Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel: Buzz
Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel: Buzz
The next track, "Mauritania," was composed by Blake and features great flute work by Nash, as well as a strong solo by trombonist Clark Gayton (whose work adds a depth to the low end at various points throughout recording). The piece's slow groove seems to demarcate a change in the album’s energy level, however.
Though Andrew Hill's "Erato" brings Allison's bass playing to the fore and the individual parts are still well-performed, the driving force that energized the album's early numbers seems to seep away a bit. Allison's "R&B Fantasy" struggles against the trend with mixed results over its better than seven-minute length. Things grind to a near halt, however, on the album’s last number, a ponderous cover of the Beatles' "Across the Universe" (an admittedly ponderous song to begin with). It's tempting to say the final track is a Buzz killer, but the early tracks are definitely worth a spin. Buzz is uneven, but at its best, it's very, very good.
Track Listing
Respiration; Buzz; Green Al; Mauritania; Erato; R&B Fantasy; Across the Universe.
Personnel
Ben Allison
bass, acousticMichael Blake
saxophone, tenorTed Nash
saxophoneClark Gayton
tromboneFrank Kimbrough
pianoMichael Sarin
drumsAlbum information
Title: Buzz | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Palmetto Records
< Previous
Slon
Comments
About Ben Allison
Instrument: Bass, acoustic
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To