CONTRABAJO BAND
Double bassist, composer, arranger, and producer Pablo Aslan has released an exciting collection of tunes that offer insight to both his instrument and the way his Argentinian roots inform the works. With Gabriel Senanes’s glorious arrangements meeting at the exciting juncture of jazz and tango, Contrabajo — Works for Bass and String Quartet is a daring project for both Aslan and his collaborators. Recorded in Buenos Aires and New York, Contrabajo features on most tracks the extraordinary Petrus Quartet (Cuarteto Petrus), all four members of whom are prominent members of the two orchestras of the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, one of the most important opera houses in the world. Along with Pablo Saraví, violín; Hernán Briático, violín; Adrián Felizia, viola; and Gloria Pankaeva, violoncello are the scintillating Cuban clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera — on Aslan’s new take on his own composition “Tanguajira” — and Uruguyan bandoneón master Raúl Jaurena, who arranged and adds heat to the tango classic “La Cumparsita.” With this extensive esthetic and expressive assortment, Contrabajo also contains new arrangements of classic works, two of my favorite cuts, Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Prelude No. 1” and Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday.” Original compositions written for this CD include Roger Davidson’s “Tango Para Cuerdas,” Alexis Cuadrado’s “Reflejos,” and Gabriel Senanes’ mini-concerto “Riendo Suelto.”
Aslan writes extensive liner notes with a summarized genesis of each of the 10 tracks. He wrote, ‘“I have a very eclectic taste in music. I’ve played jazz, Latin jazz, and works from the symphonic repertoire, but also chamber music, free improvisation, Broadway shows, and Top 40 songs. Even within tango I have a broad range. I’ve played tango for dancers and accompanied singers, but also played Nuevo Tango and, of course, tango jazz. That’s the story I‘ve wanted to reflect in this recording, and while doing that, I’ve also wanted to show the potential of my instrument, not just to provide the foundation in a piece, but to sing a melody or drive the rhythm.”
Contrabajo — Works for Bass and String Quartet
Soundbrush Records
10 tracks | 53:40 | released November 15, 2018
available at Amazon and iTunes
