Jazz Articles

Ben Adams Quintet: Old Thoughts For A New Day

by Jerry D'Souza
August 13, 2006

The vibraphone is not often a lead instrument, but Ben Adams brings it up front on this quintet outing featuring an erudite set of tunes that he wrote. The music breathes through several harmonic patterns, which makes it interesting all the way. The musicians contribute to make the experience all the more absorbing, maintaining focus and employing an impeccable sense of time and swing.

Adams chooses to open with “Avery's Bedtime Song, a lovely tune that floats gently ...

Ben Adams Quintet: Old Thoughts For A New Day

by Michael P. Gladstone
June 28, 2006

Ben Adams, originally from the Midwest, changed his music studies from drums to vibraphone. Later, in the mid-'90s, he studied at the Berklee School of Music with Dave Samuels, Dave Friedman and Victor Mendoza. Now based in San Francisco, the vibraphonist/composer has released a third album that displays his talents as both bandleader and writer. On his debut, The Figured Wheel, Adams explored standards and originals; on his followup album, Music For Six, he emphasized the compostions of Todd Brindley ...

Ben Adams Quintet: Old Thoughts for a New Day

by Dan McClenaghan
June 11, 2006

It's difficult to describe an ensemble that's built around a vibraphone without using words like “glowing" or “luminous." Thanks to the mallet prowess of Steve Nelson, Dave Holland's bands, big and small, have those shining qualities. And so does Ben Adams' quintet on Old Thoughts for a New Day.Adams and his group shape their sound without the input of a more traditional chording instrument (piano or guitar). This set walks a line between traditional and modern with an ...