Artist description Bassist Gerald Veasley rides two rails at once. Though rooted in the traditional gospel, blues, R&B and funk sounds of his native Philadelphia, Veasley injects this amalgam of old-school styles and influences with a progressive sensibility that transports contemporary jazz to a new place. The latest stop on the ride is On the Fast Track, a set of thirteen forays that showcase Veasley's technical mastery of the six-string bass as well as his eclectic musical and thematic philosophy. It's his fifth solo effort on the Heads Up label, which also spawned Veasley's Look Ahead (1992, HUCD/MC 3016), Signs (1994, HUCD 3027), Soul Control (1997, HUCD 3038) and Love Letters (1999, HUCD 3052). A co-founder of the Heads Up Superband with labelmates Kenny Blake (sax) and Joe McBride (piano), Veasley also appears on the Superband's Live at the Berks Jazz Fest, released in 1998. And all of this isn't even counting the albums pressed during his seven-year stint with the Joe Zawinul Syndicate and his tenure with Grover Washington Jr.. Veasley has performed on 70-plus recordings where he brings his six-string prowess to bear as a session player. On the Fast Track takes Veasley to new territory, but there's something familiar about the destination nonetheless. He continues to draw inspiration from the grooves of his early days in Philly, where he was an up-and-coming musician in the '70s.

Music Style Smooth Jazz

Artist History Along for the ride are more than a dozen session players - each hand-picked for their expertise in a variety of styles and nuances, and all brilliant musicians in their own right who up the ante and push Veasley to deliver his personal best. "I enjoy the feeling you get from working with other musicians instead of just operating in your own cocoon, trying to play every instrument," says Veasley. "That's why I like people like Will Brock, the piano player. He brings so much to the table. And Mark Knox, my long-time collaborator, not only does great work with keyboards, but he's a hell of an arranger too. All those guys bring so much that you have to kind of take advantage of that, because that inspires you. It creates things that provide a spark." The multiple talents are "almost like an extended family," he adds. "It's a challenge for me to limit it, given so many great players that I've been around. I'll hear a particular part and I'll hear that person's voice and how it will fit for that song, and I just have to have it." All those players and all those voices gathered in one place in the making of On the Fast Track result in a satisfying fusion of R&B, funk and jazz from departure to destination and every point in between. The title track kicks the album off with a solid funk foundation and a punchy melodic riff that moves along at an even, midtempo clip. It's followed immediately by a breezy instrumental cover of Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do," propelled by Veasley's high-end bass work and a full complement of horns (saxophonist/arranger Chris Farr, trumpeter Matt Cappy, trombonist Jeff Bradshaw).

Instruments bass

Albums On the Fast Track, Love Letters, Soul Control, Signs, Look Ahead

Location Cleveland, OH - USA

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