterfull while Bill Frisell contributes some beautiful textural playing .

Bass Desires was a rather unusual group, for despite their title and the fact that leader Marc Johnson was a bassist (formerly with the Bill Evans Trio), the main voices were the contrasting guitars of Bill Frisell (who doubled on guitar synthesizer) and John Scofield; drummer Peter Erskine completed the group. This wide-ranging set has four diverse originals, Elmer Bernstein's "A Wishing Doll," a lengthy rendition of John Coltrane's "Resolution," and the folk melody "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair." The post-bop music is continually colorful, with Frisell taking honors. Review by All Music Guide.