‘Ten Roses’ is a gentle piece, but there’s nothing casual about the way Mighty Joe Belson arrives at that gentleness.
Throughout, the California-based composer and bassist places the bowed upright bass at the centre of the track, using it not for weight or drama, but for something softer and more melodic. It’s a choice that gives the song an immediately distinctive character, particularly because he’s described this kind of restrained playing as unfamiliar territory for him.
‘Ten Roses’ was originally composed on guitar while the artist sat beside a stream in Mendocino Woodlands State Park, and the finished piece retains some of that calm, open-air quality. Its title came later, drawn from a meditative gratitude practice he developed during the pandemic: imagining ten roses appearing above a desert highway, with each one representing something to be thankful for.
That image gives the track a quietly reflective centre, while he manages to keep the arrangement understated. The bowed bass carries the melody with a natural vulnerability, allowing small imperfections to remain part of the performance as it plays.
Influences from Appalachian folk melody, Edgar Meyer’s classical crossover work and the layered approaches of Gretchen Yanover, Zoe Keating and Redi Hasa can be felt in the track’s broader aesthetic, but ‘Ten Roses’ remains personal rather than simply referential.
As the second single from the forthcoming BassSongs album, it also serves as a clear introduction to the project’s wider philosophy. These are songs about melody, patience, vulnerability and the willingness to let a simple idea carry emotional weight.
Ultimately, ‘Ten Roses’ is modest, reflective and deeply sincere; offering a small musical gesture with a surprisingly lasting warmth.