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RADIO November 25, 2020

Ben Monder, Sandy Evans, Andrea Keller, Ralph Alessi & Rich Halley

Monash University in jny: Melbourne, Australia is the home of the Sir Zelman Cowen School Of Music. It's an excellent program that believes in challenging the students. One of the ways it does that is to bring in internationally recognized artists to perform and work directly with the students. This episode presents some of those Monash sessions. Guitarist Ben Monder and trumpeter Ralph Alessi traveled from the USA while Sydney's acclaimed saxophonist Sandy Evans joined her friend, the much praised ...

ALBUM REVIEW March 26, 2019

Ben Monder: Day After Day

By Mark Corroto

On Day After Day, Ben Monder explores memories triggered by songs. Over two discs, one solo and the other with bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Ted Poor, the guitarist rouses impressions formed long ago. Just like a certain fragrance can spark the memory of an old lover, songs deep in your brain's hard drive can be recovered. Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins were masters at this, but covering Rodgers and Hammerstein's “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" from the ...

ALBUM REVIEW March 13, 2019

Ben Monder: Day After Day

By Peter J. Hoetjes

Rare is the musician who remains static throughout their career, and with his professional life dating back to the mid-1990s, Ben Monder has had time enough to change course when the desire strikes. Since his outstanding debut, Flux (Songlines, 1995), he has released a handful of equally impressive albums which follow in its footsteps, as well as infrequent collaborations with vocalist Theo Bleckman. He was also selected to play guitar on David Bowie's final album. Having wanted for years to ...

CATCHING UP WITH February 18, 2016

Ben Monder: Amorphous Music

By Nenad Georgievski

Ben Monder is a guitarist with a singular and influential voice. While he has received a great acclaim for his multifaceted work and unparalleled technical facility, Monder has also demonstrated remarkable breadth both as a bandleader and composer. His debut album for ECM Amorphae is a kind of a movie for one's ears. Amorphae consists of a set of beautiful compositions that orchestrate kind of sounds beyond the imagination. Monder's distinctive guitars create a wide range of colors, dynamics and ...

EXTENDED ANALYSIS December 10, 2015

Ben Monder: Amorphae

By John Kelman

Having made his first--and, up to now, only--appearance on Munich's lauded ECM Records on the late drummer Paul Motian's Garden of Eden (2006), it's certainly taken a long time for the virtuosically talented guitarist to get a date of his own. Monder's résumé--while filled with significant associations including, in addition to Motian, composer/bandleader Maria Schneider, double bassist and occasional ECM label mate Marc Johnson, saxophonist Donny McCaslin (with whom Monder will also appear on the upcoming Black Star by David ...

ALBUM REVIEW December 4, 2015

Ben Monder: Amorphae

By Mark Sullivan

Veteran guitarist Ben Monder is at his most experimental and atmospheric in this collection of largely improvised performances, his sixth album as a leader, and his first for ECM. The genesis of the album came from Monder's 2010 duet sessions with Paul Motian, sadly abbreviated by the legendary drummer's passing. Motian fans can surely be forgiven for wishing there was more than the two tracks included. But one of them is the highlight of the album: the pair revisits Rodgers ...

ALBUM REVIEW July 30, 2013

Ben Monder: Hydra

By Troy Collins

New York-based guitarist Ben Monder has been an active member of the contemporary jazz scene for more than two decades, appearing on over 100 sessions as a sideman for such luminaries as Paul Motian, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler. Despite such prestigious collaborations, Monder has maintained a relatively low profile as a solo artist, with less than half a dozen records as a leader or co-leader to his credit; Oceana, the last release under his own name, was issued by ...