Results for "Ben Ohmart"

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW September 1, 2001

Matt Jorgensen +451: The Road Begins Here

Beautiful cd. 7 tracks and 54 minutes of smooth jazz, from adapted classics to noteworthy originals.Matt Jorgensen, Rob Davis, Phil Sparks, Marc Seales: these are the champions of a combo so tight, you'd swear you hear more in these instrumental songs than just these few people. The swinging nightlife sound of 'Afterglow,' busy with ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW September 1, 2001

Franklin, Clover, Seales: Three Worlds

By BEN OHMART

A trio grows in Elkhart, Indiana, home of the new jazz label, Beezwax. A strong trio, with a softer, subtler approach to contemporary, smooth jazz. The best actors know where to place pauses in their speeches. So too do the best jazz combos. Every second of Franklin/Clover/Seales' Three Worlds is like a whispered conversation of music, ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW August 1, 2001

Mark Soskin: 17

By BEN OHMART

Mark Soskin and his merry band of players are not seeking a new way in to the jazz scene, but they know which door works, and they pass through like the best glass cleaner. Each of the 8 tracks are long enough to get into and steaming with what I call bunny go. You never know ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW August 1, 2001

Eddie Severn: Moments in Time

By BEN OHMART

‘The music on this cd represents a mixture of standards and original material with a diverse cross section of style and instrumentation.’ But Eddie caters for the most part to a smoother blend of jazz without a Latin-style race in the bunch. Easy going. Paced, sensitive. 8 minutes of ‘The Lost World’ is as tropical as ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW August 1, 2001

Ivan Kapec Trio: Lancun

By BEN OHMART

From the label Dancing Bear in Croatia comes Ivan Kapec Trio’s Lancun, proving at least one thing. Music IS universal. When the instruments are the same – guitar, bass, drums – it doesn’t matter where the meter’s from. ‘No Matter’ proves it. Ivan’s lead guitar ambles on like a disinterested party jamming with a few professionals ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW July 1, 2001

Chris Gestrin Quartet: Times That Do Not Belong To Us

By BEN OHMART

Chris Gestrin - piano and synth, Bill Vint - saxophones, Joel Fountain - drums and beat, Danny Parker - half the bass, Marc Rogers - the other half. Those are the players. Now meet the smooth, frozen delight music, punctuated softly by Gestrin's refined keyboard skill. Sticking to piano mostly (rather than an obvious synthesizer), he ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW July 1, 2001

Carlos Barretto Trio: Silencios

By BEN OHMART

European jazz hits its mark with the likes of Carlos Barretto (double bass), Mario Delgado (electric guitar) and Jose Salgueiro (percussion), a trio more honored in the headphones than in the speakers. A quiet group primarily (what would you really expect when the main man is on bass?), this trio is concerned with sonic soundscapes of ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW July 1, 2001

Chris Tarry Group: Sevyn

By BEN OHMART

Chris Tarry's group isn't the first amalgamation of intimacy to prove itself highly intelligent to the cerebral heart, but it does lay down clearer rules than some. One soft step through the 'Kata' cut, heavy on so much high-hat spray (you'd swear you're in the middle of a snow cone maker), and the wonderland that is ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW July 1, 2001

Kenny Drew Jr. Trio: Remembrance

By BEN OHMART

Let’s amble back to the simple but productive days of piano jazz before every niche of playing style created a new genre, before the words genius and nuance were overused to the point of covetousness. To hear Kenny at the head of tracks like ‘Song for Manfredo’ by Lili Fest renews my roving eye back to ...

ARTICLE: ALBUM REVIEW July 1, 2001

Greg Hopkins: Okavongo

By BEN OHMART

Put together from twosessions in January 1997 and January 1998 at Berklee Studios in Boston, Greg Hopkins' more than 16 piece machinery elicits a big band movement with less swing and more contemporary jazz. The 7 minute 'Infant Eyes' is a perfect example of using a lot of people in a smooth jazz setting, occasionally rising ...