Steve Millhouse is a veteran New York and Broadway bassist known for championing the electric bass in jazz and for his chordal mastery on his Fodera 6-string Contrabass Guitar.

His latest trio date with tenor saxophonist Rich Perry and drummer Eric Halvorson furthers both causes considerably. The unit deftly visits such jazz standards as Benny Golson’s “Whisper Not,” Thelonious Monk’s “I Mean You,” and Horace Silver’s “Soulville”, with Millhouse chording for the heads, walking for Perry’s solos, and taking his own solo flights with the help of Perry’s guide tones. He gives a nod to his instrument’s history with covers of Steve Swallow’s “Falling Grace” and Sam Jones’ “Seven Minds” — the former buffeted by his bold chord clusters all over the fingerboard, the latter finding him utilizing 4ths to capture the sound of Cedar Walton’s piano voicings on the original. Most inspiring, however, are Millhouse’s two originals: On the comfortably swinging “I Don’t Know Yet,” he underpins his melody (expressively interpreted by Perry) with fresh-sounding three-note block chords, as Halvorson freely fills the open spaces. And, he introduces the title track via an ear-grabbing fingerstyle bass-and-chordal figure in 6/8 that unfolds into a memorable Perry-rendered melody over Millhouse’s angular chordal clinic. 

–Chris Jisi