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Artist......: Benjamin Boone
Album.......: Confluence: The Ireland Sessions
Label.......: Origin Records
Genre.......: Jazz
Catnr.......: ORIGIN82904
Source......: CD
Rip.date....: 2025-04-07
Str.date....: 2024-09-20
Quality.....: 926 kbps avg / 44.1kHz / 2 channels
Url.........: http://BenjaminBoone.com
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\ / # title time \ /
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1. On the Banks of the Shannon 4:40
2. Confluence 8:38
3. Your Eyes Meeting Mine (feat. JaYne) 3:53
4. Monkette 6:11
5. In the Twilight (feat. JaYne) 5:43
6. The Clash of the Ash 7:24
7. Another Round at Margaret's 4:11
8. Stern Warning 5:12
9. She Moved Through the Fair (feat. JaYne) 4:13
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\ / ________ Runtime 50:05
,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 351.66______
:\/ ', \ / , \ /
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: Release Notes: \/ , \/ ,
' '
,: The Oliver Wendell Holmes quote is loftier, but the Brendan :,
: Behan quote gets closer to the heart of the matter on :
:' saxophonist Benjamin Boone's new album Confluence: The Ireland ':
,: Sessions, which finds Boone exploring the musical and cultural :,
: legacies of Ireland without taking too precious a view of :
:' anything. ':
,: :,
: That s not to say this isn't serious music, or that these aren't :
:' serious players. It is, and they are. It's more that tunes like ':
,: "The Clash Of The Ash" or "Another Round At Margaret's" suggest :,
: Boone's appreciation for Ireland without needing to turn :
:' everything into a reel. The album also opens a window to the ':
,: ways in which jazz has truly become a global music, as Boone :,
: finds himself in the company of Irish musicians who feel just as :
:' at home in this quintessentially American art form as any child ':
,: of Detroit or San Francisco or New York or Chicago. :,
: :
:' Confluence is the result of a Fulbright Fellowship Boone ':
,: received to research and teach at the University of Limerick s :,
: Irish World Academy of Music and Dance from 2022-23. The idea, :
:' said Boone, was to "immerse myself in the Academy and the ':
,: culture for a year, play with lots of folks, then collaborate on :,
: the composition and recording of new works." That led to this :
:' album and two upcoming ones each with different musicians and ':
,: in different styles. :,
: :
:' This album's opening track, "On The Banks Of The Shannon," ':
,: reflects the setting in which most of this music was written: :,
: "In a room at the Irish World Academy," said Boone, "with a wood :
:' floor, high ceilings, a grand piano, and an expansive window ':
,: overlooking the mystical Shannon River." And despite the earlier :,
: protestations against seriousness, it must be noted that this :
:' tune brings the mystical river to life, both through its melody ':
,: and through its liminal approach to timekeeping. Is this what it :,
: feels like to look from a window at the Shannon River? It :
:' doesn't matter. It's what it ought to feel like, and that's ':
,: more than enough. :,
: :
:' If Boone the composer is one side of the coin, then the other ':
,: side is Boone the saxophonist, and that side is delightfully :,
: present throughout the album, even as he allows his companions :
:' plenty of time to come to the fore. Boone clearly has such ':
,: command of his horn that his ideas can flow out in an effortless :,
: stream of consciousness. Listen, for example, to the on-a-dime :
:' shift in mood during his solo on "The Clash Of The Ash." One ':
,: minute his lines are snake-like, the next moment roaring. On :,
: "Your Eyes Meeting Mine," Boone rises up out of the vocals to :
:' lift the song to new heights, then passes off his spontaneous ':
,: creation to the guitar before taking up the mantle again and :,
: then leading back to the vocal, ever in service of the song, not :
:' the spotlight. ':
,: :,
: Speaking of "The Clash Of The Ash," it's important to note that :
:' Boone's visit to Ireland was more than just musical, it was ':
,: cultural in a wider sense. The song title is a common term for :,
: one of the oldest field games in the world, the ancient sport of :
