Gerald Veasley

Cutting his sideman teeth with legends like Grover Washington, Jr. and Joe Zawinul, Gerald Veasley has established himself as one of contemporary jazz's most dynamic young bassists. When he launched his solo career with 1992's Look Ahead, he seemed poised to bring his chosen axe to the forefront of a genre that has traditionally relied too heavily on horns and guitars. His bright soloing style led us to believe that he might even achieve the same sort of impact on this generation of listeners as his idols Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius had on the previous one. Thus far, however, Veasley has chosen to forgo the kind of monster licks those two were famous for, and settle for a easygoing smooth jazz feel long on grooves and nice melodies, but short on any real statement as a leader. His third project, Soul Control (Heads Up) is a slick, sharply produced affair, but once again, he chooses not to make a stand, and cuts loose only sparingly most notably on the closing track, the downhome Southern rock and blues jam, "Earthworm" featuring violinist John Blake. Over the long haul, the mark of any truly great contempo artist is an identifiable, singular sound that functions as a calling card of sorts. More often than not, that involves clueing us in as to their lead voice. Most of the time here, however, Veasley's intention is to weave his instrument into a well-oiled all-star ensemble, rather than bring his bass to the forefront. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide