bass. It’s the one bass I’ve always used.
Luthiers can’t come to a consensus on who
made it or when, but evidently it was an
orchestra bass for years until the owner
died and the family sold it. It’s just really
alive and really open—super resonant. But
I don’t travel with it. On the road, I just
ask for a 7/8 or 3/4 bass, hope it’s cool,
and go for it.
You’ve played with some legendary musicians, including Stevie Wonder, Prince,
and Herbie Hancock. But for jazz nuts, a
couple of them—[legendary jazz drum-mers] Billy Hart and Jack DeJohnette—
are just … “Holy crap!”
That’s how I feel— woo! I mean, they’re
my friends, and I love and admire them,
so if I feel I have something to offer them
by being on the project, why not invite
them to play on my album? I asked Billy
to play on my album after a gig at the
Village Vanguard, and he said, “Sure kid,
but you’re never going to call me.” But of
course, I did, and he just came in and laid
down that crazy, beautiful groove on “Hold
Spalding’s approach to playing with jazz’s elite is to listen to the other players and forget that she’s playing at all. By Carlos Pericas, Courtesy of Montuno
