How Alune Wade shapes groove and melody on his Bacchus Jazz bass at KNKX

This KNKX studio session was my first real introduction to Alune Wade, and what a way to meet a player. He walks in with a Bacchus jazz bass and a Gallien Krueger head that looks very much like a 2001rb, then settles into a tone that feels warm, focused, and immediately inviting. Within a few notes it is clear he treats the bass as both foundation and storyteller.

Discovering him in this setting feels like stumbling onto a musician who has already built his own world. The horns are tight and supportive, giving him room to move between groove and melody with a calm confidence. Each tune reveals a new side of his phrasing and touch, and the set has a quiet sense of discovery as it unfolds.

If you only have time for one tune, make it Black Booty. It was the moment that made me sit up and pay attention. Wade shapes the piece with an easy flow that lets the bass speak in a clear and expressive voice. For a first impression, it delivers everything at once: tone, feel, and the sense that this is a player worth following from here on out.