Bay area jazz bassist Michael Ross brings in young luminaries for fifth album ‘Giraffe’

Ross is among the best homegrown instrumental bands you can listen to right now.

Michael Ross - Photo via michaelrossbass.com
Photo via michaelrossbass.com
Michael Ross
Bassist Michael Ross, a stalwart on the Tampa Bay jazz scene since the late 1970s, released Giraffe, his fifth album as a leader, last summer.

The nine-track offering falls within the mainstream jazz idiom, with some welcome updates. For one, several tracks feature young Gibbs High alum Anthony Aldissi playing splendid Fender Rhodes, which gives tunes like “Chick’s Pick,” “Buddha” and the title track a more contemporary resonance.

Giraffe includes four Ross originals, showcasing melodies that are at once catchy and intricate, and also includes astutely chosen jazz standards by Wayne Shorter (“Oriental Folk Song”) and McCoy Tyner (“Inception”).

The bassist’s fleet fingers and elastic tone are on display throughout. Danny Jordan handles the tricky melodic lines and offers up swaggering solos on tenor saxophone and flute.

Ross regularly plays in Sarasota.
See a list of the best Tampa Bay instrumental bands you can listen to right now.

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.


Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

WE LOVE OUR READERS!

Since 1988, CL Tampa Bay has served as the free, independent voice of Tampa Bay, and we want to keep it that way.

Becoming a CL Tampa Bay Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.

Join today because you love us, too.

Eric Snider

Eric Snider is the dean of Bay area music critics. He started in the early 1980s as one of the founding members of Music magazine, a free bi-monthly. He was the pop music critic for the then-St. Petersburg Times from ‘87-’93. Snider was the music critic, arts editor and senior editor of Weekly Planet/Creative...
Scroll to read more Local Music articles

Join Creative Loafing Tampa Bay Newsletters

Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.