Jazz musician and ‘YouTube sensation’ may seem an unlikely combination but double-bass player Adam Ben Ezra straddles both camps with a natural ease. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, born in Israel and now based in Portugal, he’s played throughout Europe and the US over the last decade with such luminaries as Sarah Jane Morris, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, Snarky Puppy and The Flecktones’ Victor Wooten.
Beyond this impressive CV though, Ezra has also become an actual internet phenomenon, with his YouTube channel drawing tens of thousands of avid followers, hungry for the funky groove of his double bass playing. Sure, the storming covers of pop tunes (Billie Jean, Man Who Sold The World, Dear Prudence etc) gained him some traction but it’s the dynamism and invention of his playing plus his enduring musical enthusiasm which keep people engaged.
Such flair and his adept grasp of jazz fusion instil a real depth to his albums. From his 2015 debut, crowd funded ‘Can’t Stop Running’ to the phenomenally accomplished ‘Hide and Seek’ from 2020, on which he played all the instruments, Ezra has evolved a signature sound which draws together jazz, flamenco, R&B, hip-hop, funk and even middle-eastern cadences. To confound certainties and guarantee freshness his last collection, ‘Intermission’ from 2021 found Ezra pushing his piano playing forwards on a recording of rich melodies and touching tunefulness.
So where does his new album ‘Heavy Drops’ find him? Well perhaps ‘Intermission’ was just that, as this follow-up finds Ezra back to his elastic fingered, percussive powered, bass line pumping best. Groove is central to the agenda here with Ezra collaborating with revered Cuban percussionist and drummer Michael Olivera, a collaborator with Richard Bona, Alfredo Rodriguez and more recently Daniel Garcia (see BSM review HERE ). But ‘Heavy Drops’ as an album reaches way beyond echoing the overplayed conventions of bass bin resonance. The duo delivers on both rhythmic stealth and agility with Ezra’s bass the lead instrument, carving out melodies, pulse and attention grabbing riffolas.
The title track captures these elements in one, pattering rhythms, lyrical bass phrases, intricate percussive details, all striding out confidently. It’s an urgent, bustling beginning, a sort of Weather Report fluidity meets EST heft, softened naturally with a shimmering synth wash. No track is overly muscular on ’Heavy Drops’, Ezra is too sensitive a musician for that, but there is a fair amount of jazz/rock interfacing. Escape Route has a twanging, almost rockabilly, skiffle driving the tune at such full pelt, you can almost imagine Ezra twirling his bass Stray Cat style. A little more relaxation does arrive with the follow up track Hazy Steps, which unfolds from its lithe funk opening to a grand tune, elevated by a dreamy synthesised swell.
Such funkiness is a recurring gift to celebrate on ‘Heavy Drops’. Bootsy himself has declared his amazement at Ezra’s sound and tracks like the strutting Play It Cool show why he gains the master’s approval. There’s even a woozy, rubbery Collins-esque solo parading here. Cosmic Nomad keeps up this jazz funk momentum, Ezra dialing up the wah-wah and Olivera keeping the beats Stanton Moore tight, while Rise Up slinks along more stealthily. On this track the fizzy synths and hummable hooks underline the songfulness of Ezra’s whole approach.
Maybe it’s the more expansive, leftfield-tinged cuts on ‘Heavy Drops’ which signal that Ezra is pushing the bar further with this album. Take Free Fly which twists with a hoedown skip then builds to a flamenco-sharp flourish. Then there’s Taming The Bull, a powerful merger of Latin flair with snaking middle eastern patterns. Here Ezra slams out those histrionic full chords as the rhythms tick away dangerously in a song dusted with Andalucian drama.
Such sensitive absorption of global sounds in Ezra’s music in many ways echoes the fluency of the great Avashi Cohen. That connection also resonates on the gentle pauses which come with ‘Heavy Drops’ more reflective tunes. The yearning Portrait Of Natalie is a beautiful poignant moment, Ezra’s strokes soft, joyful and soothing, while closing track Lazy Butterfly chills to a soulful, bluesy contentment. You can almost hear Bobby McFerrin scatting along as the song sways home.
Besides the occasional keyboard colouring, ‘Heavy Drops’ is a resolutely bass and drums duo recording. That could have its obvious limitations but Ezra and Olivera’s inventiveness while working within this framework brings nuance, range and plenty of thrills. Added to that Ezra has come up with a set that’s stacked with great tunes, catchy, immediate and pulsing with an infectious vitality.
Get your copy of ‘Heavy Drops‘ by Adam Ben Ezra from your local record store or direct from his Bandcamp page HERE
