Native New Yorker and New England Conservatory grad Benjamin Drazen distinguishes himself as a potent alto saxophonist and accomplished composer on his debut as a leader. Joined by a solid group consisting of pianist Jon Davis, bassist Carlo De Rosa and drummer Eric McPherson, Drazen blows with conviction on swinging vehicles like the burning “Mr. Twilight” and the quote-filled “Monkish.” The saxophonist wails with soulful authority on “Jazz Heaven” and demonstrates a lilting, lyrical touch on the lovely “Neeney’s Waltz.” On Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” Drazen digs deep with full-bodied tones. And for pure, unadulterated burn, there’s a smoking rendition of George Gershwin’s “This Is New.” – Bill Milkowski
Tag: Benjamin Drazen
AAJ review for Benjamin Drazen “Inner Flights”…
Alto and soprano saxophonist Benjamin Drazen’s smashing debut recording as a leader contains all of the essential ingredients for a meaningful mainstream jazz record. The leader’s seven original compositions are a diverse, substantial, and pleasantly familiar lot. Drazen and pianistJon Davis, the disc’s primary soloists, play in the moment and think their way through improvisations instead of endlessly spewing licks mastered in the practice room. The rhythm section, comprised of Davis, bassist Carlo DeRosa, and drummer Eric McPherson, evinces a focused, levelheaded quality, even while they engage in rousing, straightforward swing.
Taken at a snail’s pace, Drazen’s version of the standard “Polka Dots And Moonbeams” is six minutes and fifty-eight seconds of pure ballad magic. Following Davis’s brief introduction, the saxophonist seesaws between a tender rendering of the tune’s melody and hearty, effusive locutions. He tugs at the heartstrings and engages the intellect. Later on, his improvisation is more assertive yet never departs from the character of the song. Davis’ brief solo makes every note fit into a larger scheme. There’s a quiet, understated eloquence in the ways in which chords are lightly struck and sustained. At one point Davis plays a portion of one of the tune’s phrases, lets a note hang in the air, and then DeRosa deftly fills in the rest. Throughout the track, Drazen and company make emotionally compelling music that doesn’t need to shout to make its point.
Track Listing: Mr. Twilight; Monkish; Prayer For Brothers Gone By; Jazz Heaven; Inner Flights; Neeney’s Waltz; This Is New; Kickin’ Up Dirt; Polka Dots And Moonbeams.
Personnel: Benjamin Drazen: saxophones; Jon Davis: piano; Carlo DeRosa: bass; Eric McPherson: drums.
Raul D’Gama Rose reviews “Inner Flights” for AAJ…
Inside Benjamin Drazen is an old soul, nestling cheek-by-jowl in a fertile mind, brimful with new ideas that undulate and flow beautifully from his alto saxophone. That he is able to take control of this force, and harness its power to open a virtual door to the temple of his muses—running the gamut of saxophonists from Charlie Parker to John Coltrane, and almost certainly including the mighty Johnny Hodges—speaks volumes about his mature craftsmanship. He has something else that shines throughout the rather introspective Inner Flights: a vortex of energy that bursts through the music like a gathering flood, inhabiting both the hearts and minds of anyone who falls under his spell.
The album opens with “Mr. Twilight,” a scorching modal romp that recalls, at times, Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” for all of its unbridled energy, and the wall of sound that passes through Drazen’s hands, as well as pianist Jon Davis, bassist Carlo De Rosa and drummer Eric McPherson. But it is Drazen who lights up the chart, with the dancing phrases and lines that dapple his solo. On this and other charts, the saxophonist shows himself to be a sublime intellect, creating highly literate musical excursions, navigating with lively expression and feeling. He is also capable of being playful, as his composition, “Monkish,” suggests, although this chart finds Davis playing the more stellar role, dazzling with his two-handed technique, as well as a history lesson in pianism, from stride to contemporary atonalism.
Drazen’s premier work, in terms of composition, seems to be more inward-looking, including the achingly beautiful “Prayer for Brothers Gone By” and the lilting “Neeney’s Waltz,” which the saxophonist absolutely lights up with a solo that unfolds in diaphanous swirls, and is a seemingly unstoppable flow of ideas belying sheer genius. His reading of Jimmy Van Heusen’s classic, “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” takes after a version that Bud Powellmade famous at Massey Hall, Toronto in 1955. This is an elementally sad version, showing Drazen to be unafraid of wearing his emotions on his proverbial sleeve.
Although he plays mainly alto saxophone, Drazen can also be heard on soprano on the title track. His handling of the higher pitched horn is wry, playing with an almost reverential notion that it belongs in elite circles, including not just Coltrane, but a handful of giants from Sidney Bechet to Steve Lacy and Wayne Shorter. Drazen chooses to add depth and color on a couple of charts, by overdubbing tracks with short bursts on tenor. However, it is on the alto that Drazen displays his finest mastery of tone and texture. His work on this impressive album shows him to daub his music from a truly wide palette of not just colors, but sheer creative ideas. All of this makes for brilliant inner flights.
Outside Inside Out reviews “Inner Flights”….
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Thanks to the good folks at Posi-Tone records I’ve been receiving their new releases after reviewing Ralph Bowen’s latest in the April issue of Downbeat. Except for the work done by saxophonist Sean Nowell for the label (who happens to be a friend of a friend and a super nice guy) I was pretty unfamiliar with the label’s output, so it’s good to hear the additions the label is making. Based on what I’ve heard recently Posi-Tone is consistently putting out contemporary records which are firmly based in the post-bop tradition. These albums, all recorded by serious and mature players, some of whom aren’t big names (although based on what I’ve heard they deserve to be), swing hard, display drive and intensity, and are all entertaining and rewarding. Here’s the first part of a three part review of new records from Posi-Tone.
