Why three records? Well, two or four would just be a standard rock beat. This is jazz, music for the heart and the mind. The three artists featured here have created some beautiful work.
Ben Wolfe – No Strangers Here
Bassist Ben Wolfe wrote, arranged, and orchestrated the songs on No Strangers Here. Uniting a jazz ensemble with a string quartet, he's created lavish, structured, powerful songs; a melange of classical music and jazz. The music has a thick tone, blurred just faintly at its extremities.
The very first track, “The Minnick Rule,” gives a taste of what this recording will be like. It's an assiduous symphony of tempo shifts, the songs building to an apex and then dropping into quietude. It shows outstanding teamwork. “Rosy and Zero” is a compelling story that is another perfect display of the two quartets working together. It sounds much like an opera. The screeching violins gives it a skewed, Hitchcock-esque feel. Different themes were written for the “title” characters and one can easily tell when they make their entrances.
The best track is “No Strangers Here,” a lush, rich, and gorgeous song. It’s like the score for a tender, deep romance. The trumpeting tells a touching story; you can imagine, for example, a young couple taking their first dance together. “Blue Envy” has a similar slow tempo and deep, lush tone. But it also has a noir feel to it, a little Twilight Zone-ish.
Wolfe and his quartets prove themselves to be musical raconteurs. Even without lyrics, these songs are stories. Different tracks are features for different storytellers, or musicians – however you want to look at it. For example “No Pat No” shuffles energetically and features Greg Hutchinson on drums. Branford Marsalis plays a tenor sax solo on “The Filth” and plays soprano sax on “Milo.” Ben Wolfe himself is featured in “Jackie Mac” and his bass solo sounds spectacular.
Wolfe spent five years playing and recording with Harry Connick, Jr. After that gig, he joined the Wynton Marsalis Septet. He's also played with Sonny King, Diana Krall, and has been a member of The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He's been around since at least 1989. No Strangers Here is full of music that sounds old, classical, jazzy, and more. It's an utterly likable recording.
Marc Copland – Another Place
Marc Copland emerged as a pianist in the mid-'80s after giving up the saxophone. He received some recognition as a saxophonist, but notes that he "began to hear chords and harmonies that didn't sound right – they fit on the piano." He took some time in the '70s and '80s to learn how to play and there's no doubt that the man loves the piano. He plays exquisitely with an ethereal touch.
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