Dennis Anderson

Rob Thorsen: "I love that duo setting because you still get all of the sonic purity, you can hear everything super clear."

“I’m excited and I feel good about it,” says bassist Rob Thorsen, referring to the upcoming CD-release party for his new record, Bass Is the Space, that he has planned for Sunday, August 28, at Bread & Salt, the multi-arts complex on Julian Avenue in Logan Heights. “These are all musicians I love, who I work with all the time, and I like this space a lot. It’s going to have a nice natural reverb.”

Thorsen had originally intended for Space to be solo bass, but he ended up settling on a format that blended solo tracks with a series of duos. “I had done trio and quartet records, and I felt like this was a good time in my life to make a solo record, but then I decided to add in some people and I ended up with four solo tracks and nine duets with some of my favorite players like Steph Johnson, Gilbert Castellanos, Joshua White, Fernando Gomez, and Marshall Hawkins. I love that duo setting because you still get all of the sonic purity, you can hear everything super clear. There’s a ton of interaction and you’re dealing with this conversationalist aspect.”

He doesn’t feel constricted by the decision. “Maybe there will be a completely solo bass record in my future, but I love the spectrum of music in my life and I thought this is a great opportunity to still have a totally creative endeavor and include some of these people I feel so lucky to play with. At this point, mixing the solo bass stuff with duos felt natural. You know there are players like Bert Turetzky, Mark Dresser, and Kyle Motl who take the instrument to a different level, and I enjoy creating my own version of that idea.”

Thorsen’s concert will feature all of the players on the album. The reception, which begins at 6 p.m., will also showcase paintings by the local artist Susan Snyder, plus wine and appetizers. The concert begins at 6:45, and the bass man is enthusiastic about the venue. “I want a venue that’s sympathetic to how I like the music being heard. The building is made of old bricks and it’s got character for days. There’s even some of the old machinery from when it was the Weber Bread Factory!”