Bassist Chuck Bergeron presents a joyful album of intimate bass and voice duets with ten world-class vocalists
Bass and Face, out June 5, 2026 on Summit Records, features Bergeron in musical conversation with Janis Siegel, Sheila Jordan, Kevin Mahogany, Pete McGuinness, Roseanna Vitro, George Rabbai, Deborah Silver, Lisanne Lyons, Kate Reid and Nicole Yarling.
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“Jazz bassist and composer Chuck Bergeron is considered one of the most innovative musicians working in the jazz field today… [His] unique compositional style and approach to improvisation reflect a wide variety of musical influences, underscoring a deep commitment to the rich polyrhythmic characteristics of his musical and cultural heritage.” – Jon Liebman, For Bass Players Only
Bassist Chuck Bergeron has enjoyed working in a wide variety of settings over the course of his more than four-decade career, from hard-charging small groups to the boisterous big band swing of his South Florida Jazz Orchestra. Bergeron has long cherished his interactions with singers, including such illustrious voices as Kevin Mahogany, Sheila Jordan, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Janis Siegel and many others.
Typically, of course, those bass-and-vocals interactions have taken place within the context of a larger group. But during several years living in Seattle, Bergeron worked regularly with singer Kendra Shank, who always set aside a portion of her show to share the spotlight alone with the bassist – an intimate moment that she referred to as “Bass and Face.”
“Pianists and guitar players get to do that sort of thing all the time,” Bergeron says. “The harmonic range of the bass is a bit more limited, so it’s rare that I get that opportunity – but I really loved it. It’s a really naked and vulnerable situation, and requires a different approach to playing the instrument.”
Ever since that time, Bergeron has dreamt of a project where he could engage in one-on-one musical conversations with several of the vocalists who have played significant roles in his life and career. That long-held desire has finally come to fruition with his new album, a radiant collection of duets with ten brilliant vocalists. The title is a nod to Shank’s catalyzing inspiration – Bass and Face.
Out June 5, 2026 via Summit Records, Bass and Face features a stellar roster of voices pairing with Bergeron on a remarkably diverse repertoire of songs. The line-up includes Janis Siegel of the legendary Manhattan Transfer, Pete McGuinness, Roseanna Vitro, George Rabbai, Lisanne Lyons, Deborah Silver (Grammy-nominated for her 2025 collaboration with the Count Basie Orchestra), Kate Reid and Nicole Yarling, as well as two iconic singers who are no longer with us: Sheila Jordan, who passed away shortly after the recording, and Kevin Mahogany, whose contributions stem from a 2005 session undertaken during Bergeron’s seven-year stint in the singer’s band.
Bass and Face opens with the first of two appearances by Janis Siegel. “An Occasional Man” is a breezy, sultry escape to the tropics penned by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin. Its remote island setting is enhanced by percussionist Richie Bravo, the first of several special guests brought in to subtly accentuate the duets. Siegel also suggested the barroom lament “When I Drink,” composed by the Italian duo Musica Nuda. Bergeron’s bass acts as a sympathetic ear perched on the neighboring bar stool, a fellow sufferer willing to commiserate and imbibe.
A gifted bandleader in his own right, Pete McGuinness contributed his own arrangement for Johnny Mandel’s “Emily,” the sole track on the album not arranged by Bergeron. The playful duo, with its spirited scat solo, reflects the comfort of a lifelong friendship – McGuinness and Bergeron have known each other since attending college together in the 1980s. He has known Lisanne Lyons nearly as long; the two have shared stages together from Bergeron’s days with the Woody Herman Orchestra to performances with Pops orchestras across the country. Their take on “Detour Ahead” is particularly fragile in its presentiments of disaster.
The Woody Herman band also provided Bergeron with his introduction to George Rabbai, who serves double duty on the classic “I Thought About You,” playing trumpet as well as singing the wistful lyric. Roseanna Vitro made the bassist’s acquaintance during his New York days in the ‘90s, and he knew he wanted her to sing the blues – she suggested Jeannie Cheatham’s wry ode to plastic surgery, “Take the Wrinkles Out of Your Birthday Suit.”
Both Kate Reid and Nicole Yarling are colleagues of Bergeron’s at the University of Miami – Reid brings a finger-snapping cool to “Devil May Care,” while Yarling accompanies Bergeron to his hometown of New Orleans for a mash-up of Meters and Dixie Cups classics from the Crescent City. Deborah Silver is a more recent acquaintance, though the two jibe easily on the rejection of modern-day complications on “Analog” – a perfect sentiment to this acoustic, bare-bones setting.
Bergeron was especially honored to work with the legendary Sheila Jordan, who was 95 at the time of recording. “She’s jazz history,” Bergeron says succinctly. “She sat in the vocal booth telling us stories about hanging out with George Russell or going down to the Vanguard to hear Bill Evans.” Having recorded a beloved series of duets with bassist Harvie S, Jordan didn’t want to replicate the situation, so guitarist John Hart sits in for “Fair Weather” – a lyric that Jordan wrote in tribute to one of Bergeron’s favorites, trumpeter Kenny Dorham.
The two selections with Kevin Mahogany are drawn from a number of sessions led by Bergeron more than 20 years ago, but included to honor a singer whose support was momentous for the bassist. John Lewis’ “Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West” also includes saxophonist Charles Pillow, drummer John Riley and pianist Phil Strange, and Strange returns for the Charles Mingus composition “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love,” adding lush chords to Bergeron’s tender bowing and Mahogany’s syrup-smooth baritone. As a bonus, Bergeron also includes a piano-bass duo that he recorded with Strange to conclude the album with another tribute to the Big Easy, “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?”
“This is the definition of a passion project,” Bergeron says. “So I wanted to make sure that I invited people who I enjoy working with – and simply enjoy spending time with. Every one of these singers has their own unique personality, and they’re all great fun to work with.”,
Chuck Bergeron
Born and raised in New Orleans, Chuck Bergeron has been an in-demand bassist for over four decades. His career has included extensive touring and performing all over the world. Chuck studied at Loyola University and the University of Miami before joining the bands of Woody Herman and Buddy Rich. After the breakup of the Buddy Rich Band, Chuck moved to New York and embarked upon a 15-year career as a working professional bassist, performing, recording, and touring with a host of jazz luminaries, including Stan Getz, Dave Grusin, Randy Brecker, Sheila Jordan, Dee Dee Bridgewater, John Abercrombie, Tom Harrell, James Moody, Matt Wilson, Terell Stafford, Stanley Jordan and Elvis Costello. As a leader, Chuck has released eight albums, four of them at the helm of the South Florida Jazz Orchestra. In 2000, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Miami and relocated to South Florida, where he currently runs the Jazz Bass Studio and serves as Director of the Jazz Pedagogy Program at UM’s Frost School of Music.
Chuck Bergeron – Bass and Face
Summit Records – SMT-852 – Recorded October 2023, March-May 2024, and March 2025
Release date June 5, 2026
summitrecords.com