BRINGING IT DOWN TO THE BASS

As an unapologetic bass fetishist, just the name Tony Levin conjures up a wide palette of sounds and images, deeply entrenched in the nearly 60-year-old history of rock music. Arguably among the lengthiest resumes ever, this classically trained maestro of the low end's career has featured on such a multitude of recordings, most of them well known and some less so, that the mind tends to get boggled. Throw in longtime associations with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, and one can only marvel at the quality of his craft. Whether dancing with a fretless or his prized Chapman Stick, chop stick add-ons notwithstanding, the man has also human credentials to boot. Getting along with, let's say, "brooding" talents like Peter or Robert is a rare gift in the ego-laden rock world, to say the least. His solo albums have clearly been both executed and received by the critical audience as fun projects, with finesse and this latest one is the finest (pun)of the lot. 'I had a dream', once long ago, that one day, I will finally hear an album where the unfairly timid bass is now up front, and in your face, reverberating its sonic genius for all to hear. There are only 2 main instruments that can be regarded as both melodic and rhythmic, connecting the two in perfect harmony and intent, the piano and the bass guitar. Lots of cool guests, many diverse tracks and all kinds of hints and nods to his past repertoire, like the mini-barber shop quartet reprise on the comical "Side B/Turn it Over".

Those long gnarly fingers get the ball rolling on the percolating, brass-infected groove of the opener and title track, setting the mood and the standard to follow. With Manu Katche handling the kit, Tony has a partner he knows well. The axe solo by Dominic Miller sets a fire under the smoking arrangement, with a burly organ rant from his brother Peter, both of whom know Tony well. An Alex Foster sax flurry finishes off the show. Jazzier realms on the lullaby spotlight "Me and My Axe" where the bald man shows that a bass can lead the waltz without skipping a beat, and when Steve Hunter (another pal from way back, when rain drops fell on a blue car) suavely partners his six sexy strings with a bluesy approach, actually dueting back and forth, while the organ slithers along like a jealous lover. Larry Fast and Jerry Marotta also keep the musical umbrella handy. Life on the long road has been no problem for Tony as he has enjoyed his travels immensely, being a photographer and keeping a diary, according to interviews I read, but "Road Dogs" quickly veers into a long, effortless prog groove before switching to a nasty, growling the title endlessly. 'You wanna rock n roll? ', get down greasy and bark at the moon? Okay then!

Tony gets funky as well as "sticky" on the appropriately titled "Uncle Funster", displaying a dazzling whirlwind of notes on both the Chapman and his usual implement, with the tremendous Vinnie Colaiuta bashing away on his kit like the madman that he is. The atmosphere gets the roof raised on the loud and proud "Boston Rocks" with Gary Husband on the keys and Mike Portnoy on the drums, bashing along in a frenzy before unexplainably, landing in an ethereal pool of soft voice and serene sounds. The punkoid guitar of Earl Slick sears like a chainsaw in delectable intransigeance before settling into meditation. "Espressoville" winks at an earlier Italian coffee named solo album, a perfectly timed return for the brassy jazzy rock the man is good at. The legendary Steve Gadd is on drums, the only musician I can think of who may have an even longer resume, while Joe Caro torches his fiery guitar like his life depended on it. A bluesy, rock n roll ditty with an uncommon purchase: Its not jello, it's a cello, as the man tells the story. "Give the Cello Some" is fun, fun, fun, brother Peter unleashing a gusty and lusty keyboard assault. The two Levins have played together forever, still having joy to express is priceless.

The basso profundo master (as Gabriel once described him in concert) likes to show his experimental side, as all that time with the Fripp should rub off on anyone. "Beyond the Bass Clef" is a sheer delight, a both calm and tortuous promenade on the neck that is exalting, with L. Shankar's violin and Colin Gatwood's oboe and horn also getting spotlight features. Things get elastique, athletique and diabolique on the cleverly named "Bungie Bass", a track that has a definite KC feel, as there is a ton of mayhem going on with the oblique guitar of David Torn and Pat Mastelotto's usual jungle pulse doing a fair amount of ear damage. But what Levin does to his coiling bass is just plain incredible, and the cello solo, invincible! A killer track. Another change of pace on the sorrowful "Fire Cross the Sky", a respectfully hushed homage to a recently departed musician (John Lennon?), a sensitive solo voice and stick as the only accompaniment. A noteworthy twinkle twinkle little star sensation.

