Artist: Michael Feinberg
Album: Blues Variant
Label: Criss Cross Jazz
Year Of Release: 2023
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Tracklist:
1. Blues Variant (4:11)
2. Saqqara (6:03)
3. High or Booze (3:58)
4. The Healing Power of Grits (4:35)
5. Eye of the Hurricane (4:58)
6. The Water Brouht Us, The Water Spirit Will Take Us Home (5:51)
7. Gather Power (5:28)
8. Improvisation (For Leslie) (4:26)
9. Cycle Song (4:43)
10. Year of Ox (5:37)
Personnel:
Michael Feinberg: bass
Noah Preminger: saxophone
Nasheet Waits: drums
Leo Genovese: piano
Dave Liebman: saxophone (on 5, 6 and 7)
An intriguing element of Michael Feinberg’s superb Criss Cross debut is that the leader could easily have titled it “Bassist In The Background” (fans of Duke Ellington’s wonderful 1960 LP Pianist In The Background will know what we mean.)
Throughout ‘Blues Variant’ – which includes six tunefully percolating originals by Feinberg, one by tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, and one by pianist Leo Genovese – the 35-year-old bass maestro hews to the mantra, “If you want to hear me solo, come to a gig, where I often play a solo on every tune”.
The album was recorded January 17, 2022 at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in NY. Recording engineer Mike Marciano also did the editing, mixing and mastering at Systems Two in NY.
