Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
Bassist Jorge Roeder offers up El Suelo Mío, a solo effort, as his leader debut.
(Photo: Isabel Roeder)Jorge Roeder’s supported a sweeping variety of bandleaders, ranging from his work alongside guitarist Julian Lage and trombonist Ryan Keberle to the bassist’s time with pianist Shai Maestro and vocalist Thana Alexa.
For his leader debut, though, Roeder saw fit to eschew a group setting, instead turning in the solo vehicle El Suelo Mío, a tribute to both his Peruvian background and the woody, resounding tone of his bass. The video for “Bounce,” a tune from the upcoming album, debuts below.
“It initially evoked what I think is the sound of the oud and its ability to produce microtonal scales and melodies,” Roeder said about his bass on “Bounce.” “Being a fretless instrument, the bass has this ability as well—although in the Western tradition of the violin family, most instrumentalists work all their lives to try to avoid microtones, as they sound ‘out of tune’ to some ears. As I was experimenting with this type of playing, I stumbled upon a groove, and the groove became the song, sans the microtones. The end has two very different and subtle references: The second movement from Shostakovich’s 6th Symphony, and ‘A Day In The Life’ by The Beatles.”
In addition to Shostakovich and Fab Four, Roeder touches upon influences as broad as Ornette Coleman (a cover of “Lonely Woman” is included) and Peruvian vocalist and composer Chabuca Granda, whose song “Bello Durmiente” has a lyric the bassist turned into his album’s title.
The self-released El Suelo Mío is due out July 3. DB
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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