“5/5 - This album is as close to perfect as it is possible to get and fully warrants its rating here. Buy it! ”
UK Vibe
"Bassist Mike Downes was a good deal more than a timekeeper…wonderfully resourceful...a huge tone and a prodigious technique”
Winnipeg Free Press
“A world class recording from beginning to end… the album presents ten wide-ranging compositions primarily written by Downes and executed with exceptional musicality by the quartet”
Textura
Bio
Mike Downes has been leading bands since the early 1990s and has performed with his quartet, trio, 11-piece “In the Current” ensemble and solo bass concerts.
His original quartet toured Canada and recorded their first album “Forces” to great acclaim. In a review of that album, The Jazz Report wrote “Bassist Mike Downes is one of Canada's immensely talented young giants." “Forces” was followed by “Then” and “The Winds of Change” (Top 10 CDs of 2004 - JazzFM91). Mike formed a new trio and released “Ripple Effect” in 2013 (2014 JUNO award winner - Traditional Jazz Album of the Year), “In the Current” in 2014 (featuring compositions for an 11-piece chamber jazz ensemble), “Root Structure” for quartet in 2017 (2018 JUNO award winner - Jazz Album of the Year - Solo) and “Mind Mirrors” for solo bass in 2022. His most recent project “The Way In” (March 1, 2024 release date) features a core trio of piano, bass and guitar with guest percussionists on 5 of the 11 tracks.
The magic of every one of his live performances is in the joy and interaction between the musicians. Tom Bellaire of Jazz Notes states “"Mike and his choice sidemen splash their personal colours on a work of abstract art, but never lose sight of the fact they are all working on one canvas. They lay out boundaries of improvisation; they blend their colours unselfishly into a masterpiece."
Mike’s most recent trio features Canadian jazz stars Robi Botos on piano/keyboards, Ted Quinlan on guitars and Mike playing “emotionally direct, profoundly lyrical bass work." (Stuart Broomer, The Whole Note)
Press Photos
