Bassist’s New Album Inspired by Speech

  I  

Bassist Ben Allison’s new album, Little Things Run The World (Palmetto), features a rendition of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” plus six of Allison’s original compositions and a song by guitarist Steve Cardenas. Allison arranged “Jealous Guy” for his band Man Size Safe as a nod to Donny Hathaway’s rendition of Lennon’s song.

Fusing rock, jazz, americana, blues and soul music, Little Things Run The World was inspired by biologist E.O. Wilson’s acceptance speech for the 2007 TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Prize. Wilson’s commentary on the interdependence of all creatures great and small is an underlying theme on the record and a direct inspiration for the album’s title.

Palmetto will sell Little Things Run The World CDs and mp3s exclusively on its website, palmetto-records.com, starting Dec. 4. The album will be available in stores starting Jan. 22.

The album features:
Ben Allison, bass
Michael Sarin, drums
Steve Cardenas, guitar
Ron Horton, trumpet
Michael Blake, saxophone

More info: benallison.com



  • John_Hammond_courtesy_johnhammond.com.jpg

    Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.

  • Flea_by_Gus_Van_Sant_copy.jpg

    “Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”

  • Lettuce_by_Sam_Silkworth_2026_copy.jpg

    Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall

  • New_Orleans_Trad_Jazz_Camp_Courtesy_New_Orleans_Trad_Jazz_Camp.jpg

    New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp

  • Dee_Dee_Bridgewater_Courtesy_Dee_Dee_Bridgewater.jpg

    Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.


On Sale Now
May 2026
Miles Davis
Look Inside
Subscribe
Print | Digital | iPad