Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Michael Wolff’s Bounce, which counts backing from drummer Allan Mednard and bassist Ben Allison, also features a vocal turn from the pianist’s son, Nat Wolff.
(Photo: David Sokol)Pianist Michael Wolff is set to issue Bounce, his followup to Swirl, on Feb. 7 through Sunnyside.
The album’s a mix of moods and styles, moving from the quickstep “Resuscitate” to the wondrous “Omar Sharif,” a composition from Broadway’s The Band’s Visit. “Chill,” a tune from the upcoming album debuts below.
“‘Chill’ is a song I wrote after being inspired by hip-hop and new-jack swing beats,” Wolff wrote in an email about a song he said came to him following a listen to LL Cool J’s “Round The Way Girl.” “It has a kind of bebop melody on top of eight looped chords. [Drummer] Allan Mednard plays a swinging and light beat under the song and [bassist] Ben Allison plays a wonderful solo.”
On Feb. 7 and 8, Wolff has a pair of dates set for Birdland in New York, and in March, he heads to California for two shows.
For additional information about the recording, visit the Sunnyside website. DB
Benjamin possessed a fluid, round sound on the alto saxophone, and he was often most recognizable by the layers of electronic effects that he put onto the instrument.
Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
“He’s constructing intelligent musical sentences that connect seamlessly, which is the most important part of linear playing,” Charles McPherson said of alto saxophonist Sonny Red.
Feb 27, 2024 1:40 PM
“I might not have felt this way 30 to 40 years ago, but I’ve reached a point where I can hear value in what people…
Albert “Tootie” Heath (1935–2024) followed in the tradition of drummer Kenny Clarke, his idol.
Apr 5, 2024 10:28 AM
Albert “Tootie” Heath, a drummer of impeccable taste and time who was the youngest of three jazz-legend brothers…
“Both of us are quite grounded in the craft, the tradition and the harmonic sense,” Rosenwinkel said of his experience playing with Allen. “Yet I felt we shared something mystical as well.”
Mar 12, 2024 11:42 AM
“There are a few musicians you hear where, as somebody once said, the molecules in the room change. Geri was one of…
Henry Threadgill performs with Zooid at Big Ears in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Apr 9, 2024 11:30 AM
Big Ears, the annual four-day music celebration that first took place in 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee, could well be…
