Reginald Veal – Bass

This is absolutely enthralling. Playing ballads sensitively can be a very tame affair for the bass player and there are loads of examples on here where the player is playing almost nothing but root notes on the first beat of the bar. This version of ‘When It’s Sleepy Time Down South’ from the 1991 Wynton Marsalis album, ‘Standard Time Vol. 2: Intimacy Calling’ see Reginald Veal playing some stunning stuff without getting in the way. There is some incredible interplay here – listen to what Marsalis does to the melody in bar 99/100 and then what Veal does in bars 101 and 102 – that’s why Jazz is not random noodling.

An absolutely delightful performance for the quartet and from Veal, the master of New Orleans Jazz bass.