Jeff Schmidt
Outre
© 2007 Jeff Schmidt (634479257971)
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Michael Hedges' Devils Advocate plays electric bass - and his name is Jeff Schmidt.
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ABOUT OUTRE / JEFF SCHMIDT:
Completely untethered to the tradition of the instrument - Jeff Schmidt expands the melodic and musical voice of the electric bass in ways more akin to Guitar legends Michael Hedges & Preston Reed than Bass heroes Stanley Clarke or Jaco Pastorius.
In fact - you won't hear anything resembling a typical "bass line" on this album.
Rather than merely offering the sound of "a bass player playing bass alone"- each piece on Outre is a fully realized, complete musical idea that pictures the electric bass on equal footing with the expressiveness of guitar, harp, banjo and piano.
Jeff explains: "By using altered tunings, lighter gauge strings and a variety of unorthodox performance techniques on a long scale instrument, I get the beautiful expressive qualities of baritone guitar while maintaining the essential characteristics I love about the Electric Bass. It's a unique hybrid sound I feel suits my musical ideas exceptionally well".
After a 10 year musical hiatus, newcomer to the Solo Bass scene, JEFF
SCHMIDT made a huge splash when he won the 2005 Bass Extremes International Solo Bass Competition hosted by bass legends Steve Bailey & Victor Wooten - also judged by bass giants Will Lee (letterman show) Anthony Jackson, John Patitucci, drummer to the stars Gregg Bissonette and Jonathan Herrera of Bass Player Magazine.
Since then Jeff has spent nights & weekends composing original solo bass material for eventual release.
When it came time to capture these compositions Jeff chose world reknown Windham Hill producer Cookie Marenco to produce the project.
Recorded to 2 inch tape - mixed & processed with vintage lexicon processors to 1/2 tape and mastered with minimal compression and no "brick wall" limiting - the recording almost feels like it comes from another time -before LOUD became the purpose of production & mastering.
Says Jeff: "There's a great feeling of familiarity with the sound of the recording - very vintage. It makes it feel like people have been playing the bass guitar this way for a really long time!"
There are clear parallels to bass genius Michael Manring - to whom Jeff credits for his "musical re-awakening" after 10 years away from the bass.
Jeff recalls: "One night I fell asleep on the couch with the TV on -and awoke at about 2am to the image and sound of a guy playing 3 basses at the same time. It was Michael Manring. Suddenly I was taken back to my teens - and reminded that I had my own dreams of being the guy doing weird things with a bass guitar. I got on the internet and ordered a bass the next day".
But rather than merely restating Manring's innovations, Jeff sets about re-imagining, scrambling and expanding on them in his own voice.
The compositional force evident on this recording shows Jeff is dealing with these ideas on a deeper level than mere techniques, tricks & licks. They are always in service to a uniquely personal musical and sonically poetic message.
The CD title Outré - (pronounced "oo-trey") is French and means - "passing the bounds of what is usual or considered proper; unconventional".
reviews
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Best bass guitar album ever...
author: J. de FrancaThis album shows that Jeff Schmidt is not only a fantastic bass player, he's also a great musician. There are some other fantastic bass players around but, in most cases, I easily get tired of listening to their records. After the initial "schock and awe" produced by the fantastic technique, the music does not hold on after listening a a few times. In the case of Jeff Schmidt's "Outré" CD, the virtuoso does not get in the way of the musician. I have listened over and over and I never got tired of "Outré", so far, because there is great musicianship behind the amazing technique... Some exploit!!!
nuts
author: MomNUTS
Wickedly Awesome Sweet
author: DaveBlankYeah, that was pretty awesome, coming form a bassist myself. I first found out about Jeff on youtube. I watched one of his videos and found out there was a link to buy this cd in the description box, so thats what i did. Great cd that redefines the concept of a bass solo gotta love it
OPENING THE DOORS FOR NEW HORIZONS
author: Sergio Mattoso - BRAZILIt is very hard to recognize the sound of a regular bass in Outré. This solo bass CD will certainly challege the minds of many bassists around the globe. And if Michael Manring is correctly credited as the first jazz bassist to open a new door by using the tapping technique , we might as well say that Jeff is his direct apprentice in US. The Power in "From Under the Weight of Knowing", "Trypto" and the dramatic accent in "Fury" are good examples of Jeff`s virtuosity. The different atmospheres he creates in "Still Silhouette", "Path Beyond Tracing" and "Until You Don`t" are just mesmerizing. Attention deserved to the two live performances too. Even though I have to recognize that the tunes sound a little repetitive, it is still exiciting to hear this CD and imagine what is yet to come.
Out[ré]standing
author: Liberty CitizenThis CD is as amazing as Jeff's development as a musician. Forget about being solo bass for a moment: this is just beautiful, fresh music that will make you feel like being in a wonderful travel, full of experiences and discoveries. I highly recommend reading the extended liner notes. Well done, Jeff
One of the best solobass albums ever!
author: Harry den Hartog (harry's rock)I 'discovered' Jeff at myspace, his one of a kind playingstyle is more than awesome! This album prove's his great talent and unique skills, beautiful compositions and great virtuosity. 5 stars is not enough credit for this album! so i would say 6 out of 5!!!!!!!!!
Amaza-Good
author: Emmetti'd been waiting since early 2006 for Jeff to finally release an album. and without much surprise, he DELIVERED. this album is amazing, the beatiful tones Jeff captures thruout the album is unbelievable. this CD is a MUST for anyone who is an aspiring musician!
