James Singleton Malabar is one of the most in demand bass players in New Orleans. This is, of course, saying quite a lot. But it’s no exaggeration. At 66, Singleton has accompanied everyone from Chet Baker, Ellis Marsalis, and Charlie Rich to John Scofield and James Booker. But he is much more than a reliable sideman. Singleton is a core member of Astral Project, a group that OffBeat has called “the finest modern jazz ensemble in New Orleans,” and since 2016, Singleton has performed and recorded as a founding member of the lauded Nolatet. Perhaps even more significantly Singleton has ventured far beyond New Orleans and into the farther reaches of creative music and improvisation, collaborating with Chicago jazz experimentalists Charles Rumback, Jim Baker, and Greg Ward on recordings for the venerable underground label Astral Spirits.

It is for all these reasons that Malabar, Singleton’s full-length recording as a band leader, is something of a miracle. At times romantic, at other moments chaotic, Singleton’s writing––and leadership––allows for the players to stretch out and present an engaging narrative.