SEEDS OF HAPPINESS

www.audaud.com

"I'm struggling to decide in what section this review should appear as I'm writing it. Seem to be faced with such decisions more frequently lately. Roden plays a Fender precision bass only, and though some of the tracks are overdubbed, there is no looping and no synthesizers or other tricks used. While the bass guitar is usually associated with rock, Roden's work is closer to contemporary chamber music. I would characterize this as meditative/introspective jazz-influenced New Age improvisations for electric bass. One reviewer called it "ambient meets intellectual jazz." Some years ago there was a New Age jazz album which sounded like the rhythm section of Miles Davis' In a Silent Way sessions but without Miles or any front line at all. You could sort of conjure up the upper melodic line in your mind while listening, and the same is true of Seeds of Happiness. It can be a fascinating exercise. Most of the 26 tracks here are extremely short - under three minutes, and a number of them under two minutes. Many of the their titles reflect the nature of the music: Shimmering, Clouds like choirs, The