powerful jazz bass Luke Sellick – ALCHEMIST: Luke’s fine bass work (double bass) leads this splendid jazz outing on a nine-song 45 minute stellar set that you won’t ever forget! As you listen to the mighty laid-back “Dog Days“, you’ll easily picture yourself on an island retreat somewhere down south, sipping rum & coke & livin’ th’ high life, I’ve no doubt!
The swaying rhythms on the 6:45 “Q-Tippin” is in a totally different mood, but (as with all the music on the album) projects the best thing about jazz – ultra-cool & totally hip! He’s learned his lessons well… & he learned them from the “king of bass”, Ron Carter, when he first moved to NYC from his native Winnipeg, Canada.
The reason I alluded to “powerful” is because of the 7:02 “Hymn“, which highlights (and amplifies) Luke’s deep religious beliefs for you, the listener… and does it without a shred of the pretentiousness that sometimes comes through when a performer is projecting their own belief.
The song that cinched the experience, though, & my personal favorite on the CD is the 5:04 closer, “Home“… this one really brings back long dormant memories for me, both jazz-wise and on a more personal level… too cool, people. I give Luke and his players a well-deserved MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.98 for this fine album. Listen to samples and read more about Luke on the Cellar Live label site for this release. Rotcod Zzaj
