Lumber Night at the Hideout: Live review and photo gallery
The Hideout reverberated with low-end tones last night as noted bassists Devin Hoff, Kent Kessler, Nate McBride and Jason Roebke convened on-stage. Presented as part of Umbrella Music's Immediate Sound series, the show—perhaps dubbed 'Lumber Night' because basses are big and wooden—found the four musicians rotating through a number of configurations, grouping the players in every possible duo and trio combination leading up to the night's grand finale quartet. The acoustic bass is not typically known for its solo qualities, but the players at this cozy jazz gig put the cumbersome instrument through its paces; plucking, bowing, slapping, and even (in the case of Nate McBride) breaking strings. The improvised pieces flowed seamlessly from percussive jazz riffing, to the soft and subtle sounds of bows gently scratching against strings. The players showed grace toward both the attentive audience, and relished the chance to spontaneously interact with their instrumental peers. The thunderous sound of four basses filled the room as the night came to a close, cementing the evening as one of the more unique performances to grace a stage in Chicago in quite some time.
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