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Buy this CDThis is another one of those under-marketed gems that capture the essence of quality smooth jazz better than a lot of the high profile releases. Bassist Larry Antonino has played with a noteworthy collection of artists including Steve Oliver, Freddie Ravel, Richard Smith, David Pack, Jeff Beck, Al Jarreau, David Foster, and Michael McDonald. Village Strut is his first solo project and it’s a beauty. He has sidestepped the traps that bass driven CDs can fall into – making the songwriting a secondary framework for showcasing the solos or abandoning the lows and turning the bass into a surrogate guitar. The opening notes of the first track make the declaration that it’s all about the bass. But he’s gonna play it over and under some spellbinding melodies.

Village Strut reminds me of Steve Oliver’s CDs. It doesn’t sound just like them but it has that same buoyant spirit and the warmth and looseness of a live performance. It’s impossible to put this music on and not feel good! Antonino has played on all of Oliver’s CDs and Oliver plays on three tracks here. What they share is the use of vocalese to convey the hum-able choruses and bridges that make these songs “pop.” The instantly familiar melody line in “Pamela’s Song” breaks into a vocal chorus that is bound to get stuck in your head. Same with the joyous “I Knew That Love Would Find Me.”  The other thing he shares with Oliver is that he has such an impressive voice that you want him to sing more. “Love Was Strong” is the only full vocal on Village Strut. It sounds like those great ballads that got airplay back when the format was called New Adult Contemporary, somewhere between singer/songwriter pop and contemporary jazz. There’s a lot of melody, range, and emotion in his voice.

The great thing about releasing the CD as an indie artist is he didn’t have to play it safe. He’s a formidable bass player and he gets to cut loose. The title track has both him and keyboardist Rob Mullins at the top of their game, trading licks and launching into some definitive soloing. Antonino delivers the kind of thumpin’ solos you usually only hear during live performances on several songs, most notably on “Village Strut” and the hard-hitting deeply funky “Crusin’ in Houston.”  In the simmering “Santa Ana” he plays the melody on the middle range and underscores it with some speaker-shakin’ lows while Steve Oliver delivers compact fast-fingered solos. Freddy Ravel’s solo on “Back in Your Arm’s Again” is astonishing. “Always With You” was co-written with guitarist Nils before he had his radio hit. It’s rare to hear the bass played so expressively in a ballad setting.

This one’s not going to get a lot of hype but that doesn’t matter. It’s one of the best and most consistent CDs released this year. It’s got all the goods: an inventive approach to using the bass as a lead instrument, virtuoso musicianship, stellar guest artists, infectious songwriting and a huge dose of originality.

Village Strut is available at CDBaby.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and Amazon.com

- Shannon West



CD Reviews return to home page interviews CD Reviews Concert Reviews Perspectives - SmoothViews State of Mind Retrospectives - A Look Back at a Favorite CD On The Side - The Sidemen of Smooth Jazz On the Lighter Side - A Little Humor News - What's New in Smooth Jazz Links - A Guide to Smooth Jazz on the Web Contact Us About Us Website Design by Visible Image, LLC