“I Got One More!” short notes

 

“Music for the jazz impurist” is how veteran Berkeley, California bassist, bandleader, and composer Kurt Ribak describes his work. His music is danceable yet also excites jazz fans.

 

Dance-inspired rhythms anchor the 10 original tunes on I Got One More!, Ribak’s fourth album as a leader. Grooves range from swing, reggae, and bossa nova to bolero, boogaloo, greasy funk, and South African-spiced soca. Ribak’s compositions reflect the influence of Charles Mingus, Cannonball Adderley, and Abdullah Ibrahim.

 

            Ribak is surrounded on I Got One More! by some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most empathetic instrumentalists. Keyboardist Greg Sankovich, saxophonist Lincoln Adler, and drummer Alan Hall play on every track. Trombonist-trumpeter Ross Wilson, percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz, and guitarists Tony Marcus and Jinx Jones also make notable contributions.

            

            The album represents a triumph of the human spirit. It is the bassist’s first recording since his left arm was mangled in a horrific accident. Ribak confronted the possibility he might never play again, but a year and seven surgeries later, he was back at his bass, having re-learned to play with his still-damaged hand. 

 

I Got One More! is the musically rewarding result of that remarkable comeback.

 

             --Lee Hildebrand, longtime contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle

                                    

 

Featuring: Greg Sankovich, Lincoln Adler, Ross Wilson, Kurt Ribak, Michaelle Goerlitz, Alan Hall

Special Guests: Tony Marcus, Jinx Jones

 

All compositions by Kurt Ribak