Solo jazz/improv bass records are not plentiful - Barre Phillips may have been the first with his seminal 1968 Journal Violone release, and others such as Dave Holland and Larry Grenadier have made honourable contributions to the micro-genre. Sustaining interest from such an unwieldy instrument requires a very comprehensive technique and an extra-fertile musical imagination.

Fortunately Berlin-based Brit Phil Donkin possesses both of those advantages in spades; and following the illustrious example of Lennie Tristano, he's availed himself of the affordances of studio multi-tracking to create an orchestra of Donkins, heard to great effect on the stately ‘Numb Worm’ where he accompanies himself with a chorus of impressively accurate, well articulated arco playing, conjuring a sombre string section. ‘Blues Correlation’ might be a distant relative of the similarly named Ornette track, and Donkin shows off his nimble pizzicato fingerwork, deep solid tone and comprehensive harmonic chops: the punning tribute ‘No Holds Barre-ed’ is a bowed solo that delights with its powerful resonance.

Much of the vocabulary comes from free improv and the wilder reaches of the classical tradition as much as from jazz. ‘The Crucifixion’ is an entirely textural piece with lots of extended-technique sonic adventuring and ‘Value’ is an ingenious extended exploration of sets of interconnected melodic cells.

Those listeners who find the solo bass a rather austere experience over time will find that this impression is not diminished by Donkin's preference for musical abstraction, and the choice of the final title – ‘Saturation Point’ – may be an example of wry self-deprecation - especially as it is the most melodic and accessible piece in the collection. An impressive accomplishment from a uniquely creative musician.