If you go out to hear “live” music in New Orleans more than three or four times a year, you’ve probably heard Jim Markway playing in some context or another. Jim is a consummate situation player, convincing in any musical setting, subtly expanding the parameters of the idiom at hand, and inspiring players around him to levels of communication they hadn’t quite imagined before he came on the gig. With characteristic humility, he confesses, “I’m thankful to be a bass player in New Orleans, which truly is one of the premier musical places on the planet, where a sideman can play many different styles, and actually earn an almost comfortable living doing so.”

But, we’re not here just to praise a great sideman. With the release of “Forward Motion,” we finally get to meet Jim Markway on his own terms, as a brilliant, refreshingly lyrical, and highly original jazz composer. The eleven exemplary pieces that comprise this CD were written between 1998 and 2003. Several of them emerged during idle hours on the road with various bands. “Halifax” (Nova Scotia) and “Skagen” (Denmark) are named for the towns in which they were conceived. “Red Bass Shuffle” also originated on a tour somewhere, when, “This angular harmonization of two lines occurred to me. The only instrument I had at my disposal was my red Fender, so I grabbed it and tried to write down what I was hearing before the inspiration faded. I managed to get the thing on paper intact. Later, back home, I was able to check it out against a drum track; I decided it was worth keeping.” No doubt.

“Becca’s Dream” revealed itself to the composer in one of the little practice cubicles at Tulane University, after one of his bass students didn’t show up for a lesson: “At the time, my family was very much caught up in the educational plans for my daughter Rebecca. I was musing about this when out of nowhere the entire tune descended upon me, virtually intact. As quickly as I could, I wrote down what was coming to me, and in forty-five minutes, it was done. I named it for my daughter, since thinking about her future seems to have triggered its appearance.”

Three of the pieces – “Julius,” “Hero,” and “Old Point Blues” - pay homage to fellow bass players, now gone: “Julius Farmer was an early influence on me, from whom I ‘stole’ various techniques and concepts from his stage performances. He was kind and supportive to me his entire life, a gentle soul, and a great musician. Erving Charles (“Hero”) was, to me, the epitome of what a bass player should be in terms of how he played, and in terms of how his dedication to the music was absolute. David Lee Watson (“Old Point Blues”) was a friend and peer, an excellent player who died too early.” A fourth tune, “Mr. Suhor,” recalls reedman Don Suhor, “a musicians’ musician, a true musical genius, whose dedication to music was, again, absolute; yet at the same time he raised two families. None of these guys are household names, even though they all should be.”

This is an exceptional body of work, brought to life by a highly attuned quartet. Tim Green, Mike Lemmler and Doug Belote provide exactly the kind of intelligent, heartfelt support you want when you’re taking your artistic creations to the firing line. “I wanted to put this CD out to showcase a good band, made up of excellent players who are dedicated to the project, and to showcase material that I believe to be well written. It’s not easy always playing other people’s tunes, in other people’s bands. I’m hopeful that my long experience in doing so has qualified me to write music that is genuine, meaningful, and beautiful.” Let anyone who’s interested rest assured: “Forward Motion” is genuine, meaningful, and beautiful.