Brian Bromberg – Bass

Bromberg was born on December 5, 1960, in Tucson, Arizona. His father and brother both played drums, which influenced him to take up the instrument, and at the age of 13 he began seriously pursuing a career as a drummer. Around this time, the leader of his school orchestra steered him towards the upright bass. From then on, he committed himself to a strict practice regimen and “tested out of high school early” because of the rigorous schedule he set for himself.

Bromberg felt it was essential to gain experience playing live and he accepted virtually every gig he could get. He often played “five to seven nights a week with several different bands.” In 1979, Marc Johnson, the bassist working with jazz pianist Bill Evans, heard Bromberg’s playing and recommended him to saxophonist Stan Getz, who needed a new bass player. Getz auditioned Bromberg and hired him, and at the age of 19, with only six years of experience on the bass, he found himself touring internationally. Bromberg later worked with other big names in the music business, and become a producer for artists in his genre.

(biographical information from Wikipedia)

Amongst the hundreds of sessions Bromberg has done during his career, this one stands out for me. The track is Dave Grusin’s wonderful arrangement of the tune ‘Take The A Train’ from Grusin’s 1993 ‘Homage To Duke’. The tune is actually written by Billy Strayhorn but this arrangement is very much against the standard approach. It is slow and lugubrious instead of the usual fast swing. Brilliantly executed. I think this transcription has got it all in there.