- courtesy of the artist
- John Patitucci
Back in the early 90s, when I was a clerk at Jazz Record Mart, all I knew about bassist John Patitucci was his fusion work, both on his own and as a member of Chick Corea’s band (in fact, all you had to know about Corea’s work at the time was that he spelled the group’s name the Elektric Band). Unfairly, I pretty much wrote the bassist off until he turned up as a key member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, for which he remains a crucial member, playing upright bass. Next week Patitucci releases Brooklyn on his own Three Faces label, on which he plays electric bass exclusively—but this is no flashback to his slick days at GRP Records. Playing a six-string semihollow model designed specifically for him by Yahama, Patitucci eschews any hint of fusion, serving as a tasteful yet forceful anchor for the frontline work of Adam Rogers and Steve Cardenas, two of the most impressive and versatile guitarists in contemporary mainstream jazz. The drummer on the record is the sublime Brian Blade, the bassist’s longtime bandmate in the Shorter Quartet.
