1976 · Album
Double Bass
↑ Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Recorded 1976 · SteepleChase · Rating: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: 3/4
Two Basses, Two Voices, One Rare Meeting
Both had swung with Oscar Peterson. Together, they proved they were formidable soloists in their own right.
What makes Double Bass (1976) stick is the fact that Sam Jones and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen had each spent time playing rhythm section with Oscar Peterson, which meant they knew how to lock into a groove without thinking about it. But this wasn't a rhythm record. Both men were too good for that. Ken Dryden, reviewing for AllMusic, caught the essential dynamic: Pedersen's tone is singing and warm, while Jones brings something darker and more reserved. Watch how they trade places across these sessions—neither one stays in the background for long. The contrast makes the album work. They shift roles nimbly, which keeps things from ever feeling settled or comfortable. You hear two strong personalities figuring each other out in real time, which is rarer than it should be on a session like this.
The SteepleChase label was the right home for this kind of date. By 1976, they had built a reputation for letting musicians play without interference—no overdubs, no tricks, just solid engineering and the freedom to work. There's nothing flashy here. The album is straightforward: two basses, nobody else. Some might find that limiting. Others will hear it as clarifying. If you want to understand what each bassist could do when they weren't supporting someone else's melody, this is the place to listen. Dryden's review hints at something important: this was apparently the only time these two ever recorded together, which adds a small historical weight to what otherwise sounds like a simple, unpretentious session.
Who's playing
Sam Jonesdouble bass
Niels‐Henning Ørsted Pedersendouble bass
Philip Catherineguitar
Billy Higginsdrums
Albert “Tootie” Heathpercussion
Where next?
More by Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
All 49 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
