(REVIEW EXTRACT)
In My Life in the World of Music, Joe Fonda offers more than a straightforward account of his long and distinguished career. What emerges from these pages is a vivid, heartfelt, and deeply personal narrative that traces the artistic and human journey of one of the most original and influential double bassists in contemporary creative music. Born in 1954 in Amsterdam, New York, Fonda has traversed more than fifty years of musical history, moving from early passions for rock and blues to a full immersion in avant-garde jazz, becoming both an interpreter and a protagonist of major artistic transformations.
From the opening chapters, a defining trait of his personality comes into focus – an irrepressible passion for music. As a teenager, Fonda immersed himself in rock, R&B, and blues well before taking up the double bass. A decisive turning point arrived with his encounter with radical jazz. Initially resistant to its language, his first exposure to Ascension by John Coltrane proved transformative, marking a point of no return and pushing him toward sound exploration and free improvisation.
The book unfolds through a succession of anecdotes and pivotal encounters. Fonda recounts his early studies at Berklee, his entry into the New Haven scene, and formative meetings with figures such as Wadada Leo Smith and Bobby Naughton. The narrative then expands to include his collaborations with Anthony Braxton, a central presence in his artistic development and a key musical partner during the 1990s, as well as work with other leading voices of the avant-garde, including Barry Altschul, Billy Bang, and Satoko Fujii…
Francesco Spezia’s review appears in full in English on MUSICA JAZZ (Italy) – LINK