John Patitucci: The Soul of the Bass

Broadcast Date: May 7, 2021

To many music listeners, John may be best known as bassist for the late great Chick Corea. John has played with Chick on and off for more than three decades. The list of the great artists with whom John has performed and recorded is long and stunning — see his website — I’d take note that in the past years he has been bassist for the Wayne Shorter quartet. John also has a number of recordings as bandleader, composer, and soloist. Furthermore he is a classical composer, and has had numerous commissions as well as works composed specifically for him by orchestras around the world. Four Grammy awards and fifteen nominations

John’s faith is strong, deep, and grounded in reality and personal experience. Imagine my pleasure talking with him about all the things that matter to us so deeply. (Among other things, I'm a bass player myself who has long admired John’s work—I first saw him perform, with the Chick Corea Elektric Band, in Osaka in 1985!) In our conversation here on Luminous, John is candid and clear-thinking, talking openly in ways that I am sure will touch you deeply.

Of the many recordings we reference in this conversation, this one means a very great deal to John, aptly titled, Soul of the Bass. A rare solo bass recording (think Dave Holland’s Emerald Tears), and when he’s not solo he is joined by family. Recording the bass, unaccompanied, is a courageous act - you are exposed; there’s nowhere to hide. Few bassists are capable of this. The rewards here are rich.