Alphonso Johnson is the man whose funky basslines keep this slice of jazz fusion by Weather Report on what I can only call a pleasingly uneven keel.

It’s not a straight course; more of a voyage around the world of fusion, exploring all the possibilities of jazz and funk bass – and all the better for that.

Jazz-funk fusion is very much not my area of expertise, and would once have had me running for the hills. So for this addition to my own voyage of discovery I owe a debt to Nick Coleman, for whom it is a longstanding area of special interest and a passion.

Johnson, who is no relation of Louis Johnson, joined the pioneering fusion group Weather Report in 1974, replacing Miroslav Vitouš, and stayed for three albums before moving on to join drummer Billy Cobham’s funky fusion outfit.

It is commonly agreed among aficionados (so I am advised) that this tune – the wonderfully titled Cucumber Slumber – is his finest moment. Johnson co-wrote it with keyboard player Joe Zawinul and it appeared on his first, and the group’s fourth, album Mysterious Traveller.

As is often the way with these clever-clogs jazz types, Johnson was a multi-instrumentalist. He started out playing the trombone, playing in a wind ensemble, before taking up the upright/double bass in his teens, and played early gigs with Horace Silver, Woody Herman, Chuck Mangione and Chet Baker.

He is best known for those three albums with Weather Report, where he was replaced upon his departure by Jaco Pastorius.

He also played with The Crusaders, Santana and Phil Collins, playing on his solo debut Face Value, having been invited to audition with Genesis as a replacement for guitarist Steve Hackett.

He played in a couple of Grateful Dead side projects and later co-founded Jazz Is Dead, an outfit that played jazz-fusion versions of their songs.

My favourite part of his CV though is that he is credited with introducing something called the Chapman Stick to contemporary jazz and fusion audiences. I have no idea what it is, or who Mr (or Mrs) Chapman is or was.