I crossed another "I've really got to talk to this cat" off my list earlier this summer when I finally got to interview bassist Martin Wind on the occasion of his new release White Noise. Martin has been the rock of the rhythm section for groups led by Matt Wilson and Dena Derose for years, as well as recording a few albums under his own name.
White Noise is a most unusal trio album - bass, guitar and flugelhorn. And the players are, like Martin, some of the finest jazz players Europe has produced. Philip Catherine is on guitar, and his inimitable style shines through, whether he is comping or letting a solo rip from his acoustic guitar. Rounding out the group is the ageless Ack von Rooyen, who will celebrate his 90th birthday this fall.
The result is a wonderfully soothing, and yet dynamic set of tunes. WInd has chosen standards as the jumping off point for three of the collaborations, but two Wind compositions are the highlights. "The Dream" was written for a collaboration with Pat Metheny, but Catherine is more than up to the task. And "Genius and a Saint," written to honor the memory of Martin's friend Bob Bowen, is simultaneously elegaic and uplifting.
Musical selections from White Noise include the title track, Cole Porter's "Everything I Love" and the moving "Genius and a Saint," plus "Cruise Blues" from the Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts album An Attitude for Gratitude.
