Articles

Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

ALBUM REVIEW September 22, 2012

Roni Ben-Hur & Santi Debriano Featuring Duduka Da Fonseca: Our Thing

Read "Our Thing" reviewed by Ernest Barteldes

Recorded in early 2011, Our Thing marks the first studio collaboration of guitarist Roni Ben-Hur and bassist Santi Debriano. They have worked together in a live setting on numerous occasions and are joined, in this endeavor, by drummer/percussionist Duduka Da Fonseca, who brings an extra flavor to the music.The CD opens with Thelonious Monk's “Green Chimneys," a complex track that allows the musicians to fully stretch their chops. Da Fonseca and Debriano begin with a samba-like groove, and ...

ALBUM REVIEW January 18, 2010

Roni Ben-Hur: Fortuna

By Andrew Velez

This is a worthy follow-up to Roni Ben-Hur's Smile (Motema, 2009), on which he was memorably paired with fellow guitarist Gene Bertoncini. The Israeli-born composer and arranger is teamed here with three stalwarts, the late pianist Ronnie Mathews, percussionist Steve Kroon and drummer Lewis Nash. This is the same rhythm section Ben-Hur used for the album that preceded Smile, 2005's Keepin' It Open (Motema Music). They're joined by bassist Rufus Reid, with whom Ben-Hur worked on the guitarist's fourth release ...

ALBUM REVIEW November 17, 2009

Roni Ben-Hur: Fortuna

By J Hunter

The most famous lyric from Charlie Chaplin's bittersweet song “Smile" is, “Smile, though your heart is aching/Smile, even though it's breaking." Roni Ben-Hur knows that methodology, and how: Smile (Motema, 2008), Ben-Hur's benefit disc with fellow guitarist Gene Bertoncini, was originally conceived as a duet with Ben-Hur's longtime bassist Earl May, who died before recording began. Another Ben-Hur sideman, pianist Ronnie Mathews, was battling cancer during the Fortuna sessions, and succumbed to the disease shortly afterwards. In that light, it ...

ALBUM REVIEW January 20, 2008

Roni Ben-Hur: Keepin' It Open

By Budd Kopman

Roni Ben-Hur, originally from Israel, has been a mainstay of the New York straight-ahead scene for twenty years now. Having a style that is clearly out of the Wes Montgomery/Grant Green mold, Ben-Hur makes no apologies for his predilection for the sound and style of the Blue Note label from the fifties and sixties. Like saxophonist Scott Hamilton, Ben-Hur has internalized this music and plays from within its essence, rather than at it, adding the sounds and emotions from his ...

ALBUM REVIEW July 9, 2007

Roni Ben-Hur: Keepin' It Open

By Andrew Rowan

Guitarist Roni Ben-Hur has assembled an impressive cast for Keepin' It Open: trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, pianist Ronnie Mathews, bassist Santi Debriano, drummer Lewis Nash and percussionist Steve Kroon--a who's who of contemporary mainstream jazz exploring a beautifully varied selection of tunes. The proceedings open with Ben-Hur in the time-honored guitar trio setting, offering a fleet yet relaxed reading of “Can't We Be Friends. Also included on this session are thoughtful treatments of familiar material like “Indian Summer ...

ALBUM REVIEW May 8, 2007

Roni Ben-Hur: Keepin' It Open

By J Hunter

Thanks to the worthy efforts of ambassadors ranging from Louis Armstrong to Norman Grantz, jazz fans have been gifted with a raft of international players whose work teems with the influence of some of the genre's biggest legends. One example: Roni Ben-Hur, the Israeli guitarist who has been serving up an Old School sound reminiscent of Grant Green. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Ben-Hur in concert with Santi Debriano, bassist on Keepin' It Open--Ben-Hur's fifth disc as a ...

ALBUM REVIEW June 26, 2006

Roni Ben-Hur: Signature

By Budd Kopman

The person and musician who is Roni Ben-Hur comes shining through on Signature. The record so full of joy that it is easy to just sit back, relax and enjoy a hour's worth of fine music--and it's much more than just good playing. The late pianist John Hicks, a pro's pro if there ever was one, is in sync with Ben-Hur every step of the way through the varying emotions and styles of these tunes. Ben-Hur is ...