:' hurling (Ioma nai ocht in Irish) and refers to the ash hurleys ':
,: (paddle-like sticks) violently striking each other. The game has :,
: been popular in Ireland for at least 3,000 years, and Boone :
:' received his indoctrination into its mysteries from drummer ':
,: John Daly, and soon became a rabid Limerick fan. While this made :,
: Daly happy, it was less well received by Tipperary fanatic and :
:' guitarist Joe O'Callaghan. The Clash captures the incredible ':
,: athleticism of the game, replete with exciting twists, turns, :,
: clashes, pile-ups, and even a victory-winning goal at the end. :
:' And who is cheering loudly alongside Boone? None other than his ':
,: Limerick neighbor, the very Margaret referred to in the :,
: humorous and well-lubricated tune, Another Round At :
:' Margaret s. ':
,: :,
: Boone's companions on Confluence bring both strong individual :
:' voices and a clear willingness to serve the music first. ':
,: Guitarist O'Callaghan in particular shines throughout. Listen to :,
: his inventive solos on the title track and "Stern Warning," to :
:' name just two standout moments. O'Callaghan is a skilled ':
,: improviser who isn't beholden to any particular idea about what :,
: a "jazz tone" should be. He often roars out of the speakers with :
:' a fierceness that elevates the music, but he's equally at home ':
,: doubling melody lines or creating ethereal sound worlds. Daly, :,
: who in addition to being a hurling fan also runs the Limerick :
:' Jazz Festival, and the bass team of Dan Bodwell and Rory Murphy ':
,: (who trade off throughout the album) are locked in from start to :,
: finish, whether they're being called on to power a fast-paced :
:' burner (see the aforementioned "Stern Warning") or to set the ':
,: table for a more subtle, searching song, like "She Moved Through :,
: The Fair." :
:' And that brings us to Jane Fraser, aka JaYne, who sings on "She ':
,: Moved Through The Fair," "Your Eyes Meeting Mine," and "In The :,
: Twilight." Fraser is a Limerick native whose musical tastes run :
:' from jazz to soul and back again, a fact that serves her well ':
,: against the backdrop of the musicians on Confluence. Fraser's :,
: understated approach to "She Moved," in particular, invests the :
:' song with a melancholy that makes it one of the highlights of ':
,: the album. Listeners might be familiar with this ancient Irish :,
: folk song, given that it's been recorded through the years by :
:' everyone from Wayne Shorter to Led Zeppelin to Sine ad ':
,: O'Connor. :,
: :
:' This project might illustrate these Irish musicians' comfort ':
,: with an American art form, but Boone was also careful to point :,
: out the influence goes the other way, too: "There is a strong :
:' connection between Irish music and jazz, " said Boone. "Irish ':
,: workers in the US actually influenced the development of jazz. :,
: They lived shoulder to shoulder with emancipated black workers, :
:' and they influenced each other s music. Some types of Irish ':
,: music actually have a 'swing' feel that predated jazz swing; and :,
: much of Irish trad music has constant spun-out rhythms like lots :
:' of improvisations in jazz." And it doesn't take long at a ':
,: traditional Irish session to hear the same kind of melodic :,
: fluency that the best jazz players bring to their craft. :
:' ':
,: In the end, Confluence isn't an Irish-American or American-Irish :,
: project. It's yet more proof, like Boone's 2020 Origin Records :
:' album, Joy (recorded in Accra with the Ghana Jazz Collective), ':
,: that the inherent magic of music lies in its ability to :,
: transcend all barriers. With Confluence, Boone has crafted a :
:' fun, smart, engaging, and often moving collection, played by a ':
,: group of musicians whose countries of origin inform their :,
: playing without controlling it. And we, the listeners, are :
:' transported sometimes, yes, to Ireland, but more often to ':
,: that mystical shore (perhaps along the Shannon?), where all the :,
: best music resides. :
:' ':
: '
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\ / GREETS: \ /
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\ / H O U N D \ /
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