Bassprint

Chicago bassist Marlene Rosenberg has performed with a host of international jazz luminaries, including Kenny Barron, Frank Foster, Stan Getz and Joe Henderson. A couple of decades ago she recorded with drummer Ed Thigpen on his now classic recording Easy Flight. Her third recording as a leader and debut for Seattle's Origin Records is Bassprint, showcasing Rosenberg's strength as both a performer and composer.

Rosenberg's meaty tone and spot-on intonation enhance her swinging drive, whether accompanying soloists Geoff Bradfield (saxophone) and Scott Hesse (guitar) or laying down her own inventive lines. There are many bass highlights throughout, including the unaccompanied title track with echoes of Jimmy Garrison and Rosenberg's dynamic solo on "Thus and So."

The selections of musical styles range from hard-driving swing ("Tale of Two Monk Keys," "One False Move"), to Latin-inspired pieces ("Almost April," "Spare Parts"), to lush ballads ("Eyes for Shorter," Barron's "Lullaby"). The influence of 1960s-era Wayne Shorter is evident in two tribute pieces, "Wayne-ish" and "Eyes for Shorter," an original line put to Shorter's "Infant Eyes."