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  • Jauqo III-X - Trioplicity: The Lowest Of The Low



    Album Review
    Jauqo III-X - Trioplicity
    Genre - Bass

    I got Jauqo’s latest album, Trioplicity, some time back, but decided to feature it as my first review of 2017.

    Jauqo’s music is a definite treat for bass fans. His Adler Fretless Sub-Contra Bass is as much the star in the man’s music as is his talent in playing it.

    You can listen to Trioplicity on traditional high quality stereo speakers (with a decent sub-woofer), or - as I like to do - through my headphones, but as an alternative (if you aren’t set up with too much serious bass in your home audio), you can also pipe it directly through your actual bass amp, just to appreciate the full, unbelievable lows of this extraordinary instrument. Make sure to adjust your tone settings to recover the higher ranges of the guitar and drums.

    HERE is some info on Jauqo's Bass.

    Jauqo has special custom strings on the Adler to accommodate the lower frequency tuning: she’s tuned at C# - F# - B - E - the lowest of the low!! What is most interesting is that the bass is fretless, so in addition to experiencing its unique sound, we also get to enjoy the smoothness of a traditional fretless.



    The album itself is a thundering 13-track improvisational adventure that also includes Bernard Purdie on drums, and Kudzai Kasambira on guitar.

    Jauqo tends not to name his pieces, since they are not so much songs as they are samples of style and sound. The trio of musicians pocket together very well, the bass being a completely integrated part of the whole as well as the featured sound.





    Several of the tracks (#1, #2, and #4) are extended, driving freight trains of sound, each coming in at ten minutes or more. In between are shorter pieces, and even a couple of tasty licks at under a minute each. Each is its own statement in style and meaning.

    #13, the final track, is a snazzed up, psychedelic guitar experience that slams a big exclamation point on the end of this bass sentence!



    Jauqo handles this sub bass very well; he knows every inch of her, from how to work those custom strings all the way to understanding where such a sound fits in with other instruments. His bandmates play around him with expert understanding, never getting in his way, and yet each etching out his own individual place in the music. To come together as well as these men do is to understand the bare bones starting point of any well-structured collection; if you don’t understand the simplicity of good music, you cannot experiment with it. It isn’t always about being louder or more thunderous. Sometimes, it’s about going places few seldom attempt.

    Trioplicity is a serious contribution to the world of bass music. Jauqo is never afraid to test the boundaries of what a bass IS, and what a bass CAN be.

    © 2017 CL Seamus for Thunder Row



    Check out Jauqo's Web Page (where you can buy this album)

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    The Low C# Theory


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    Comments 9 Comments
    1. TobiasMan's Avatar
      TobiasMan -
      Now that piqued my interest! Thanks. You'd have to have pretty high quality gear to reproduce the frequencies of that bass, if he actually plays waaay down there much.
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      Quote Originally Posted by TobiasMan View Post
      Now that piqued my interest! Thanks. You'd have to have pretty high quality gear to reproduce the frequencies of that bass, if he actually plays waaay down there much.
      Try it on headphones or plug your mp3 player into the aux jack of your bass amp (you may need one of those size adapters). My aux input uses those RCA adapters - the other end just plugs into the mp3 player.
    1. TobiasMan's Avatar
      TobiasMan -
      Hmmm. . . normal bass amps and some headphones are fully capable of producing relatively low frequencies but a low, low C# will have a fundamental frequency of about 17 hz. I know of few, if any bass amp/cabs that will actually produce any usable sound at that kind of frequency. A standard low E on a 4 string is about 41 hz. The B on my 5 & 6 strings is about 32 hz, and many amps/cabs already have a significant drop off at that frequency. Going down another 10 semi tones to C# gets to frequencies like 17 hz, that few, if any rigs not utilizing a sub woofer can actually produce. Amps may be able to produce those frequencies, but the weak link is the cab. Hence my comment about needing a very high end amp/cab system to actually reproduce those frequencies.
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      True dat, but you do get more of it through an amp than you would through regular speakers. Also - and I'd have to get an answer from Jauqo - I'm not sure he plays that low C# as an open string. If he is, we're not gonna hear it except as a physical vibration. More of a presence than a sound.

      Through my headphones, it presents as a "shaking" through my ears. I'm not sure of the specs, but I have one set of headphones I use for Jauqo's music. They give me the majority of the sound.

      I agree with you though - it's gonna take some high end gear to get the full effect of those frequencies.

      The music itself is still well worth the listen.

    1. Keiko's Avatar
      Keiko -
      Wow! Very nice review, Elmeaux!
      Your insight helps one appreciate this album even more!
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      Quote Originally Posted by Keiko View Post
      Wow! Very nice review, Elmeaux!
      Your insight helps one appreciate this album even more!
      Thank you very much!!
    1. Jauqo III-X's Avatar
      Jauqo III-X -
      Hello this is bassist Jauqo III X. If you guys and ladies have any questions feel free to ask.







      Thank you
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      Quote Originally Posted by Jauqo III-X View Post
      Hello this is bassist Jauqo III X. If you guys and ladies have any questions feel free to ask.

      Thank you
      We were kind of wondering about whether or not you even play that lowest C# string OPEN. Most gear doesn't have the frequency range to pick it up if played open.

    1. Jauqo III-X's Avatar
      Jauqo III-X -
      I definitely play the low C# string open on occasions.

      And it's really easy to get bass frequencies clearly below the low B string. It just comes down to the gear and the players touch. I've heard many times where people say that you can't hear the low C# string open well I have been able to capture the frequency properly and please listeners should just remind themselves that every one does not have the same level of hearing abilities in certain ranges but that can be corrected if one takes the time to just listen and focus on wanting to actually hear the extra low frequencies instead of wanting to falsely believe that it's not possible.



      There was a time not to long ago when listeners said that the low B string was to low to hear, well that's not the case for the most part these days.
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