Beacon’s Ace of Bass

Versatility leads to high demand

Ten years ago, Nate Allen moved to Beacon and began hustling around town for freelance bass gigs. No matter the style of music, he almost always said yes. Now, he’s a local ace of bass, playing with myriad ensembles and collaborators.

“I’ve had a lot of experiences walking musical tightropes,” he says.

The ability to read music on the fly helps, but Allen can play and feel almost every genre. On June 28 at The Yard, he performed with Illari, an act led by Peruvian percussionist Angel Lau that stirs in some African-style rhythms. The band had never rehearsed all together, and to complicate matters, their drummer broke his wrist a week before the gig.

“I was worried about that one, but it worked out well,” says Allen. Indeed, the group elicited howls of approval after their final song. 

He also received kudos for a short solo that opened the song “Rosa.” Plucking the strings like a finger-style guitarist, he drew a “woo” from someone in the back and a rowdy round of applause for his more exuberant and extended solo in “Motema.”

“Bass players are usually in the background so we’re not used to that,” he says. “It’s not an instrument for someone with an ego.”

For most of the show, his five-string electric bass drove the bus as he threw down repetitive, mesmerizing grooves that let the percussion parts percolate around a sonic structure and provided solid ground for the trumpet and keyboard to soar.

But he also understood when to be a passenger. One tune required him to hold down repetitive bass lines, which he embellished with a few quick notes during pauses. The approach for “Ncancer” called for minimalist accompaniment, yet on occasion, he plunked funky little fills, then fell silent.

Adam Cabo, half of the rising Beacon jazz duo Zohar and Adam, filled in for the band’s injured drummer. Allen will be sitting in with them at Joe’s Pub in Greenwich Village on July 31 and also taking a mini-tour through the Pacific Northwest in August, with a stopover at the San Jose Jazz Festival.

When not traveling, he’s teaching at Beacon Music Factory and anchoring the low end for local guitarist Tony DePaolo, pop/country duo Annalyse and Ryan, progressive bluegrass group Bees in the Barn and Lotus, which plays the music of Santana. He also takes on numerous one-offs around town, like a recent show with Saint Rita, which specializes in the music of Kurt Weill.

Sometimes Allen searches for situations; other times he answers the phone after someone recommends him. Budgets are usually thin for most original musical projects, so he also plays weddings and corporate gigs.

Being able to sight-read music he has never seen or heard before gets him into the recording studio. One hurdle is that “virtual instruments sound so realistic these days, there’s no need to hire a human anymore,” he says. “Lucky for me, upright bass is hard to emulate realistically. For now.”

Robots are unlikely to replace live musicians in the near future. “Whatever I’m doing, I try to put some feeling into it, whether it’s energized and excited, or sad and teary.”

Turning down work with lowball offers can be difficult, but “there’s always someone willing to do it for less,” Allen says. “I once told a colleague about a pitiful situation and he said, ‘Really? Can you give me the guy’s number?’ ”