Just as his basslines never stay within the limits of the obvious, so Joe Sanders' life as a bassist, composer, band-leader and educator has never followed the single, most discernible pathway.
A Midwest native, he's studied and played jazz on the opposite coasts of California and New York: a master of the acoustic bass, he's equally at home producing in the digital realm; embedded deep in the living tradition of American jazz; and living, teaching and creating in Europe. All these separate strands come together on his third headline release, 'Parallels'.
The album presents a set of live recordings from a dream line-up that matches the leader's full- bodied acoustic bass presence with Seamus Blake, Logan Richardson and Gregory Hutchinson in performances that capture all the daring and drive of the East coast scene. Alongside them is a set of studio self- productions with guests Jure Pukl and Taylor Eigisti that capture the laid- back dreamy adventurousness of the West Coast. It's all fltered through Joe's uniquely quizzical, questing persona, which unifes all the elements into a thrillingly unpredictable whole, like parallel tracks that head towards the same destination.
'Parallels' showcases the diversity of Joe Sanders' musicality, yet there's a unity of purpose and intent that makes a compelling whole. "I believe that records are a way to show where you are and show where you're going. All of this is a challenge for me to express the capability of something I've been learning, because that's what growth is all about. I feel really confdent with this one because it's all of my music here: not just jazz, not just inside, not just outside - putting all the sides together in parallel."
