Bromberg is the genre meister: he’ll fit into any style, a Zelig of the bass who's worn the motley of bop, rock and country. The trick of the tribute to Hendrix is there is no guitar: only Bromberg's multi-tracked basses playing lead, harmony and doubtless cooking lunch, so comprehensive are his talents. It knocks you back initially, with a raunchy ‘Fire’ igniting the recording. But for all the respect due Bromberg, whose technique is boggling, you have to wonder, er, why? Fab driving music though. And thankfully he avoids ‘Voodoo Child’.

The Jobim recording is touched with a little more intimacy, not the least because of the stellar side men, notably in the crucial percussion section, with Airto laying down some suitably winsome vocals. Bromberg's still well to the fore, now principally on acoustic bass, and notable on ‘Corcovado’ against lustrous strings.

But it's on his more personal project, Compared To That, that there is a little more warmth, intimacy and swing. Indeed, you wish there were other modest tracks like the affectionate ‘If Ray Brown Was A Cowboy’. But we soon tip over to studio extravaganzas such as the country-meets classical fusion of ‘Hayride’ (doesn't Bill Evans do this stuff with more energy?) – epic in scope but epically dull; you tip your hat in respect but crave something with soul.