“Odd Time Concepts”: Barend Tromp Teams Up with King Crimson Alumni for Prog-Funk Journey
Bassist Barend Tromp has just released an album for music lovers who have heard enough 4/4 for their lifetime. Odd Time Concepts features eleven songs that explore unusual time signatures from 3/4 up to 21/8 while keeping the groove.
Tromp welcomed a host of musicians to help him complete his vision, including King Crimson alumni Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelloto. (The album was released on Gunn’s label, 7D Media.) As such, there are elements of prog rock mixed in with world music to create engrossing soundscapes.
Of course, the bass lines anchor the album with funky grooves and amazing tones. Tromp shared the list of basses he used with us “bass freaks,” as he puts it: Wal fretted and fretless basses, a Fender The Urge 1 bass, an Ibanez 6-string GVB36, a RMI custom fretless 6-string, and a Moon Jazz bass.
Check out “Thirteen,” which has Mastelotto on drums under Tromp’s wild fretless work:
Odd Time Concepts is out now digitally through Bandcamp, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
Odd Time Concepts Track Listing:
- Sitharsis
- Gamelan Sepuluh
- Life Path 21
- Heavy Slap
- Madhuvanti (feat. Trey Gunn)
- Baritone War
- Chromatron (Parts 1-3)
- Thirteen (feat. Pat Mastelotto)
- Access to the Sixth Dimension
- Pandrah Ka Yantra
- Chromatron (Parts 4&5)
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.
