If you are a bassist and looking for an interesting play-along book, this is it! (or if you just want a book of charts from my newest CD!!). You’ll receive the book and a version of the CD mixed without bass.
Right now, the book is currently available digitally over at my good friends
Enjoy!!
Link to the article HERE
Damian Erskine – “So To Speak”
Bassist Damian Erskine’s name may sound familiar – he is drummer Peter Erskine’s nephew – but he is also forging an identity as a top-notch electric bassist. On his newest recording – So To Speak, the Portland, OR-based artist has assembled some of the best Latin jazz musicians from the area to produce a hearty disk of funky Latin-flavored jazz fusion. Erskine’s sound is somewhat Jaco-esque, but with his own zest, and he plays several prodigious solos as well as propelling the songs with his acute sense of rhythm. However, despite his incredible technique, he never overplays and instead stays within service to the songs. Erskine is joined by drummer/percussionist Reinhardt Melz and percussionist Rafael Trujillo to create a monster rhythm bed that pianist Ramsey Embick and guitarist Chris Mosely are free to float over. Guests appear on tenor and soprano sax, trumpet and additional percussion on some of the songs. Everything is tasteful and melodic and compelling, with the delicious “Kaluanui” – driven by Erskine’s funky bass chords nearly reaching contemporary jazz “hit” status. Erskine has played with people like Gino Vanelli, Les McCann, Jeff Lorber and, of course, his uncle – who he says instilled a love of rhythm in him. Most of the songs such as “Inside Out,” “FIF,” “American Gyro” “Aslant,” “Caberina” and the album-ending “Creep” are mid-to-up-tempo with a funk fusion and Latin factor, but the tune “Light” lives up to it’s title and showcases Embick and Erskine nicely on a balladic tempo. I suspect with the talent he shows here, we will be hearing much more from this player/composer.
Read the full interview here!
West coast bassist Erskine has been a name to watch for some time now, bubbling under with a debut album Trios that saw his vibrant six string bass playing tackle many well known standards such as Wayne Shorter’s ‘Footprints’, Chick Corea’s ‘Spain’ alongside some flamenco flavoured originals. While his technique and taste were impeccable it’s his mighty groove capabilities and strengths as a composer and bandleader that really shine here on his follow up. In fact it’s these latter qualities that make So To Speak a real joy to listen to, marking it out as a real ‘band’ record and not just a vehicle for some OTT bass chops. Fundamental to this is Erskine’s deep pocket grooves that while complex and full of his trademark syncopated thumb and finger plucking (his subtle update on Wooten’s double thumbing) it’s each song’s shifting meters, hefty Latin funk and soulful modern jazz that really make this a set that’s brimming with energy and emotion. One of the album’s more mind melting grooves is featured on ‘FIF’ which lopes along in decidedly funky 15/8 over which guitarist Chris Mosely and Erskine weave a snaking melody line, before a typically darting bass solo full of cracking percussive runs and a few close harmony chords. The percussion party really starts after Rafael Trujillo’s clattering timbale break and the band set up a Santana-esque Latin vamp in 5/4. It’s Erskine’s talent for blending subtle chords and a counterpoint bass line that adds weight to opener ‘Inside Out’ or the laid back funk of ‘Kaluani’, while the dark expanse evoked on ‘American Gyro’ takes on a hypnotic, pulsating quality. By tapping into his greatest strengths as a modern groove master with top-notch technique, Erskine shapes this exciting session perfectly from the low end, showing that a powerful groove-led performance can outshine the flashiest of soloists.
Mike Flynn – Bass Guitar Magazine
I have come back to the family!! Aguilar is not only some of the best bass amplification gear on the planet (all made in the USA) but the guys at Aguilar are a true pleasure to work with. They’ve also been developing some AMAZING new gear (pedals, DI’s, pickups, on-beard pre’s, etc..) that truly blow the doors off everything else out there. You just can’t go wrong with these guys..
By Bob Gish
More and more the bass is thought of not just as a solo instrument and the bass man is regarded as a likely front man.
Enter Damien Erskine leading a hip group with a Latin-fusion influence on a host of new tunes, all of them composed by Erskine. He’s the Man and proves it in his inventive compositions and in his imaginative ideas and performance.