This CD beautifully captures his sound
author: Edo Castro Bassist and ComposerJeff is an amazing talent and one of the true original voices to come around in a long while. This CD beautifully captures his sound and the vocabulary that he has created for himself in his open tunings. There's no mindless dribble of "dig me licks" or gross servings of "NAMM Chops" here.
Boom! Great Bass!
author: CarterThis CD just screams "Great Solo Bass". From its beautiful album design and CD design to the magnificantly composed pieces of music, it is perfect. Your ears will scream for more after you listen to this CD and your brain will begin yelling out "When's the next one coming out?!"
Near Perfect!
author: Wizman440Jeff's long anticipated CD doesn't disappoint, a must buy for solo bass fans. All of the songs (with the exception of "Sui Generis") stand up to repeated listenings. I'd never tell Jeff this, but I'm jealous. Good thing he's not the type to read his own reviews!
Outstanding Solo-Bass (or Solo-Anything!)
author: BluesBrianJeff Schmidt is just plain outstanding! He brings the solo-bass to the next level! .. beyond bass! (That's what he means by "Outré"!) I have listened to a number of this tunes from his website for quite some time.. so this CD has been long anticipated! Well worth the wait! "Until you Don't" is one of those "wow that's beautiful" tunes! It has a permanent spot on my ipod! After listening to the tunes here, Do checkout the tunes on Jeff's website and on youtube! You will hear and see some beautiful bass .. as promised! Thanks to Jeff for sharing his wonderful gift with us!
Some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard
author: GarrettJeff Schmidt is one of my favorite artists, not just among solo artists, but artists and bands in general. I've listened to a lot of music from solo artists (as in musicians who play alone with no overdubs) and Jeff's is the most exciting and emotional solo music I've heard. The music on this album sounds FULL. It is solo bass yet, you also here lots of chords and melodies, its almost piano like. There is so much more than just technicality on this album though, the music is beautiful, colorful, its obvious that Jeff is serious about making GREAT music. This is music you will NOT forget, its pure art.
simply awesome
author: philbertI don't really know how to write a review so I'll just say I really really like the music and ideas on this cd. It's inspiring for older players like me (i'm 48) to know Jeff accomplishes so much after having taken so long off playing. I've gotten back into playing bass about 2 years ago and this cd will serve as a solid inspiration for a long time to come. Congratulations Jeff, this is some really great work!
Killer cd from an excellent bassist!!!
author: T-REXI saw this kat play on the same bill with Michael Manring and was totally blown away by his performance. Incredible disc for bass fans. T-REX
a great new addition to solo bass music
author: shuber09outre goes through so many different moods although never becoming too much. tracks like until you don't, path beyond tracing and still silhouette are well placed relief from the energy of the album, which can be a bit much. the writing style in outre is very unique, encompassing many different styles and techniques, (the seeing is freeing is a truly genuine song) although at times they can become a bit repetetive. (less tapping) the passion in the music is thrown upon you. i am impressed with this album. j. schmidt did well on his first record. definately worth a listen. buy this album.
An outstanding debut by this innovative player
author: Alun VaughanThis is a great recording for lovers of the bass guitar and of the Michael Hedges school of intricate acoustic guitar playing (Jeff's style is much more akin to acoustic players like Hedges, Andy McKee and Antoine Dufour than it is the usual Jaco/Wooten/Manring comparisons). At times it's hard to believe that it is only one unaccompanied bass guitar that you're listening to. Highlights - "Numb", "From Under The Weight Of Knowing" and the beautiful live version of "Until You Don't"
The man makes you want to be a bass player: Magnificent!!!
author: An old friendIf you love, the bass, or more to the point music in general, this is one cd you cannot pass on. The magical feel of Jeff's songs make you forget he's just 1 person with 1 instrument. The harmonics alone are worth every cent you spend. The music is beautiful and inspiring, and makes me ask, what the hell was this guy doing taking a 10 year layoff from the bass. He and his music are genius!!! Encore! Encore!
WOW!!
author: Jerry Manserman there is crazy shit on this. Its like bass but not bass and it like guitar but not guitar. Jeffs got his own thing going here. Great playing and composition. I dont know where you come up with that stuff but its really beautiful. Good job man! Now when is the next one comin out? Ha ha!!
just buy it. Seriously. Buy it.
author: Bryan PhilI heard about Jeff from some bass players site a few years ago, i think. He won some big contest so I figured he must be good right? Well I completely forgot about him after that (no offense Jeff). Then I get some email that the solo cd is done. Who is this guy? Well I must have liked him to signup on his mailing list, right? I couldn't have been more wrong. I LOVE this guy. This cd is amazing. Start to finish. One of my favorite artists of all time is Michael Hedges (RIP brother). Jeff has a similar vibe in how he can channel the song out of the instrument. Outre is incredible. To me this is THE CD to take the bass into the spotlight that it deserves. This isn't "lead bass" or whatever. This is art pure and simple. Jeff gets his bass to do things that the bass has not done before. There are songs here people, not just some dude playing as fast as possible with no remorse for substance. Sure, Jeff is an amazing technician, but he is an artist first and foremost. I bought this record only this morning and have listened to it about 6 times and I keep finding new themes throughout the record. Thank you Jeff, Outre is destined to become a bass classic. Buy it.