PETER HERBERT - Naked Bass (Buzo Records 508356/Austria) This is the second incredible solo contrabass offering from the Austrian bassist Peter Herbert, who also lives in NYC some of the time and tour constantly. Peter composed 10 of the 15 pieces here, with contributions from fellow bassists Mark Helias, Joelle Leandre and Mark Dresser, as well as pieces by Marcel Khalife and Alexandre Tannous. This disc is well recorded, the bass sounds warm and naked, as in completely acoustic. Each piece tells a little story and deals with a different approach to the bass. I love the way Peter taps on the bass as if it were a percussion instrument. His bowing also has a magical resonance, with notes ringing or humming in the air. What I like most is that all of these pieces have a
most melodic sensibility, none are too "out there" to scare the somewhat more conservative listener. Each of the five pieces by other composers, give an idea of what each of their sound(s) is/are like, without sounding too much like them. An interesting challenge for Mr. Herbert, who still sounds like himself, yet is always evolving and searching for something new. I especially like
Joelle Leandre's "for Peter H.", which moves in mysterious ways and features some eerie bowing and intense plucking. Mark Dresser's "for Glen Moore" is another delight, it is animated work for the great bassist from the group Oregon. A tour-de-force for its entire 54 minute duration. - BLG

CD $14