New Music Monday: Dangered Ace, Dante Pascuzzo, Suresh Singaratnam and Ed Bennett

Sometimes really great bass playing flies under the radar and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Here is a round up of some indie albums that you may have missed.

Artist: Dangered Ace
Album: GoTenGo
Genre: Hard Rock
Bassist: Paul Ranieri

The Scoop: Describing themselves as playing the “essence of big band through the power of heavy rock,” Dangered Ace lays down one driving riff after another on their debut album, GoTenGo. What makes this NYC-based band different from many hard rock groups is that bassist Ranieri, who also produced the album, really shines on the album as he takes tasty solo breaks. Many riffs are unison, but Ranieri also expresses his creativity with slapping, tapping, and chords while the groove runs.

Artist: Dante Pascuzzo
Album: La La
Genre: Fusion
Bassist: Dante Pascuzzo

The Scoop: Pascuzzo recruited drummer Nate Wood and keyboardist Adam Benjamin for his debut solo release. All the tunes are originals by the bassist, who won Down Beat magazine’s “Best jazz soloist” and “Best rock, pop, blues soloist” awards while still in high school. The mix of Benjamin’s Fender Rhodes with Pascuzzo’s fretless gives a very cool dreamy vibe, as most of the tunes seem introspective. That’s not to say the trio can’t let loose, as the tune Redemption is reminiscent of Miles Davis’ more “out” work. The bandleader takes some very meaningful solos throughout the CD, with beautiful tone to match.

Artist: Suresh Singaratnam
Album: Lost in New York
Genre: Modern Jazz
Bassist: Frasier Hollins

The Scoop: Suresh Singaratnam’s latest CD features a sextet of skilled jazz musicians, including Canadian double bassist Frasier Hollins. The group weaves through the trumpeter’s original compositions that are tinged with modern classical ideas. Hollins locks in with pianist Fabian Almazan for ostinato patterns on several tunes, including the opener, Temporal Incursions. Make sure to check out “Fortress of Song,” which begins and ends with the bassist’s meditative lines, with a chaotic climax in between.

Artist: Ed Bennett
Album: En Route
Bassist: Ed Bennett
Genre: Combo Jazz

The Scoop: En Route is the new solo album from Portland bassist Ed Bennett featuring 10 original compositions and one obscure jazz standard, “For Heaven’s Sake,” which he plays completely solo. Bennett’s wrote all his melodies for trumpet and tenor sax with a be-bop flavor, but the progressions and forms of the songs turn out more modern. For fans of Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk.