Jazz Guitarist John Basile Releases 11th Album

Cover of the album being discussed

This past week jazz guitarist John Basile released his eleventh album entitled Satisfied. As of this writing, it is available only for digital distribution; and Amazon.com has a Web page for downloading the nine tracks on the album. All the tracks are trio performances with Basile joined by Gary Versace playing a Hammond B3 organ and Carmen Itorre Jr. on drums.

The press advance describes the album as “a captivating mix of original compositions and reinterpretations of classic jazz standards.” Sadly, it is left to the memory of the reader to figure out which are the originals and which the arrangements. Where familiarity is concerned, “I’m a Fool to Want You” is probably the best candidate, since it was popularized by Frank Sinatra, who also contributed to its composition. However, since this is my first contact with a Basile album, I cannot even begin to guess which of the tracks are his originals.

On the other hand, his approach to all the tracks is an engaging reminder of when “cool” used to be a prevailing adjective for jazz compositions and performances. All three members of the trio are masters of understatement, allowing the attentive listener to revel in an ongoing flow of subtleties. The low-key rhetoric suggests a sense of background music in each of the selections, but more focused listening will quickly reveal that each track is anything but secondary in status.

Like many digital offerings, Satisfied appears to be self-produced. As a performer and (probably) a composer, Basile would benefit from a supporting “third party” to provide the attentive listener with some useful background. Unfortunately, in this new “digital age” such background is frequently (if not often) in short supply. Nevertheless, there is more than enough on this album to engage the serious listener, even in the absence of adequate background material.