Musica Callada [CD], Jon Hamar, CD

On Musica Callada, bassist Jon Hamar brings a deeply personal vision to the classical double bass, illuminating a repertoire that favors discovery over tradition. Eschewing the instrument's most familiar cornerstones, Hamar curates a program of rarely heard and newly realized works. At the album's center is his striking arrangement of Musica Callada by Frederic Mompou, recasting the composer's intimate piano meditations in a richly resonant new voice. With pianist Adrienne Fontenot, Hamar shapes a fluid, expressive dialogue, while works by David P. Jones and Hamar himself introduce moments of improvisation that expand the music's emotional arc. Supported in part by the International Society of Bassists' Harmon Lewis Grant, Musica Callada reveals an artist of breadth, sensitivity, and quiet daring. "Hamar achieves the balance of thoughtfulness and risk-taking that characterizes the most successful musical ventures." - Doug Ramsey