Jeff Schmidt

On October 7, 2005, bassist Jeff Schmidt of San Rafael, California was declared the winner of the first Bass Extremes International Contemporary Solo Bass Competition. Before a live audience and an all-star panel of judges including bass greats Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Anthony Jackson, Will Lee, and drummer Gregg Bissonette, Schmidt performed three compositions for unaccompanied bass guitar at Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. "If this competition was about who could display the best knowledge and application of music theory, I wouldn't have been there. If it was about who could play the fastest or demonstrate the most mind-boggling technique, I wouldn't have been there, but I possessed something that the judges felt was emotive and musical, and that is what this competition was all about," said Schmidt. Schmidt also stated, "I thought I did exceptionally well considering this was the first time I had ever performed solo bass in front of a live audience." Other finalists included Brazilian bass sensation Zuzo Moussawer and the Charlie Mingus Big Band bassist, Boris Kozlov, who finished in second and third places, respectively. "Everyone played great. The entire experience of the competition process was simply amazing and something I'll never forget," added Schmidt.

After a decade-long hiatus from the music industry and less than two years removed from winning the 2005 Bass Extremes International Solo Bass Competition, Jeff Schmidt has become one of today's most recognizable solo bassists. On Outré, his debut release as an unaccompanied artist, Schmidt demonstrates that his approach to playing bass is anything but conventional. By utilizing unorthodox tunings along with light gauge strings and a variety of tapping, chordal, harmonic, and strumming techniques on both his fretted and fretless 5-string basses, Schmidt has created a hybrid sound and style of performance that can be categorized somewhere between the characteristics of a traditional bass and electric guitar. Because Schmidt employs basses constructed of typical scale lengths which are tuned higher than customary and makes use of a capo on about half of the 11 original pieces featured on this recording, his solo compositions contain intricate guitar-like textures while still maintaining the deep resonant sonorities only attainable on a long scale bass guitar. Regardless of the equipment and methods used to deliver his music, Schmidt has successfully assembled a collection of expressive tracks which transcend the standard bass repertoire. Although he is a relative newcomer on the solo bass scene, Outré has already firmly established Schmidt as one of world's premier solo bassists.

Tracks
"From Under The Weight Of Knowing"
"Fury"
"Satori"
"Path Beyond Tracing"
"Numb"
"Until Your Don't" (Live)
"Trypto"
"Sui Generis"
"Mudita"
"Seeing Is Freeing" (Live)
"Still Silhouette"

Musicians: Jeff Schmidt (MTD Fretted 5-String, Pedulla Fretless 5-String)

Style: Solo Bass Guitar

Release Date: July, 2007

Artist Contact: Beautiful-Bass.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - July 31, 2007

Outré

Jeff Schmidt - Solo Bass Guitar
Release Date - 2007
Record Label - Jeff Schmidt Music

For more information on Jeff Schmidt, visit: Beautiful-Bass.com.