Album Notes

With his fretted five-string electric bass, Schoedler reveals on By the Water what it means to be a groove monster. Whether holding down a mesmerizing electric groove or taking off on one of his many intense, melodic solo flight exhibitions, Schoedler's playing completely dominates this project from start to finish. Schoedler can groove for days. His tone is thick and penetrating. But don't think for even a second that this is just another one of those recordings that features just the bass player's skills. Oh no. On this his debut outing as a leader, Schoedler has composed and arranged some of the hippest and most original sounding tracks I've ever come across. Stylistically, this project could best be classified as a groove-infected fusion of funk and jazz influences. Featuring the impeccable work of world renowned guitarist Mike Stern on three tracks, Schoedler has made what was an already exceptional recording now extraordinary. A complete track listing includes: "The Mystic", "Strides", "For the Family", "By the Water", "By a Hair", and "Southbound." Bottom Line: With his ability to lay down some of the tastiest sounding grooves and melodically inspired solo excursions ever put to tape along with his strong compositional skills, on By the Water Craig Schoedler demonstrates some of the most inspiring electric grooving, soloing, and writing that I've heard in a long, long time. After just one listening to this project, it became completely obvious to me that the bass community will be hearing much more from Craig Schoedler in the future. To learn more about Craig Schoedler, be sure to visit him on the web at: CraigSchoedler.com.--(Bassically.net)