... Hamar achieves the balance of thoughtfulness and risk-taking that characterizes the most successful musical ventures.
On Música Callada, bassist Jon Hamar brings a deeply personal vision to the classical double bass, illuminating a repertoire that favors discovery over tradition. Eschewing the instrument's most familiar cornerstones, Hamar curates a program of rarely heard and newly realized works. At the album's center is his striking arrangement of Música Callada by Frederic Mompou, recasting the composer's intimate piano meditations in a richly resonant new voice. With pianist Adrienne Fontenot, Hamar shapes a fluid, expressive dialogue, while works by David P. Jones and Hamar himself introduce moments of improvisation that expand the music's emotional arc. Supported in part by the International Society of Bassists' Harmon Lewis Grant, Música Callada reveals an artist of breadth, sensitivity, and quiet daring.
Track Listing:
Música Callada 15:36 Frederic Mompou
1 I: Angelico 1:39
2 II: Lent 1:18
3 III: Placide 1:34
4 IV: Afflitto e Penoso 2:01
5 V 1:55
6 VI: Lento 1:48
7 VII: Lento 2:37
8 VIII: Semplice 0:39
9 IX: Lento 2:26
10 Winter Crow 9:09 David P. Jones
11 Song of the Lighthouse 4:05 Jones
12 Bach to Blues 7:12 John Clayton
13 Lazy Dragon 6:36 Hamar
14 Nocturne 2:36 Ned Rorem
15 Mosaic 1:33 Hamar
Performers:
Jon Hamar - double bass
Adrienne Fontenot - piano (except 12,15)
Production Info:
Produced by Jon Hamar
Recorded by Mischa Goldman at the University of Tennessee,
Natalie L. Haslam College of Music, Knoxville, TN
on May 21-22, 2025
Mixed by Benjamin Lange at Lange Studios, Edgewood, WA
Mastered by Peter Doell at 21st Century Audio, Los Angeles, CA
Artist photo by Austin Orr
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Música Callada
Paris Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
5-STARS Jon Hamar's Música Callada Redefines the Boundaries Between Classical Music and Jazz
It is rare to encounter a classical recording in which the double bass stands at the center of the artistic vision. Yet with Música Callada, released this June, Jon Hamar has created an album that feels quietly transformative, a work of uncommon depth ...
