Rebound [Digipak]

Performer: Wayman Tisdale
Artist: Dave Koz; Darren Rahn; Toby Keith; Robert Wilson; Brian Simpson; Marvin Sapp
Engineer: Darren Rahn; Debra Perry; Derek Allen; Jim Ryberg; Brian Porter; Bobby G; Mike Ruiz; Eric Rennaker; Jason Ran; Mel Brown; Wayman Tisdale; Brad Mitcho; Michael Todd
Producer: Darren Rahn; Derek Allen; Michael Todd
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Raw J, Meachie Man (vocals); Michael Todd (various instruments); Soup Bone, Bobby G , Soup Bone, Bobby G (guitar); Mel Brown (electric guitar, electric bass); Frank Selman (electric guitar); Donald Hayes (saxophone); Jason Ran, Johnny Britt, Jason Rahn (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jerry Compare, Brian Simpson (piano); Ricky Peterson (Hammond b-3 organ); Jason Freeman (keyboards); Arthur Thompson, Arthur Thompson (percussion); Derek "D.O.A." Allen, Derek Allen (programming); Byrd Sisters (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Darren Rahn; David Rideau; Derek Allen; Brian Porter. Recording information: BKG Studios; Crystal Clear Studios; Joint Heir Music Studios, Grand Rapids, MI; Platinum Sound Studios, Reseda, CA; The Bassmint, Tulsa, OK; The Chase Lounge, Phoenix, AZ; The Frack Shack, Oshkosh, WI; The Litterbox, Denver, CO; Tritone; Tuls@und Studios, Tulsa, OK; West Lake Studios; Westlake Audio, Hollywood, CA; Workhouse Studios, Minneapolis, MN. Photographer: Albert Sanchez. Arranger: Derek Allen. With his eighth album, jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale bounces back (from a bout with bone cancer) with an upbeat, genial, somewhat vocals-oriented set. Tisdale still plucks his electric bass a-plenty and there's an abundance of mellow, easygoing jazz here, but he makes room for some notable guest singers as well. Country music star Toby Keith essays Barry White's classic "Never Give You Up," and the Gap Band's Robert Wilson, Raw J, and gospel singer Marvin Sapp stop by, as does smooth-jazz sax star Dave Koz. As per usual, the grooves are tight and the mood is mostly bright. In the typically lengthy thank-you section included on his eighth CD, Rebound, Wayman Tisdale acknowledges his doctors, as well as the special devotion of associates, friends, and family during a troubled time, as his way of alluding to the bone cancer he suffered in the interim since his last album. "When life tries to get you down," he says at the outset of the title track that opens the disc, "it's the perfect time for a rebound." That is about as much reference as he makes to his physical challenge, however. Otherwise, the listener might suppose that things are flowing as smoothly as ever for him. Certainly, they are musically. Rebound is another characteristic contemporary jazz effort for Tisdale, in which his fluid bass playing is heard within the context of highly programmed rhythm tracks. To provide contrast, a few vocals turn up, the most high-profile of them being country star Toby Keith's turn at Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up." Seeking legitimacy, Keith plays it straight, never hamming the song up as much as White himself did, but that keeps it from being as fun as it might be. More impressive is the Gap Band's Robert Wilson on "Watch Me Play Again," which draws a parallel to that bass-happy group, and gospel singer Marvin Sapp also makes a strong impression on the closer, "Grateful," which also may speak implicitly to Tisdale's resolve to overcome his illness and get back to plucking his bass. ~ William Ruhlmann

JazzTimes (p.122) - "The bassist digs into some urban adult contemporary with 'Watch Me Play Again'...and with 'Comin' Home,' a slice of midtempo sass with something new: vocoder vocals by 'JR Hutson.'"

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