BASS INSTINCTS; Michael Janisch celebrates debut album with Coventry concert.

Byline: MARTIN LONGLEY

AMERICAN bass player Michael Janisch is making a return visit to Coventry.

He's been living in London for four years, but one of his old New York cronies, drummer Clarence Penn, will be joining him at Taylor John's House in Coventry Canal Basin on Wednesday.

Janisch's debut album is due out at the end of this month, with Purpose Built showcasing his abilities on both the acoustic and electric basses.

Its tunes can be quite varied, depending on which instrument Janisch picks up, from straight-ahead jazz stormers to more funkified numbers.

Janisch uses a multi-purpose pool of players for each track, but vibraphonist Jim Hart is a notably shimmering presence who will be in the quintet on Wednesday.

Although recorded in Brooklyn, the album mixes New Yorkers with London players, as Janisch has been steadily developing a neat transatlantic exchange programme.

The album's most unusual piece is the closing Moment's Notice, which is an intense duo between Janisch and drummer Johnathan Blake.

We can be sure that this John Coltrane tune will be given a similarly powerful reading next week, with Clarence Penn on the drumstool and Janisch on electric bass. The horn section for this doubtlessly punchy gig will be saxophonist Paul Booth and trumpeter Jason Palmer.