DeepTonesForPeace (Kadima, 2010) ****

So far two albums were played by double bass quartets, William Parker's "Requiem" for four basses, in memory of Peter Kowald and Wilber Morris, with Henry Grimes, Sirone and Alan Silva, and with Charles Gayle on sax, and "For all it is", with  Barry Guy, Barre Phillips, J.F.Jenny-Clark, Palle Danielson, accompanied by Stu Martin on percussion.

Now JC Jones, a bass-player from Israel, and the boss of the Kadima label, and William Parker stretch it even further, with no less than fifteen bass players, playing together in two different locations over the internet, without being "compromised" by other instruments.

In Jerusalem, the musicans are Thierry Barbe (France), Mark Dresser (USA), Irina-Kalina Goudeva (Bulgaria/Denmark),Chi-chi Nwanoku (UK), Michael Klinghoffer (Israel),  Bertram Turetzky (USA), J.C. Jones (Israel), Barre Phillips (USA/France),

In New York, the musicians are Trevor Dunn (USA),  Henry Grimes (USA), Lindsey Horner (USA), Rufus Reid (USA),William Parker (USA),  David Phillips (USA), Sarah Weaver (USA).

The purpose of the meeting is to create a movement for peace in the Middle-East.  As William Parker writes in the liner notes "Philosophically, it is about making a commitment and truly believing that the music that we are doing can really bring about balance in the world".

The music is more than just dark and deep rumbling as you might expect. The long movements come and go like waves, but there is the occasional arco solo, jazzy or classical, or a common reduction of the volume, or explorations on the basis of a dissonant phrase, some sudden pizzi changing the course of the music again, .... or some sad and melancholy bowing over a backdrop of a mourning bass choir, It is more than just a political statement for peace. It is also worth listening to with shifting colors and shades of sound, pitch and volume.

But it is all more than just a CD + DVD, carefully produced and with a nice full-color booklet, it is also an ongoing project, with bassists playing their pieces for peace at regular intervals. Go to DeepTonesForPeace for more information.

DeepTonesForPeace will be performing on October 8 at the International Double Bass Convention in Berlin, Germany. 

An excerpt from the DVD can be viewed here.

William Parker ends his introduction with the following sentence : "May deep tones for peace echo and resound across the universe".

We hope they do.

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© stef