“Since it’s been 15 years since pianist Dave Bass began recording again, it’s not essential that we dwell long on his unique musical journey, where a wrist fracture (from a slip and fall on the way to a gig) sidelined him from playing for several decades. Yet it’s fascinating to think how many lives outside the music realm he was able to touch in his lengthy interim career as a prominent lawyer, which culminate in a California 2009 Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. Hopefully some of the folks he met in the legal profession have become fans of his incredible subsequent recordings, which now include Trio Nuevo (2024) and its even more compelling (if that’s possible!) sequel, Trio Nuevo Vol. 2.
Having done many gigs with the versatile, kick ass rhythm section of Tyler Miles (bass) and Steve Helfland (drum), Bass has noticed that “our playing has gotten even tighter. There’s almost a telepathic connection between us now.” That dynamically intuitive relationship allows them to create a multitude of interesting moods, from the dark, haunting elegant asking of “Questions” through the frenetic rhythmic shifts and surreal piano and drum solos of the enigmatically titled “Trinkle Tinkle” - whose arrangement is based on a 1954 Monk album.
Seems everyone likes to refer to full length albums as their own unique journeys, but on Vol. 2, the Trio Nuevo takes that concept quite literally (twice!), first on the playful and plucky, increasingly dramatic eight and a half minute romp “Latin Journey” (based on three previously existing pieces, including Bass’ own “Mi Montuno”) and a hypnotic, exciting “Journey With Bach,” which seamlessly melds excerpts from “Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor” and “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue” as a springboard for improvisation.
Likewise, the collection begins with a wild, fast swimging mashup of another Bass original, “Legrand” and Wayne Shorter’s Lester Young homage, “Lester Left Town.” If Vol. 2 needed a subtitle, it could be “Fools Rush In.” The title of the tender, soulful ballad “Heart Above My Head” comes from one of Johnny Mercer’s classic lines in that song, and the trio later reworks the full song with a sensual samba flair.”
—Jonathan Widran (May 4)
“Pianist and composer Dave Bass leads a dynamic ensemble featuring bassist Tyler Miles and drummer Steve Helfand through a vibrant exploration of jazz textures and rhythms on Trio Nuevo, Vol 2. Unlike his previous effort, this production does not include vocalists, but focuses on the trio which moves effortlessly between lyrical ballads, hard-swinging passages, and Latin-infused grooves, all tied together by Bass’s sophisticated harmonic sensibilities. The set is a nice mix of mostly original compositions by Bass with some nicely constructed arrangements of tunes Bud Powell, Wayne Shorter, Lennie Tristano, Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom. The synergy between the musicians and the music results in a recording that offers a fresh perspective on the art of the piano trio.”
—The Jazz Page
“Dave Bass likes to quote legendary cellist Pablo Casals who, when was ask why he continued to practice at age 90, said, Because I think I’m making progress.
Bass is a long way from 90, but the veteran pianist and composer maintains a rigorous practice routine despite his many accomplishments. His newest album, Trio Buevo, Vol. 2 reveals a artist at the top of his form.
Trio Nuevo, Vol. 2 is Bass’s eighth project as a leader and follows his 2023 release Trio Nuevo. Like the first album, Vol. 2 encompasses styles ranging from pop to Bach to bebop and comprises a mix of originals and standards. The band on the two Trio Nuevo albums is the same, with Tyler Miles and Steve Hefland on drums.
1. Legrand/Lester Left Town
2. Heart Above My Head
3. Frevo
4. Melquíades
5. Latin Journey
6. Questions
7. Trinkle Twinkle
8. Fools Rush In
9. Dance Of The Infidels
10. Journey With Bach
11. Lennie’s Pennies
This vibrantly soulful new recording opens on the fervently supple Legrand/Lester Left Town and then we get the luxuriant Heart Above My Head, the sprightly Frevo and both the resplendent Melquíades and the aptly-entitled Latin Journey are then brought forth.
Along next is the languishing beauty found within Questions and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the flirtatiously-arced Trinkle Twinkle, a dutiful confidence of Fools Rush In and the bountiful Dance Of The Infidels, the set rounding out on the veritably anthemic Journey With Bach, closing on the melodiously propelled Lennie’s Pennies.
—Anne Carlini
“It's a couple of years since I last reviewed a Dave Bass album which was unimaginatively titled The Trio - Vol 3. The title was the only thing unimaginative – music-wise it was tremendous.
This latest release is by a different trio, so The Trio becomes Trio Neuvo, no explanation needed except to say that this is another pièce de résistance from a pianist who seems to be on a roll.
Miles and Helfand are given their fair share of exposure which they take showing sympathy to their surroundings rather than opening their box of tricks to show how clever they are. Like Dumas' musketeers it's 'one for all and all for one' which is the way it should be - something Oscar, Art and some other pianists didn't always remember.
The material is a strange mish mash (and I use the phrase as both explanatory and complimentary) of new and old. Bass' own Legrand entwines with Wayne Shorter's Lester Left Town to become Legrand/Lester Left Town. Clever eh? Bass liked Johnny Mercer's lyric from Fools Rush in and extracted the phrase Heart Above my Head as the title of one of his own compos. A few tracks down the line he plays the original and keeps the title and the lawyers from his door.
Particularly impressive is the makeover he gives to JSB's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and the same guy's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue. Bass calls it “Journey With Bach,” and it's a roller coaster of a ride.
There's more, there's pieces by Monk, Bud Powell and Lennie Tristano plus some Latin numbers and originals all compulsive listening played by an excellent trio. Lance
Legrand/Lester Left Town; Heart Above my Head; Frevo; Melquíades; Latin Journey; Questions; Trinkle Tinkle; Fools Rush in; Dance of the Infidels; Journey With Bach; Lennie's Pennies
—Bebop Spoken Here (UK) by Lance Liddle
“Fourteen years ago, when Dave Bass recorded his first albums, he was working with singers and horn players including Phil Woods, Conrad Herwig, Ernie Watts, Ted Nash and Ignacio Berroa. These initial recordings found their way to the top of the JazzWeek Radio Charts. When he released an album called “Gone” featuring vocalist Mary Stallings, the stellar reviews continued. Other albums followed like “No Boundaries” in 2019 and “NYC Sessions in 2015, that was named one of the “Best Albums” of that year. In 2021, Bass switched up and adopted the trio format.
“I think playing in a trio is one of the most challenging situations for a musician,” Bass said in his press package. “But it’s also perhaps the most satisfying configuration, because you can really develop a kind of telepathy with other musicians,” he concluded.
It’s a joy to listen to Dave Bass. His mastery of technique paints each tune with vivid colors. Back in the day, Bass was soaking up the creative lifestyle of San Francisco, playing a lot of Latin music and jazz until the mid-1980s. At that point, a horrible accident changed his life and upended his career as a popular and prolific pianist. The injury to his wrist caused him to desert his love of piano and choose a legal career. In 1992, he joined a prestigious law firm and in 1996, Dave Bass accepted the position of Deputy Attorney General in the California Office of the Attorney General. This led him to join the Civil Rights Enforcement taskforce. He hadn’t even considered playing piano again until, in 2005, while attending a friendly house party, people at the get-together encouraged him to play solo piano, when the hired band took a break. It was the first time he recognized that his broken wrist had healed and that he still had the talent and ability to play piano and entertain. This led him to return to the music industry.
This trio opens with a tune titled “LeGrand/Lester Left Town” that is a medley mix of a Wayne Shorter composition and a Dave Bass original.
—L.A. Jazz Scene by Dee Dee McNeil