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Ben Monder: Hydra

By Mike Jacobs
July 22, 2024
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Stylistically hard-to-describe artists are nothing new. However, with Ben Monder's solo excursions, one often feels the need to issue a warning/disclaimer that might read something like, "Caution—Exiting Known Musical Universe." The 24-minute title track from his album Hydra (Sunnyside, 2013) indeed melds techniques and generic signposts from jazz, rock, medieval and modern classical music, but it may be the harmonic space that dominates Monder's vision that is most remarkable—a mysterious zone the eschews nearly all familiar harmony without wallowing in outright dissonance. Not all ears take to it but those with a taste for the exploratory may just plant their flags on Monder's planet.

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