By John Ephland | Published January 2026
You could say this music is led from the bottom up, or from the back to the front. Big Band Bass combines lots of brassy intonation, assorted smart solos and the leadership and pluck-ish conveyance of bassist John Goldsby, with the WDR 30 years. It’s an eight-song collection of originals composed by Goldsby and one by Vince Mendoza, most of the arrangements courtesy of conductor/saxophonist Bob Mintzer. High-energy swingers alternate with repose in the form of ballad-like pieces, giving the listener both the excitement of real-time movement with a requisite amount of breathing room for reflection.
Speaking of reflection, a favorite here is the lilting waltz “Kléopatre’s Secret,” featuring eloquent solos from pianist Billy Test, flugelhornist Bastian Stein and alto saxophonist Karolina Strassmayer. Everything kicks off with Mendoza’s peppy “Sonatinita,” a flighty flute chorus opposite Goldsby’s conversational bass playing leading to a pert solo from trombonist Ludwig Nuss and more playful soloing from Goldsby. “You Can Call Him Maestro” is an easygoing rocker that wanders meaningfully. Throughout, Goldsby’s engaging bass solos prove to be the cement that holds it all together, the solos interspersed in natural, unobtrusive ways, proving the album’s title’s not just hyperbole.
Big Band Bass is both an enjoyable return to a sound echoing another era but also a 21st-century picture of what mainstream large-ensemble jazz is up to these days.
