Nat Baldwin, bassist in Dirty Projectors, used a double bass and a bow to share his reflections on some important themes last Wednesday at the Cat in the Cream. Baldwin, on tour in support of his upcoming album People Changes, reflected on growing up, feeling empty inside, finding oneself and discovering how to connect to others during his sparse, mellifluous set.

If you know Baldwin, it’s probably because of his work with his main act, whose most recent full-length effort, Swing Lo Magellan, landed on several year-end best-of charts in 2012. If not, you’ve likely heard him before: He has contributed songwriting and bass playing to other bands in the alternative and folk scenes, including Vampire Weekend and Grizzly Bear.

This tour, Baldwin serenely told his packed audience, was his first solo trek in over a year. However, his jazz background, technical virtuosity as a bassist and vocal accompaniment made him distinguishable as a solo musician. His rhythms were so complex that at times, it was unclear if his vocals were following his bass notes or if he was improvising along the lines of his lyrics. Between Baldwin’s frequent mix of strummed or bowed chords, single-note playing and occasional vibrato, it often sounded as if he was backed by a larger group of musicians. The richness of both his instrument and his voice permeated throughout the Cat, producing a very distinct sound that creatively melded two different musical sounds.

Baldwin’s mix of older and newer material told stories about various people and places;  he chose to open with one of his most recent songs, “Lake Erie,” because he felt it to be “geographically appropriate.” This song, along with “Sharpshooter,” connected smaller details one might observe in nature with greater life themes. He also covered the Arthur Russell song “A Little Lost,” which fit thematically with the rest of his set. The more intense bowing on this song made it even more distinct and contributed to a very meditative Cat environment.

Between songs, Baldwin made a concerted effort to engage with the audience, despite some initial awkwardness. Sometimes in the middle of sharing an anecdote — often about his current tour — he would shrug as if to say, “It’s whatever,” begin his next song, and commence again with some single notes before leading into a heartier piece. Toward the end of his show, he checked his email on his phone before playing a final song.

One might say that Baldwin’s performance was reminiscent of Ben Sollee’s last October; after all, they played such similar instruments — Baldwin on bass, Sollee on cello —  while singing about the same sorts of topics, and had a similar effect on the audience. Still, it is remarkable that Baldwin reached the same level of fluidity and harmony in his individual performance, whereas Sollee only did this with the help of a guitarist and drummer.

Baldwin took a bare-bones formula — one man, one instrument — and extracted the maximum amount of entertainment from it while captivating his audience. If his record is at all as pleasantly moving as last week’s show, it will absolutely be worth checking out.