Straight out of the shoot with the title track comes Chris Mosley, fusion guitarist par excellence, along side Erskine – a double “E” electrically engineered dynamic duo if there ever was one. Mosley drops the distortion tones for “Fif,” bringing on a more melodic, less affected tone which lends itself well to the foregrounding of Erskine’s electric bass funkiness on this tour de force, eight-minute excursion. Reinhardt Melz and Rafael Trujillo bring it all together with a percussion presence, which, all things considered, brings the entire project together. Latin-fusion is the name of the game here, so
to speak, making So To Speak a fantastically rhythmic offering. Much of the “sound” depends on the exchanges and complements of bass and drums, the bass serving as its own kind of percussive presence. “Kaluanui” features Mosley again on a long solo alongside Ramsey Embick’s piano/organ and Erskine’s bass – capturing a kind of smooth jazz, Foreplay sound without relinquishing the hard-beat fusion character of the group. Embick’s piano solo here both stands out and blends with the group in rapid unison playing. “American Gyro,” is an otherworldly tune made all the more ethereal by Mosley’s effects and harmonics. Erskine, with his slides and slaps, along with and his two “with-the beat” buddies ramp it up into warp-speed power with their rhythmic and percussive boosters. It spins, it sways, it sustains for a full six-minute blast. Traditional meet techno and say how do you do! “Light” softens things down a bit with more piano presence but never loses the edge that characterizes the project, the band, and the sound. “Aslant” resumes the heavy Latin beat with drums more or less defining the experience as, again, guitar and piano, sally forth in fine unison playing and respective soloing by drums and the guitar/piano twins. “Cabrerina” and “Creep” introduce trumpet and saxophones to the core quintet in fine orchestration that makes one, notwithstanding the satisfaction of their predecessor tunes, long for even more reeds and brass. In sum, Erskine and his rhythmic crew take us on an exciting, rewarding trip, so to speak.
All About Jazz review of “So To Speak” (link here) : 3/24/10
Bassist Damian Erskine is a master in the art of rhythmic trickery. Erskine, the nephew of famed jazz drummer Peter Erskine, has put together a program of original music that demonstrates his skills as a bassist, composer, and manipulator of time. The material here, whether placed in an odd time signature or simply feeling like it might be, is fusion-leaning music with some Latin underpinnings. The odd-metered workouts, bass virtuosity, and edgy guitar work from Chris Mosley help the music to lean toward fusion, while the percussion work from Rafael Trujillo, along with Mosley’s note choices and pianist Ramsey Embick’s playing, provide the Latin emphasis.
The fusion/Latin hybridization is best demonstrated on the opener, “Inside Out”—an introduction to the pairing of Erskine’s syncopated bass work and Mosley’s intense guitar lines. When Embick joins in, and the percussion takes on a more prominent role, the music takes a turn toward the Latin side of things. The odd-metered “FIF” opens with a rock solid groove in fifteen. It eventually evolves, through a rumbling percussion solo, and winds up with a completely different feel in five before returning to the original groove. “Kaluanui” has a smoother, more straight-ahead fusion orientation than the earlier tracks and the album benefits from this contrast.
“American Gyro,” featuring some spacey sounds and straightforward delivery, tends to meander and lose focus, but the band quickly rebounds. The music shifts to a post-modern jazz sound on “Light,” and this proves to be one of the strongest performances on the album. Reinhardt Melz provides a steady, enthusiastic ride pattern, while a saxophone/piano combination spins out an absorbing melody line. Erskine’s solo is one of the track’s highlights, and Melz’s move to brushes lends the music a different character. Erskine follows this delightful detour with a choppy, syncopated bass line on the engaging “Aslant,” which brings the band back to more familiar territory.
Rhythmic mastery and the Erskine name continue to be synonymous with Damian Erskine’s smoking performances on So To Speak.
by Dan Bilawsky
Bassist/composer Damian Erskine is the nephew of legendary jazz drummer Peter Erskine. Damian arrives from the West Coast this spring with a distinctively seasoned debut appropriately titled “So to Speak.” According to the press release, Damian’s debut “promises to be one of the most exciting recordings of 2010.”
