Ben Waltzer THE POINT
BEN WALTZER
THE POINT
Calligram Records
Ben Waltzer, piano/composer; Geof Bradfield, tenor saxophone/bass clarinet/composer; Clark Sommers, bass/composer; Dana Hall, drums/cymbals.
Pianist Ben Waltzer cut his teeth on New York’s challenging jazz scene of the 1990s. It was there he developed his chops, his style, his excellence.
In 2014, Waltzer relocated to Chicago, Illinois and melted into their high energy jazz scene like butter in a hot pan. Originally from Michigan, rebuilding his career in the mid-west was comfortable.
“The Point” is his first recording as a leader since his move from New York. He’s surrounded by some of the best in Chicago’s thriving jazz scene. They open with “Kintsugi” a song that swings into my listening room, demanding all my attention. This composition is the work of woodwind master, Geof Bradfield. It’s melodic, letting Bradfield introduce us to the catchy melody before Waltzer snatches the spotlight during his piano solo. “Kintsugi” is the ancient Japanese art of mending cracks, with gold-inflected inlays, to highlight strength through imperfection.
The second tune is the title tune and was composed by Ben Waltzer. This tune is named for the Chicago promontory, a popular man-made peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan. It’s located in the Hyde Park area of Chicago’s South-side. People enjoy the park area, often swimming off the stone rock-shore, or sunbathing, even kayaking on those windy warm summer days. Ben Waltzer captures the movement and motion of the lake with his jazz waltz.
Bassist, Clark Sommers has composed the next tune, “Skyward” that brings to mind the music of famed Chicago musician, Eddie Harris. It’s a blend of blues and funk, propelled by Dana Hall’s persistent power drums. “Layla’s Dream” is a pretty ballad, another Waltzer composition. During this arrangement, Sommer’s explores his double bass with a pensive, emotional solo that calms the moments before Waltzer takes his own solo, dancing his fingers over the keys with deliberation.
Bradfield has composed “Six Nails” that they play for nine minutes. The mixed-meter journey of this tune takes me up and down several paths, as though they are intentionally leading me to various locations I don’t expect. At one point, Sommers and Hall double time the groove and surge forward with bass and drums locked in their own journey, until Waltzer slows the groove with his piano creativity, acting like reins on a run-away stallion. They close with Strayhorn’s amazing composition, “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing.” Geof Bradfield adds his bass clarinet to the arrangement, bringing the melody to life in a lovely way. Ben Waltzer uses finesse and tenderness on his piano to deliver this tune, a piece the entire quartet enjoys playing. It’s one of their favorites, and quickly became one of mine.
Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil
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