Walkin’ All Around , is now available online at CDbaby.com and at most online digital distributors. Bettison has performed with Julian Arguelles, Django Bates (a couple of times at least), John Parricelli, Tim Whitehead, Stan Sulzman, Manfredo Fest, Gumbi Ortiz, and Acoustic Alchemy (regrettably).
Walkin’ All Around took Bettison two months to record. Bettison and percussionist/drummer, Tom Carabasi, recorded the initial tracks as improvised duets. Bettison added additional instruments over the next couple of months. While Bettison is primarily known as a bass player, he has been playing the chromatic harmonica for 15 years. “I first picked one up while touring with Acoustic Alchemy in Japan,†Bettison says. He also played piano, accordion, and various percussion on the CD. “I’m a frustrated everything player,†he laughs.
Born in England, Bettison’s family moved to Australia when he was young. He started playing the bass when he was eight years old and played his first professional gig at sixteen. After twenty-five years as a professional musician, he thought it was time to record his own CD. Bettison says, “It’s kind of embarrassing really but I just never got around to it before now.†Walkin’ All Around is well worth the wait.
Walkin’ All Around is a unique blend of jazz improvisation and world rhythms. “I just wanted to experiment with sounds,†Bettison says. His experiment works. The CD starts out with the wacky Mr. Dentist Pants and takes you on a journey of sound that ends in a poignant tribute to the late Manfredo Fest called Missed Friend.
Bettison is an excellent musician who has an inspired way of expressing himself. His tunes come from deep inside, while exhibiting a playful stream-of-consciousness vibe. His improvisations are lyrical. His music provides the listener with a refreshing escape from the world of formulated predictable music. Walkin’ All Around is like no CD you have ever heard before.
Also available on
Apple iTunes and most other digital distributors
