As one of the most prolific acoustic bassists alive, Harvie S has found himself in just about every setting imaginable, but many of his finest his moments are in duets. His long, acclaimed association with Sheila Jordan comes first to mind, and not long ago he released superb sessions documenting a meeting with pianist Kenny Barron. Harvie’s uncommon ability to read the mind of his partner, his infallible sense of rhythm and a strong fealty to the melody makes him the perfect bassist with which to engage on some one-on-one.
With Plucky Strum (April 7, 2015 by Whaling City Sound), Harvie S’s long list of duo partners now includes an acoustic guitarist, and her name is Sheryl Bailey. Leader of her own organ combo the Sheryl Bailey 3, the Berklee College of Music professor has been praised by Guitar Player magazine as having a “one of the most compelling tones of her generation.” Her finger picking style blurs single-line notes and chords together and like Harvie S, she finds endless ways to work within a song structure to make it fresh.
The “strum” of the acoustic guitar with the “pluck” of an acoustic bass just seems to go together naturally; leastwise, it does when it’s Bailey doing the strumming and Harvie S doing the plucking. On these four Harvie S and six Bailey compositions, the two find an easy simpatico and a lot of swing. It’s a ‘jazz’ record mostly because of the pedigree of its participants, but can appeal to music lovers across a wide cross-section because it’s just as informed by folk, bluegrass and classical music.
So a tune like “Woods Talk” has a great theme not tightly bound to a particular style, which frees up Harvie S to play in an unusually contrapuntal style, and his lyrical solo is succeeded by Bailey’s flamenco-influenced one. “S and S,” another Bailey composition dedicated to the duo, kicks off with difficult unison lines and swings madly on a strain not too unlike “Sweet Georgia Brown.” Harvie S forms a catlike bass figure for his blues tune “Bluzin’ F” that Bailey later recycles for herself. “For Jimmy” (video above) is a ballad that Bailey dedicates to guitar great Jimmy Wyble where Harvie S does everything to make the guitarist sound better herself, alternately doubling her lines and providing perfect harmonic counterpoints in addition to delivering a bass solo that all but sings. Bailey’s own asides are richly melodic.
A treat for anyone who likes the sound of expert finger picking guitar joined to one of the best stand-up basses in the business, Plucky Strum shows how chops can be played unselfishly to make the other musician — and the music itself — sound at its best.
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