Brian Bromberg Releases “Compared To That”

Backed by a ten-piece horn section and full orchestra string section, bassist Brian Bromberg has released his 20th solo effort, Compared To That. The new album is rooted in straight-ahead acoustic jazz, but in classic Bromberg style, there are many twists and turns along the way.

“One thing I feel that makes Compared To That a unique project is that it is a live jazz recording that also has a ten-piece horn section on many tracks, a full orchestra string section on two cuts, and the production of a much bigger project. Essentially, it really was a two-day live jazz recording session along with 3-1/2 months of the kind of production used on big pop records. I truly blended the best of both worlds: live acoustic jazz with the audiophile of a major production,” Bromberg said. “I went more to my jazz roots on this CD with a lot of swing and walking bass.”

Throughout the album, Bromberg employs his acoustic, electric and piccolo basses, throwing in funk, ballads and swing styles along the way. Bromberg tuned the piccolo bass like a guitar and performs the album’s melodies on it.

In addition to the horn and string sections, Bromberg enlisted an impressive line-up of guest artists to appear on the album, including Alex Acuna, Gannin Arnold, Charlie Bisharat, Randy Brecker, Vinnie Colaiuta, George Duke, Bela Fleck, Mitch Forman, Larry Goldings, Jeff Lorber, Gary Meek and Tom Zink.

The busy bassist has more in store for the summer. In July, he’ll release two more projects – Bromberg Plays Hendrix, which was previously released in Japan and In The Spirit of Jobim, featuring a collection of tunes made famous by Antonio Carlos Jobim as well as some Bromberg originals.

Compared To That is available on CD and digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).