Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Giovanni Maier: The Talking Bass

Giovanni Maier: The Talking Bass

By Mark Corroto
December 2, 2010
View read count

Students of jazz have long known that the bassist can be the hippest musician on the bandstand, constantly listening, and rarely featured. That's why, when a first class bassist like Giovanni Maier gets a chance to lead and present his compositions, it should be a special event. That is just what The Talking Bass is: a vehicle to feature not only his playing, but his writing as well.

Maier is a constant sideman to the likes of

Stefano Battaglia

piano
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Stefano Battaglia, Daniele Cavallanti, and

Enrico Rava

trumpet
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Enrico Rava, and is a member of the

Italian Instabile Orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Italian Instabile Orchestra. Where his previous recording with featured guitarist

Marc Ribot

guitar
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Marc Ribot, Technicolor (Long Sound, 2008), was a detonation of electricity, this session creates its sparks acoustically.

Naturally, the recording features Maier's colossal sound both plucked and bowed. Opening the disc in a multitracked duet with himself, Maier extends his energies as an umbrella over the session. On the next eight tracks he is joined by violinist Emanuele Parrini and trumpeter Luca Calabrese, plus Los Angeles band leader/drummer/

Nels Cline

guitar, electric
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Nels Cline sideman,

Scott Amendola

drums
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Scott Amendola. The quartet presents a mix of energized compositions and attention grabbing free jazz, all regulated by Maier's touch.

Maier writes lengthy pieces that reshape themselves organically. The fury of "Disk Dosk" finds Maier and Amendola churning white water under the applied soloing of Parrini's violin, then Calabrese's agreeable trumpet steps away from Maier's bowed solo into the restyled and agreeable atmosphere, playing with businesslike precision with Parrini. These sliding and shifting themes should be familiar to fans of bassist

Mario Pavone

bass
1940 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Mario Pavone, and Maier makes great use of his penchant for adjustment.

He also writes bebop phrases, as in the swinging "Leroy Vinegar," with a sometime scampish swagger, or "Wrong Is Right, where Amendola is given leave for an outlandish drum solo. The band plays a bit open and free on "Due Cellule" and adds some effects (via Amendola) with "Pampaluna."

A solid session, made all the better knowing it was all recorded as first takes. Impressive.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

The Talking Bass; Disk Dosk; Crayon Rouge; Due Cellule; Pamppalune; El Manda; Soft Transitions; Leroy Vinnegar; Wrong Is Wrong.

Personnel

Giovanni Maier

bass, acoustic

Giovanni Maier: double-bass; Emanuele Parrini: violin, viola; Luca Calabrese: trumpet, flugelhorn; Scott Amendola: drums.

Album information

Title: The Talking Bass | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Long Song

PREVIOUS / NEXT

To Walk In The Past
< Previous

There's a Storm Inside
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.