by Pico
Acoustic bassist Harvie S has appeared on over 350 recordings for a very good reason. He has an unshakeable sense of swing, a flawless tone and otherworldly dexterity on his instrument. For a example of his amazing technique, just eyeball the video I embedded in a recent review of a Carol Morgan record. I can only shake my head every time I watch that. This guy is the consummate bass player.
Before Massachusetts native Harvie S even moved to New York City, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Mose Allison and Stan Kenton were already calling on his bass services. Since then, he’s worked with an even more amazing lineup of jazz stars: Chick Corea, John Scofield, Michael Brecker, Mike Stern and Sheila Jordan. Last year we examined a record he recorded with the elite jazz pianist Kenny Barron more than twenty years earlier, a record that rightly received wide acclaim upon its 2008 release. That record was a fine representation of Harvie’s ability to interface one-on-one with a piano maestro playing standards, much as he’s mastered duets with with a top vocalist like Jordan. His next release Cocolamus Bridge, out this past April, shows what he can do in a larger, six piece group performing mostly Harvie S originals. This time, Harvie brings in his “Texas” band in the studio with him to record these pieces, an experienced bunch from the Houston area consisting of Chris Cortez (guitar), Woody Witt (saxophones), Jose Miguel Yamal (piano), Joel Fulgham (drums) and James Metcalfe (percussion).
But before the band plays with him, Harvie begins the album by himself on an Irish traditional tune “Eili Gheal Chiuin,” a song he re-imagines as a whole bowed bass section backing up his dulcet, tone-perfect plucked bass. Already, Harvie is stepping beyond the boundaries of jazz in pursuit of a folkish melody played beautifully on an instrument that a scant few outside of Charlie Haden can do this well.
“Cocolamus Bridge” follows, where the rest of the band joins in. Not normally the kind of song you would find near the beginning of the track listing, this song is deliberate, somber and slow tempoed. But here again, Harvie finds richness in the spacing of the notes and uses circular bass patterns to create a harmony so well defined, it competes with the thematic lines stated by Cortez and Witt without having to be overt about it. The pace picks up some for “Courage”, a song of subtly shifting rhythms and a coherently flowing melody. Harvie, Witt and Cortez all contribute solos that serves this song well.
“Coco Loco” is a percussive Latin number that’s a good showcase for Cortez’s six-string skills, followed by Wayne Shorter’s “Night Dreamer.” Everyone but Harvie and Witt sits out for this one, taking a fresh new approach to the pensive song with some meaningful, two-way musical conversation. “To Bea,” like the album as a whole, is dedicated to Harvie’s mother, and is a light, jaunty samba. “Ike (Take A Hike)” makes it two Brazilian jazz tunes in a row, but this one has snappier percussion work and a horn chart with which Witt solos around effectively. “Truth And Beauty” completes the program with a softly soulful theme, carried out by Witt’s soprano sax.
Harvie S has a long established reputation as one of jazz’s premier sidemen bass players, but with now thirteen albums going back to 1980, he has a underrated ability as a leader who can write standout songs that leverage his bass playing skills and gives other players a stake in the songs, too. Those are the attributes that make Cocolamus Bridge a fine record with which to explore Harvie S as the complete artist.
Cocolamus Bridge comes to us courtesy of Blue Bamboo Music. Visit Harvie S’s website here.
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