Björn Meyer Expands the Language of Solo Electric Bass on “Convergence”
Jazz bassist Björn Meyer has returned to the forefront with Convergence, his second album that expands on the concepts of solo electric bass. The nine-song collection is recorded “live” in the studio with Meyer adding effects such as delays and reverb in real time. The compositions sprouted from touring behind his debut, Provenance, and feature new techniques on his six-string.
“In the first few tours after the release of Provenance, I played mostly material from that album. However, new inspirations, ideas and ‘accidents’ started finding their ways into the performances,” Meyer explains. “In a quite slow but steady way these new directions stayed with me, developed over time, and grew up to become a fully new repertoire. Experiences gathered in the last few years of more intense solo playing have converged into this album. The many solo performances have also allowed me to go deeper in my research of the six-string electric bass. New playing techniques, sounds and ways of improvising and composing for and with this instrument have found direct ways into my musical practice, and not only in a solo context.”
Some of those new sounds come from using magnets and metal bars to affect the strings’ vibrations, as he does on “Rewired.” On “Magnétique,” he achieves a unique tapping tone “thanks to a special construction of magnets, a spring, and some drops of superglue.”
Watch his mesmerizing playthrough of “Magnétique.”
His fluid fingerstyle creates waves of emotions on “Gravity.”
Convergence is out now on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other digital platforms.
Convergence Track List:
- Convergence
- Hiver
- Drift
- Gravity
- Motion
- On Hope
- Rewired
- Magnetique
- Nesodden
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
