From my vantage point, Tumble has gone through three distinct periods: the trio, the quartet with Bill Douglass, and the current quartet with bass player Rob Holland. Each transition has resulted in distinct changes in the evolution of the sound of the band and its musical direction.
We began playing with Rob Holland in early 2019. Rob has brought so many special new elements and influences to the group. Rob plays a variety of basses with Tumble including acoustic upright bass, electric 4 string bass, electric fretless bass, and most prominently, the electric 6 string bass. The extended range of this instrument has added extra depth to the group’s sound through the extended low end and upper range. Counterpoint of voices has always been an important touchstone of the band’s musical identity. This extended upper bass range at times overlaps with the range of the guitar and mbira, creating new depth in the interplay of voices. Rob’s deep knowledge of Latin based grooves has also served to thicken the group’s influences from the African diaspora. Rob is also a great guy to hang with and we are super happy to be playing with him!
Our album Waves documents the group’s sound during our period of evolution with bassist Bill Douglass. By the time the album was released, Rob had taken over the bass chair in the group. We played a Waves CD release concert at the beautiful Besemer Hall in Nevada City in October of 2019.
This video clip is the first to be released featuring the current incarnation of Tumble. In this clip we are performing a version of my composition “3:32”. I remember waking up in the middle of the night with an angular little motif running through my head. I started to envision some possible structures and arrangements using this little melodic fracture. I remember thinking to myself… “My God, I really should be sleeping right now!” I looked up at my alarm clock and it read 3:32 AM!
Hope you enjoy this clip!