Daniel Barbiero is a bassist whose music is quiet, intelligent, and has elements of jazz, third stream, snd avant garde. There is a nice selection of live performances, single works, and one album available on his web site. I have chosen three selections that well represents Mr. Barbiero’s talents.

Selva Obscura is a 34 minute album of acoustic bass solos. Athough some might be put off with that idea, Barbiero has the talent and the melodic imagination to pull it off. Recorded in 2002 and 2003, the tracks appear to be original compositions and are quite lyrical and accessible. I like the linear low registered beauty of these pieces and would recommend that you give them a try.

However most people might prefer the ensemble work in the 28 minute single composition Precipitation of Light. It is a recent live performance (April of 2007) featuring, along with Barbiero, Mike Sebastian on woodwinds, Ben Azzara on percussion, Patrick Whitehead on brass, and T. A. Zook on guitar and miscellaneous instruments. The interaction is gentle but intuitive often having a far east influence. The performance builds to a climatic tension until it again calms down and ends in a whisper.

Last but not least is a series of duo tracks between Barbiero and percussionist Ben Azzara titled Live at Studio B . The performances are complex and dynamic improvisations with each being a compact tone poem befitting the exotic titles like “The Marble Forest at Night” and “Madeline’s Wooden Horse”. Azzarra’s colorful percussion makes for a good companion to Barbiero’s imaginative and often bowed lines.

Selva Obscura is available in 192 kbps MP3. The other two works are in 160kbps MP3.

Download
Selva Obscura
Precipitation of Light
Live at Studio B: Duets with Ben Azzara