Bowden delivers tracks of beauty and emotional depth that are easy to dive into and where none feel forced or outstay their welcome
David Bowden Music: DBM001US available from Bandcamp
David Bowden (double bass)
Recorded in Glasgow between 2024 and 2026
David Bowden’s latest project ‘Unsung Songs’ explores the sonorous qualities of the double bass in the purest of settings: a solo reading of nine songs, mostly originals, substituting the instrument for the range, flexibility and emotion of the human voice.
While we are no strangers to Bowden’s full bass sound through his work as a member of Fergus McCreadie’s award-winning trio, in leading his seven-piece world/jazz fusion ensemble Mezcla, and as a former Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year, this is something quite different. Here, he is not just front and centre, he has cleared the stage of any possible distractions to enable a full focus on his instrument. As Bowden says: “When I’ve written music for other ensembles, I’ve always put other musicians at the forefront… Playing solo, there’s no hiding place, which pushes you to approach the instrument in a different way.”
And this different way required some in-depth preparation, not only in understanding the art of solo bass recording (key inspirations included the solo work of Jorge Roeder, Larry Grenadier and John Patitucci), but also the art of the song. Here, Bowden spent time accompanying and transcribing the parts of vocalists, with all their expressiveness, inflections and subtleties, as a starting point to developing the ‘vocal’ range of his double bass. And this didn’t just happen overnight; the pieces emerged from and were refined through a series of solo performances, first at Glasgow Jazz Festival in 2024 followed by other festivals across Scotland, with tracks recorded over four sessions between 2024 and 2026.
Of course, it is not a simple matter of just substituting bass for vocals, there are other elements to juggle. It is testament to how well these pieces have been constructed and played that at no time do you find yourself pondering the limitations of the format; you embrace it without reservation. And the focus on songs is a smart move, producing short, highly melodic pieces that are readily accessible to a range of ears. “I wanted to discover what I could express on the instrument while making music that’s approachable” says Bowden. “My aim would be to make music that anyone can enjoy”, and he has certainly done that.
From the first notes of the opening track ‘The Spiders Talk’ you are drawn into Bowden’s vision. A full, deep resonating blues rhythm grabs you, with trumbling runs interspersed with moments of delicacy. It is a swift change into the next track; a Nick Drake number ’From the Morning’, where a lighter touch deftly captures, embroiders and holds on to the distinctive melody amidst the full tones that surround.
On ‘WGS Blues’ Bowden brings a deep blues guitar-toned sound with strummed phrases and Monk-like references. In contrast, ‘Singing Sands’ plays as a poignant ballad with folk-infused themes and moments of magic as the bass rings in delight.
‘Hakken-Kraks’ is a more complex and exploratory piece with a rumbling, rolling momentum at its heart, coloured with phrasings that push through. Elsewhere, there are versions of Emilíana Torrini’s ‘Snow’, a beautiful and heart-felt number with a tender melody showing Bowden’s impressive range; and Chris Thile’s ‘Jessamyn’s Reel’, a foot-tapping folk dance played with control and joy. The album closes out with the charming ‘Lullaby for Esmée’ with great tenderness and affection.
Throughout, Bowden delivers tracks of beauty and emotional depth that are easy to dive into and where none feel forced or outstay their welcome. These are compact and fully-formed pieces that you will want to explore again and again. There may not be any vocalists on ‘Unsung Songs’, but in Bowden’s hands the double bass really does sing.
