Release : Ben Monder - Oceana
Artist : Ben Monder
Album : Oceana
Genre : Jazz
Source : CDDA
Label : Sunnyside Records
URL :
Date : 2005-00-00
Encoder : LAME 3.90.3 / alt-preset standard
Quality : 191kbps 44100 kHz Joint Stereo
Tracks : 7
Time : 70:26 min
Size : 103.74
1 Still Motion 7:17
2 Light 1:01
3 Oceana 16:53
4 Echolalia 8:05
5 Double Sun 11:58
6 Rooms Of Light 16:39
7 Spectre 8:33
ItÆs not uncommon to hear talk about artists spreading their stylistic umbrella
so wide that figuring out who they are becomes a challenge. ItÆs not so much
that their personal voices are unclear; rather, it requires examining a wide
cross-section of recordings. In simpler times past, artists might evolve, but
any single release could present a clear conduit to their creative
predilections.
Still, jazz has always had its share of artists who needed to be assessed over a
larger body of workùand considerable time. Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie
Hancockà any of these artists might be inappropriately pigeonholed were one to
select a single recording from their discographies as the sole determinant of
their musical voices.
ItÆs safe to say that guitarist Ben Monder, with a rΘsumΘ including Maria
SchneiderÆs Orchestra, Guillermo KleinÆs Los Gauchos, and Paul MotianÆs Electric
Bebop Band, fits this description. Oceana may not provide the complete picture,
but it gives a broader view of Monder than most single releases, and it's
unquestionably his most fully-realized record to date. It combines complex
through-composition with influences ranging from contemporary classical music to
Americana and progressive rock. MonderÆs tinted filter means these influences
end up taking on more personal meaning.
It would be too easy to describe the opening solo acoustic guitar piece ôStill
Motionö as Metheny-informed. Certainly the folksy fingerpicking comes from that
space, but MonderÆs melodies are more abstract than MethenyÆs accessible
lyricism. ôDouble Sun,ö a solo electric guitar composition, is darker, evolving
gradually and with periodically emerging melodies approaching pretty, only to
ultimately be consumed by its hauntingly bleak ambience.
The title track features bassist Kermit Driscoll, drummer Ted Poor, and the
wordless vocals of Theo Bleckmann. A knottily complex twelve-tone exercise in
arpeggiation, it suggests how King CrimsonÆs Robert Fripp might sound were he to
take a softer approach and base it on a less constricted harmonic foundation. A
series of episodes traverse a cross-spectrum of dynamics, creating an
atmospheric form without ever really defining a consistent melody. Equally
ethereal is ôEcholalia,ö where Bleckmann builds a more discernable theme over
the trioÆs soft cushion of arpeggios, brushwork, and long bass tones.
Skuli Sverrisson replaces Driscoll for ôRooms of Lightö and ôSpectre.ö On the
former, Monder assumes a more aggressive stance with an overdriven tone that
matches SverrissonÆs powerful attack. This episodic, long-form piece runs the
gamut from complex progressive rock to a soft but enigmatic respite, before the
rock pulse returns and Monder delivers one of the only clearly delineated solos
on the discùreferencing, to some degree, Allan Holdsworth in its rapid-fire
legato style. The somber ôSpectreö closes the album, with space and sound equal
partners; the decay of notes is more meaningful than their gentle attack.
Keeping overt soloing at a minimum, Oceana defies any conventional jazz
definition. But itÆs an album that could only be made by musicians versed in the
jazz language and, consequently, deserves to be heard by those open-minded
enough to see and feel its subtle connections.
Enjoy...
Thx To Support Artists!
If You Like It ! Buy It ! :)
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