Ben Wendel | “High Heart”
A really lovely little record from tenor saxophonist/pianist Ben Wendel, and a set that's definitely got a high heart – this warmth that almost belies the cover – and which comes from Ben's own work on tenor, and the very cool wordless vocals of Michael Mayo! Mayo begins the record with a warmly singing mode – elevating notes, in the way that Nana Vasconcelos might have done on some classic Pat Metheny albums – but the vibe here is very different, maybe with some sharper edges at times, and a complexity to the rhythmic progression of the songs – which also feature Rhodes and piano from Shai Maestro and Gerald Clayton, bass from Joe Sanders, and drums from Nate Wood – all players who are very much up for the unusual patterns of sound between the tenor and voice. Titles include "Burning Bright", "Fearsome", "High Heart", "Kindly", "Less", and "Drawn Away". ~ Dusty Groove
Spacious sounds from pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach – a set dedicated to Aki Takase, a fellow pianist who's had an influence on his work in more ways than one – and who here is clearly the inspiration for slower movement and more contemplative sounds on the keys! We've always loved this side of Schlippenbach – he can be a demon when he wants to, but is often even more compelling when he works on the spaces between the notes – which is definitely the case here, as the set moves between short improvisations and some compositions that draw inspiration from the shared life of Aki and Alexander. Titles include "Cleo", "Naninga Nandemo", "Zycado", "Frage Nicht", "Dydo", "Improvisation V", "Haru No Yuki", "Improvisation III", "Tell You", "I Told You", and "Torso". ~ Dusty Groove
A jazz set, but one that's in a very Stones Throw mode – as the music here mixes jazz elements with more contemporary production elements, and blends together the live and programmed in a mighty nice way! The group's a quartet, most of whom have played on other Stones Throw albums – and the lineup features twin keyboard work from Yuval Havkin (aka Rejoicer) and Nitai Hershkovits, plus bass from Yonatan Albalak and drums from Amir Bresler – the last of whom has a great rhythmic pulse that often defines the energy of the set! Titles include "Notre Damn", "Pulse 420", "Four Green Yellows", "Iris One", "Lake Vu", "The Pit & The Beggar", and "Yaki's Delight". ~ Dusty Groove
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