Frippertronics arrive on "Floating in Dark Waters", Tony's fingers travelling along the bass giraffe's neck like a snake searching for a higher altitude. Rubbery brilliance, moody atmospherics with a tinge of omen in the background. Experimenting in spectral sounds. "On the Drums" is a hyper cute vocal introduction of a long list of drummers Levin has played with, most if not all known to me, so I felt in comfortable surround sound. The way he repeats Marotta and Bruford in particular is funny and highly entertaining. As I had mentioned at the outset, he is classically taught, so why not lower the curtain with a delightful "Coda", a bass and piano (also cited prior) symbiosis that does the entire album justice as it's a perfect and brief finale.

Just plain wonderful, a treat in every sense of the term. 5 low-end elevators

As Tony said, this album is about bass and all the kinds of bass he had over the years, which "each has his unique sound and feel, tone and touch, color and character." This album was made with musicians who work with him, including more than 6 drummers.

The sound of the bass as the overall sound of the music here is perfect. After being part of different bands, I was expecting a variety of styles of music in this 14 songs album.

"Bringing Down to the Bass" has a jazz feel with sax and trumpet, and we immediately identify the bass sound of Tony. "Me and My Axe" is a smooth song with a beautiful bass sound. The guitar keeps the mood alive as the delicate keyboard line. In "Road Dogs," the pace picks up in a rock style, and Tony uses a variety of bass. "Uncle Funkster" shows a duel between Tony and Vinnie Colaiuta, funky style. "Boston Rocks" is another rock track with some singing and a little King Crimson influence here. "Expresoville" brings the jazz feel. with trumpet and trombone. We are treated to a nice and dreamy bass break. "Give the Cello Some" has a classical tone with the cello, but this is not a classical song. It's a typical rock song, nothing groundbreaking, but the main highlight is the organ part by Peter Levin. "Side B/ Turn it Over" is a vocal song and cool performance from Tony that is a nod to Queen. The bass sound here is seductive. "Beyond the Bass Cliff" is a beautiful soundscape adventure with violin, keys, horn, and bass; no drums here. Perfect! "Bungie Bass" is another song and another bass. Here we can hear David Torn's guitar sound with some nice interplay between guitar and bass. In "Fire Cross the Sky", Tony uses his stick, sings, or almost talks. The melody here puts you in a hypnotic mood. After we have an ambiance track with Robert Fripp, not my kind of music. "On the Drums" is a fun song where Tony gives a thank you to some musicians he has worked with, and he succeeds by making it a song. This one deserves a big bass 4 stars.

I am not sure what there is left to say about Tony Levin, except that he is one of the most highly regarded bass and stick players in the world, which is why he managed to get the following involved with his first solo album since 2007: Robert Fripp, Vinnie Colaiuta, Earl Slick, Mike Portnoy, Steve Gadd, Jerry Marotta, Gary Husband, L. Shankar, Pete Levin, Jeremy Stacey, David Torn, Pat Mastelotto, Larry Fast, Steve Hunter, Manu Katche, Alex Foster, Dominic Miller, Markus Reuter, Chris Pasin, Collin Gatwood, Josh Shpak, and Don Mikkelsen. The vast number of guests only play on one track, although his brother Pete plays on a few more while Jerry Marotta and Gary Husband are also involved more than the rest. The booklet is wonderful, a collection of photos and text as Tony talks about his friends, the instruments, what has happened to them and what tracks he uses them for on this.

Tony also provides vocals on the tracks which have them, and this is where his sense of humour really shines through on songs such as "Side B / Turn It Over" which is primarily multi-tracked vocals and a tiny section of bass which is not what one would necessarily expect. Having heard numerous albums involving Tony in recent years where he has been allowed to provide full voice to his talents, what I found most interesting on this one is that he has reined himself in somewhat so it is not as experimental as one might expect, although there are certainly elements of that, and he has consciously released something which is far removed from Stick Men for example. The bass is normally a foundation instrument providing support for others, but here Tony has brought it out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

He may be approaching eighty years of age, but Tony has lost none of the dexterity and style which has seen him play on excess of 500 albums with some of the most challenging artists around. It may not be as improvised as some of those, or as layered as others, but the result is something which shows the many different possibilities of the instrument as he shifts through different styles and approach and that is what this album is all about.