Don't be fooled by the title:
Karl E.H. Seigfried's
Criminal Mastermind is not gangsta rap. There are no guest appearances by
Snoop Dogg on this album; nor are
Dr. Dre,
Master P or
Mobb Deep anywhere to be found. The focus of
Criminal Mastermind is avant-garde jazz; specifically, avant-garde jazz of the AACM variety, which is appropriate because
Seigfried is based in Chicago.
Seigfried does something very brave on this live recording: he plays unaccompanied acoustic solo bass. The words "unaccompanied acoustic solo bass" have a way of frightening and intimidating the more casual, less adventurous jazz listeners; it takes a truly hardcore jazz lover -- someone with a genuinely deep appreciation of jazz -- to not be scared away by the prospect of an acoustic bassist playing without any piano, drums, guitar or horns whatsoever, especially when the jazz in question is avant-garde. And for the true jazz lover,
Criminal Mastermind is a compelling listen. Sometimes,
Seigfried plays with a bow; other times, he plucks. But either way,
Criminal Mastermind shows him to be a very expressive improviser who has a lot on his mind.
Seigfried is not avant-garde in a harsh, confrontational, dense way; in true AACM fashion, he uses space effectively and plays material that is reflective and contemplative rather than totally in your face. Some avant-garde jazz is downright ferocious and -- like a lot of death metal, techno and metalcore -- proudly adheres to a scorched earth policy. But the artists of Chicago's AACM have generally been people who, for all their abstraction and free-form dialogue, did not view outside improvisation as an exercise in merciless brutality, and
Seigfried clearly identifies with that mindset on these rewarding solo bass performances. ~ Alex Henderson