I’m always elated to hear an artist’s of Damian Erskine’s caliber. On his debut, he attracts equivalent talent with the proper chemistry to achieve the quality of music found on his momentous recording. Therefore, he called on the following talented ensemble of musicians which is comprised of … Reinhardt Melz on drums, Ramsey Embick on piano, Chris Mosley plays guitar and Rafeal Trujillo is the percussionist. Also on hand is John Nastos on tenor horn, Jason Dumars on soprano saxophone, Paul Mazzio plays the trumpet and Derek Rieth working out on percussion.
On the opening selection Erskine’s rhythmic voice ascends progressively as his fingers rumble furiously up and down the fret with symmetrical results on the venomous “Inside Out.” Yes, this young cat came to play with chops galore he stands among the best of his peers yet they’re not imposing to the point of being abrasive … the music here is distinctive, stylish and tastefully managed!
Erskine’s assails his instrument unapologetically as it groans with enthusiasm extending the velocity of his musical vocabulary with the infectious Latin tinge grooves and textures on “FIF.” While connected in fluid motion, Damian’s tenacious voicing doesn’t ease up on the lively “Kaluanui” which complements the previous tune both compositions are in the spirit of his apparent musical influence bassist Jaco Pastorious.
The intensity of music rooted in the frame of “So to Speak,” awakens from within on the African influenced “American Gyro.” This sumptuous composition ultimately transcends style blending coherent rhythms and interrelated melodies for the cross-genre music aficionados to fest their ears on with each play.
The adventurous Erskine approaches his compositions with a sense of urgency on “So to Speak.” He strategically unleashes his voice with each note to increase the pulse with enthralling dexterity many of his rivals have yet to concur.
As a skillful songwriter and arranger, Erskine exudes his sound with three more powerful gems titled “Aslant, Cabrerina and Creep.” Although strikingly similar, on all three cuts Damian Erskine brilliantly fuses the elements of jazz accented with colorful Latin favors challenges the virtuosity of this marvelous ensemble.
Damian Erskine’s “So to Speak,” is simply flawless, rhythmically mesmerizing and underneath it all melodically transparent! “So to Speak,” by Erskine escapes the spoils of commercialism untarnished to unveil a musical gem that want disappoint even the hard to please music enthusiasts! Recommended: –Rob Young
http://theurbanflux.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/damian-erskine-so-to-speak/
This might be my favorite review yet! ;)
“Wow, I love this record! Portland, Oregon resident and No Treble contributor Damian Erskine has produced an essential record that’s a real joy to listen to. So to Speak combines odd meters, Afro-Cuban percussion, passionate playing and carefully crafted arrangements to create a fine jazz fusion record. Damian composed all the tunes and his rich, sonorous bass playing is at the heart of this record. His playing is fluid and supple, rhythmically charged, enlivening and individual.
The bass playing supports the tunes and the grooves wonderfully throughout. The core band consists if Reinardt Melz’s powerful but sensitive drumming,’s Rafael Trujillo’s exciting percussion, Chris Mosley’s lucid guitar and Ramsey Embick’s limber piano. Some of the tunes are enriched by horns and additional percussion; the horn arrangements by John Nastos and Jason Dumas contribute greatly to the atmosphere created by the music.
“Inside Out” has a convoluted meter and grooves deeply with a deep afro-cuban feel. Melz drums fabulously and Erskine’s exquisite time feel is in evidence in his great bass playing. The guitar sings: the bass deeply swings and the montuno influenced piano joins with the percussion in building the excitement. The track features dark brooding guitar figures, menacing cop-show horns and a light dancing release between piano, bass and percussion which contrasts with the darker sections. A tasty, oblique guitar solo and a dramatic piano solo leads to an ecstatic drum solo over throbbing bass and colorful percussion.
“Fif” starts, perhaps a little surprisingly, in 15/8. This band never sounds academic though; they generate beautiful, uninhibited, natural sounding time-feels. The groove begins- and this band grooves from the first beat-and the piano adds shards of chords before Damian plays a short, sweet melodic solo before the theme – a sinuous, delightful melody voiced by piano and upper register bass. Damian plays some wondrously loose-limbed and fluid bass improvisations before a timbale break announces a shift to 5/4 (again with a righteous afro-cuban groove) and Mosley is off on guitar with the band dancing like a Santana band in a parallel universe: soulful guitar, driving odd meter percussion, rich piano chords and lithe, succulent bass. Erskine has a way with a repeated line, subtly varying it like all the great bassists and building momentum creating a great platform for Mosley to enjoy. The 15/8 melody returns and the rhythm section take it out for a dance as the track closes.
“Kaluanui” is back in the land of 4/4. Erskine plays a memorable, catchy bass line that bass players will soon be trying to copy. It’s a great soulful tune..can’t wait to hear it in the summer sunshine. Guitar and keyboards play the melody as the bass slips and slides like butter all around the groove. This is old school jazz funk but with some stimulating jazz harmonies. This is a record you can’t keep still too.
“American Gyro” is a different proposition again. There is propulsive drumming from Melz and a lithe bass wizardry from Erskine that bubbles and simmers constantly. Over this, Mosley gets to play a languid guitar theme. Mosley then plays washes of ambient guitar over an outrageous bass groove. Congas build the intensity as Mosley lays down loops of guitar over the hypnotic and kaleidoscopic bass groove. Erskine shows he has all the virtuosity of today’s bass-stars but also the musicality and the awareness of the big picture that makes for a great listening experience.
“Light” is a memorable ballad. The atmosphere is set by sumptuous but light drums and percussion and expansive piano chording. A lyrical melody is voiced by soprano saxophone and piano with beautiful bass support. As with so many of these composition, the arrangement and the development of themes and motifs is outstanding. Ramsey Embick plays a romantic piano solo over sonorous bass and sensitive percussion. Typically, I didn’t even notice that the piece was in 5 at first – so organic and musical is the record’s use of odd meter. Erskine plays a short, heartfelt bass solo that had me dancing in my chair to his phrasing and the melody returns.
“Aslant” begins with ‘ting-tinga-ting’ ride cymbal and then calls the listeners bluff as instead of announcing medium tempo swing it launches a propulsive 6/8 beat which the musicians dance around as guitar and piano lay out an intricate melody. Erskine makes wonderful percussive use of harmonics in his driving and busy line as Embick lays down a Tyner-esque solo over the tremendous groove with Metz especially enjoying himself. We are treated to another piece of bass solo architecture from Erskine and a joyous ending as the drums solo over the percolating bass and percussion.
“Cabrerina” is a dark, mysterious tune. It has a filmic quality. A soulful piano solo is punctuated by apposite percussion fills. Piano sidesteps build intensity as the band grooves as one. There is some stunning bass work with slid harmonics and outrageous runs leading into a short melodic bass feature. Congas solo delightfully and the dark horn-led theme returns.
“Creep”, the final track, features a spacious, slow moving theme over light but intense bass and percussion groove. Metz has a whale of a time over washes of sound before Mosley gets to wail over Erskine’s ostinato which builds momentum sparring Mosley to ecstatic moments as he gets the freedom to explore the space provided. Electric piano leaps like an excited puppy over the rich, churning sounds and the record heads towards its conclusion over Erskine’s intense and stalwart bass groove.
Damian has such a refreshing and individual bass style. I thought of Jaco, Linley Marthe, Richard Bona and others but he certainly has his own voice and is someone who, make no mistake, it’s time you checked out. But this is not just a record for bassists. This is simply a great record.
The line up:
Damian Erskine – bass
Reinhardt Melz – drums, percussion
Ramsey Embick – piano
Chris Mosley – guitar
Rafael Trujillo – percussion
with:
John Nastos – tenor saxophone
Jason Dumars – soprano saxophone
Pal Mazzio – trumpet
Derek Rieth – percussion”
If you are a bassist and looking for an interesting play-along book, this is it! (or if you just want a book of charts from my newest CD!!). You’ll receive the book and a version of the CD mixed without bass. Right now, the book is currently available digitally over at my good friends [...]
Visit NoTreble.com for my column and other Bass related goodness.
Link to the article HERE Damian Erskine – “So To Speak” Bassist Damian Erskine’s name may sound familiar – he is drummer Peter Erskine’s nephew – but he is also forging an identity as a top-notch electric bassist. On his newest recording – So To Speak, the Portland, OR-based artist has assembled some of [...]
If you are a bassist and looking for an interesting play-along book, this is it! (or if you just want a book of charts from my newest CD!!). You’ll receive the book and a version of the CD mixed without bass. Right now, the book is currently available digitally over at my good friends [...]
