Stylistically speaking, it’s extremely hard to pinpoint San Francisco Bay Area bassist Mike Sweetland. As you’ll hear on his new CD, Stringsongrüvscaipsoundtreks, that’s a very good thing. The music on this intriguing new release, while centered within a vigorous jazz aesthetic, reflects Sweetland’s impressive breadth of musical influences and the broad scope of work he’s done over a 20-year career: jazz, funk, classical, pop, flamenco and more. But for all the stylistic diversity, the unrelenting current of quality and passion on Stringsongrüvscaipsoundtreks is unmistakable: fiery, virtuosic playing, intriguing compositions, imagination and élan, all driven by Sweetland’s inspiration and impressive creative vision.