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Ben Flocks: Mask of the Muse

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Ben Flocks: Mask of the Muse
Ogni tanto nel mondo del jazz emerge un sax tenore orientato al vintage. Predilige le ballad, che sviluppa con timbro caldo e suadente, privilegiando la bellezza melodica con malinconica seduzione.
Mi vengono in mente quegli album degli anni cinquanta e sessanta con due innamorati fotografati al chiaro di luna: una musica leggera con accenti jazzistici che nell'Italia degli anni sessanta aveva in Fausto Papetti il suo alfiere. Ma oggi? Evidentemente c'è ancora un pubblico che ne apprezza il fascino senza porsi troppe domande o ne accetta il sottofondo quando sale in ascensore. Non chiamiamolo però jazz, se con questo termine indichiamo una forma d'arte dal linguaggio innovativo. Ben Flocks ha 30 anni ed è ancora relativamente giovane (per i parametri attuali: ricordiamo le meteore Jimmy Blanton, Scott LaFaro, Booker Little eccetera) può quindi tentare un percorso personale.
In Mask Of The Muse il sassofonista guida un quintetto col chitarrista Ari Chersky (che ha realizzato lavori niente affatto retrò), il pianista Frank LoCrasto, il bassista Martin Nevin e il batterista Evanh Hughes.
Dovendo dare qualche indicazione, ricordo la piacevole rilettura di "Dream Of Life" e due original: il blues "Unmasked" e il brevissimo "Siren's Spell" dove il sassofonista imbraccia il soprano.

Track Listing

Muse's Mask; Dream; Dream of Life; Shangri-La; Street of Dreams; Smoke Rings; Siren's Spell; While a Cigarette Was Burning; Unmasked; Ebb Tide; Duende; Dawning Reverie (Dream of Life).

Personnel

Ben Flocks
saxophone
Additional Instrumentation

Ben Flocks: tenor and soprano saxophone; Ari Chersky: electric and acoustic guitar; Frank LoCrasto: piano, organ, Rhodes, Mellotron, Vox Continental, Prophet, glockenspiel; Martin Nevin: upright bass; Evan Hughes: drums and percussion.

Album information

Title: Mask of the Muse | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Self Produced

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