With the release of Wood II, his sequel to the staggering acoustic bass manifesto, Wood, Brian Bromberg’s phenomenal acoustic bass playing again takes center stage. Where Wood was a warm and intimate collection, Wood II casts a wider net and interjects a sly, gentle humor. Backed by the masterful piano playing of Randy Waldman, and the intricate rhythms of world class drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, Bromberg has crafted a tightly integrated audio portrait of swinging bop staples, jazz standards and pop classics. Wood II showcases Bromberg doing what he does best - "...boldly going where no acoustic bassist has gone before..." - from Amazon.com
Brian Bromberg’s extraordinary new release is a jazz album cured of the blues. Devoid of deep suffering pools, spare introspective valleys or convoluted mazes of cerebration, the mostly trio Wood II looks out over a vista of pure musical enjoyment seen from peaks of virtuosic playfulness.- Franz A. Matzner, All About Jazz