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Daniel Bennett: We Are the Orchestra
by James Fleming
The music rolls out of the speakers as a breeze shimmers over the prairie. Evoking scenes of broad, open grasslands. The Daniel Bennett Group's We Are The Orchestra plays out like a collage of genres and cultures: Italian opera, American jazz and folk, tinges of East Africa. A vivid tapestry woven from disparate threads. That rather than rehashing musical history, hints at the possibilities of the future. On a track such as “Theme From Ernani" those far off ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Bennett Group: We Are the Orchestra
by Mark Sullivan
Composer/woodwind player Daniel Bennett and his group make music that cheerfully disregards genre conventions, especially purist notions of what “jazz" can be. There are generous doses of instrumental rock: previous album Sinking Houseboat Confusion (Manhattan Daylight Media Group, 2016) even made a point of adding surf rock to the mix. Most of their albums have been made by a core quartet (plus occasional guests), with the core group recently cut back to a lean trio formation. But the ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Bennett Group at Tomi Jazz
by Tyran Grillo
Daniel Bennett Group Tomi Jazz New York, NY August 19, 2017 The Daniel Bennett Group is a summer camp that never sleeps. Like the best-run such operations, it's an oiled machine that runs on freedom and strict supervision in equal measure. The multi-instrumentalist and his core band of Nat Janoff (guitar) and Matthew Feick (drums) are scoutmasters of the highest integrity, who as such know that all the merit badges in the world ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Bennett Group: Sinking Houseboat Confusion
by Mark Sullivan
After a year of extensive touring to support last years' The Mystery at Clown Castle (Manhattan Daylight Media, 2015) the Daniel Bennett Group returns with a fresh eclectic musical blend they describe as Surf Rock + Avant-Pop + Modern Jazz. All that touring seems to have inspired a stripped-down approach, both stylistically and in the instrumentation. This is music for the road, built for speed. As on the previous album, Bennett is joined by Nat Janoff on electric ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Bennett Group: The Mystery at Clown Castle
by Budd Kopman
Daniel Bennett is an extremely talented player (alto saxophone, flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe and piano) and composer whose music has a simple, light and lyrical quality which hides quite a bit complexity going on underneath. There is also more than a bit of wry satire thrown into the mix. While his brand of music will most likely not attract the “downtown" crowd, that is not his aim. What he wants to do is to craft melodies which will ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Bennett Group: The Mystery at Clown Castle
by Mike Oppenheim
The Daniel Bennett Group's 2015 release The Mystery at Clown Castle, the successor to 2013's Clockhead Goes to Camp, picks up where the latter left off with a fresh and distinct new feel. The personnel has changed, with Daniel Bennett joined by guitarist Nat Janoff, bassist Eddy Khaimovich, and drummer Matthew Feick. Special guests include pianist Jason Yeager and spoken word poet Britt Melewski. Much like its predecessor, The Mystery at Clown Castle is catchy, memorable and unique. ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Bennett Group: The Mystery at Clown Castle
by Mark Sullivan
The Daniel Bennett Group's music is seductive. Bennett's jazz/rock tunes are bright, attractive, and relentlessly catchy: but odd meters, minimalism, hard rock guitar, and outside jazz are all lurking just below the surface. He even manages to make spoken word go down just as easily as vocals, no doubt greatly aided by the skills of guest poet Britt Melewski. The Mystery at Clown Castle (Manhattan Daylight Media, 2015) the group's sixth full-length album, also features guest pianist Jason ...
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