Parallels

Just as his basslines never stay within the limits of the obvious, so Joe Sanders’ life as a bassist, composer, band-leader and educator has never followed the single, most discernible pathway A Midwest native, he’s studied and played jazz on the opposite coasts of California and New York: a master of the acoustic bass, he’s equally at home producing in the digital realm; embedded deep in the living tradition of American jazz; and living, teaching and creating in Europe. All these separate strands come together on his third headline release, ‘Parallels’. The album presents a set of live recordings from a dream line-up that matches the leader’s full-bodied acoustic bass presence with Seamus Blake, Logan Richardson and Gregory Hutchinson in performances that capture all the daring and drive of the East coast scene. Alongside them is a set of studio self-productions with guests Jure Pukl and Taylor Eigisti that capture the laid-back dreamy adventurousness of the West Coast. It’s all filtered through Joe’s uniquely quizzical, questing persona, which unifies all the elements into a thrillingly unpredictable whole, like parallel tracks that head towards the same destination. ‘Parallels’ showcases the diversity of Joe Sanders’ musicality, yet there’s a unity of purpose and intent that makes a compelling whole. “I believe that records are a way to show where you are and show where you’re going. All of this is a challenge for me to express the capability of something I’ve been learning, because that’s what growth is all about. I feel really confident with this one because it’s all of my music here: not just jazz, not just inside, not just outside – putting all the sides together in parallel.” A1. dualities A2. Gran’ma B1. j’ai B2. la vie sur la terre C1. Parallels C2. Amalfi C3. aligned D1. the rise and fall of pipokuhn D2. orangebleu D3. D.H.