David Finck - Bassic Instinct (2021)

David Finck: “BASSic Instinct” – Bassist David Finck gives us a playfully titled album, a sequel of sorts to his 2019 release, BASSically Jazz. Here he offers some standards and some original material. The album open with its title track, one of the original compositions by David Finck, and as you might imagine, it’s an enjoyable and light number. It features Ryan Quigley on trumpet, Andy Snitzer on tenor saxophone, Mike Davis on trombone, Quinn Johnson on keys, and Teo Lima on drums. It is approximately a minute before David Finck takes his lead on bass. With that title, I expected that would come even sooner. But this isn’t a showcase for the bass, but rather a pleasant ensemble piece. That’s followed by a wonderful rendition of Irving Berlin’s “The Best Thing For You (Would Be Me),” performed by the trio of David Finck on bass, Tedd Firth on piano and Eric Halvorson on drums. I love David’s lead on bass here, and the way Tedd Firth adds light touches on piano during it. And check out that playful touch David adds just before the end during the brief drum solo. One of the more surprising choices is “Theme From ‘Mannix,’” this cool version featuring Bob Mann on guitar, as well as some really nice work from Cliff Almond on drums. Another highlight is the beautiful “Seascape,” which David Finck performs as a duet with Meg Ruby on piano. Meg Ruby also shines on “Tico Tico No Fubá,” one of my personal favorites, in part because of the delightful way it moves. Three tracks on this album feature vocals. The first of these is “Bateu, Levou/Who’s Wrong Or Right?” with Téka Penteriche and Trist Curless. “You rant and rave and overanalyze/You want a war/Who needs those anymore?” And the presence of vocalists does not mean a lack of a good lead on bass, for in the second half of this track David Finck certainly delivers. Kelly Mittleman provides the vocal work on “So What,” a track that also features some nice work on saxophone. Then Melissa Errico sings on “I Remember,” which was written by David Finck and Jack Murphy, a gorgeous track to conclude the album.