Jazz Articles about Ben Thomas (US)

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Ben Thomas Tango Project: The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle

by Jack Bowers
September 7, 2025

On The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle, his sixth recording as leader of the Tango Project, composer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Thomas once again invites his audience to put on their dancing shoes and sway to Argentina's unique and emblematic musical genre. In doing so, he affirms that there is far more than one way to tango, eliciting all the warmth and color he possibly can within eight of his luminous and rhythmic compositions. Besides writing ...

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Ben Thomas: The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle

by Hector Del Curto
July 23, 2025

Ben Thomas' music lives in a world where tradition and innovation meet with effortless grace. Deeply rooted in the authentic rhythms of Argentine tango, yet fearlessly modern in spirit, his compositions offer a rich tapestry of layered polyrhythms, inventive melodies, and surprising contrasts--all delivered with intelligence, playfulness, and deep emotional weight. From the very first notes, you're drawn into a musical landscape where humor and melancholy coexist, where rhythmic intricacy never sacrifices heart, and where the spirit of ...

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Ben Thomas: Eternal Aporia

by Jane Kozhevnikova
June 18, 2022

For some people, tango means the dance with a stereotypical red rose between the teeth. For Ben Thomas, a percussionist and bandoneonist from Seattle, tango is much more than that: it has been an important part of his life for at least fifteen years before the 2022 release of Eternal Aporia. The album includes twelve of his original compositions mixing tango with jazz and classical chamber music. Joining Thomas on the album are Eric Likkel (clarinets) and ...

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Ben Thomas (US): Eternal Aporia

by Jack Bowers
January 22, 2022

They say it takes two to tango. On Ben Thomas' new album, Eternal Aporia ("uncertainty; doubt"), it takes at least three, and sometimes half a dozen. That's not a bad thing, as Thomas' splendid core trio is fleshed out on three numbers by cellist Gretchen Vanover and on two others by Vanover, violinist Brandon Vance and pianist Jonathan Greer, making the tango more lustrous and enchanting than ever. Thomas himself plays vibraphone, bandoneon and percussion, leading a burnished threesome whose ...

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Ben Thomas' Endless Mountain Region: Ben Thomas' Endless Mountain Region

by Bruce Lindsay
October 22, 2012

Ben Thomas' Endless Mountain Region, the debut album by this eponymous trio led by bassist Thomas--is dedicated, according to Thomas' rather funky website, “to exploring the freedom of a chordless trio." It undertakes this exploration on a series of original tunes--three each from Thomas and drummer Aaron Staebell, one from saxophonist Tony Malaby--and a version of saxophonist Ornette Coleman's “WRU," all of which were recorded live at Rochester, New York's Contemporary Art Center in November 2010.Thomas and Staebell ...

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Ben Thomas: The Mystagogue

by AAJ Staff
January 1, 2001

Seattle vibraphonist Ben Thomas offers a swinging, pulsing quintet sound on his second release, The Mystagogue. Thomas augments his core vibe/piano quartet with one of three clarinet and saxophone players on most of the tracks on the record, lending a ever-changing fifth voice to the ensemble. While the combination of piano and vibes might suggest the danger of over-crowding the midrange, Thomas and pianist Laura Caviani respect each other's space.

Thomas reserves his instrument for reinforcing the melody and embarking ...