Benjamin Drazen: Inner Flights (Posi-Tone PR8076)
Benjamin Drazen, who primarily wields alto on Inner Flights, has synthesized several alto styles and approaches to create an individual voice. His alto tone is both hefty and lithe, able to deftly fly through the changes or take a more heavy, meditative approach. At times I hear Jackie McLean’s bite (but none of McLean’s intonation problems), Kenny Garrett’s swagger and slight growl, and a melodicism, sensitivity and sweetness (especially on “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”) that recalls Cannonball and several others. But, despite these influences Drazen sounds like himself. Except for George Gershwin’s “This is New” and “Polka Dots” the album’s compositions are all Drazen’s. “Monkish,” which features a lovely solo stride piano intro by Jon Davis, is just that, Monkish. It settles into a two-beat for a full statement of the head and then moves to a straight ahead medium swing for the solos. I’m a little less taken with “Prayer for Brothers Gone By,” which is a little too similar to Coltrane’s “After the Rain” in mood and style (arco bass, free time, cascading piano runs and lots of cymbal work). It’s done well, but I keep wanting to hear Coltrane’s tune. “Neeney’s Waltz” features a lovely alto and piano ballad introduction before moving to the easy medium waltz. Inner Flights is a solid disc by a young saxophonist who I’d love to hear more from in the future.
Bruce Lindsay’s AAJ review for Benjamin Drazen “Inner Flights”….
Track Listing: Mr Twilight; Monkish; Prayer for Brothers Gone; Jazz Heaven; Inner Flights; Neeney’s Waltz; This Is New; Kickin’ Up Dirt; Polka Dots and Moonbeams.
Personnel: Benjamin Drazen: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Jon Davis: piano; Carlo De Rosa: bass; Eric McPherson: drums.
Style: Modern Jazz
Read more reviews of
Inner Flights
Benjamin Drazen has been on the New York scene for over 15 years, working with established players including Lew Soloff, George Garzone and Rashied Ali. The saxophonist cannot be accused of being in a hurry to get his name on a CD cover: a 15-year wait to release a debut is a lifetime in today’s scene, where graduation can, all-too-often, take place after a young player’s CD launch party. Inner Flights has been, however, worth the wait. Drazen and his quartet are tight, stylish, swinging players with real power and drive.
This is an album of hard bop, post bop, cool and more. Drazen’s originals are combined with Ira Gershwin’s relatively unknown “This Is New,” driven by some terrific rhythm playing from drummer Eric McPherson and bassist Carlo De Rosa, as is Jimmy Van Heusen’s very well-known “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” in a set that has depth as well as immediacy.
Drazen does ballads beautifully, as evidenced by a seductive late-night “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” and the slightly mystical “Prayer for Brothers Gone.” But he also excels at the up-tempo, hard-swinging, numbers like opener, “Mr Twilight,” or the title track, which starts up with some chunky piano from Jon Davis, before Drazen enters on alto. Fairly cool and measured at first, the tune builds its energy as Drazen switches to soprano and his playing becomes more intense and frenetic.
In between the ballads and the stormers comes “Monkish.” The tune begins with Davis’ piano which is, as expected, Thelonious Monk-ish. It’s also a little bit Fats Waller-ish, adding a little touch of humor to the piece before the rest of the players enter and the tune shifts into a more straight-ahead mode, centered on Drazen’s bop-ish alto.
The versatility that Drazen demonstrates on Inner Flights makes him a hard man to categorize. Best not to try. This is a stylish recording from a fine quartet, and Drazen is a hugely enjoyable player with energy and swing in abundance.
Another review for “Inner Flights”….
Alto saxophonist Benjamin Drazen has been plying his trade around Manhattan’s network of small jazz bars — places like 55 Bar, Smalls, and The Garage — for over a decade. At long last, the New York native unveils his debut outing Inner Flights. In a program of mostly original music, Drazen consistently delivers strong post-Coltrane fire with a sound that lies somewhere between Jackie McLean and Gary Bartz. He’s joined by drummer Eric McPherson, pianist Jon Davis, and bassist Carlo De Rosa, all of whom have a frenetic, driving pulse destined to keep the music aloft. Paired with Drazen, the band is a juggernaut.
The session opens with an uptempo blues, “Mr. Twilight”. The melody skates through modal twists accented by a strong Tyner-ish left hand from Davis. Drazen’s opening guns a’ blazing drive is met with the full support of the trio behind him. A Monk tribute follows on “Monkish”, a nod to the legendary pianist’s more comedic side, a la “Raised Four”. True to the title, Davis begins this track with a jagged, Monkish piano intro.
The album’s apex arrives in the middle of the program on the title track. Here, Drazen switches to soprano and unleashes a dazzling Coltrane-esque solo. Should there have been more of this? Yes. But we’ll take what we can get. The energy is matched again on Jon Davis’s arrangement of the rarely-heard Weill standard “This Is New”.
Drazen closes the set with the ballad show tune “Polkadots and Moonbeams”, and in doing so, highlights his affinity for Cannonball Adderley. The slower pace can be a trap for less experienced soloists, but for Drazen it’s incentive to be lyrical and swinging at the same time. A relaxed Red Garland style solo from the pianist adds to the Adderley homage.
On Inner Flights, Drazen and his swinging cohorts deliver on all fronts. It’s a head-turning debut from a talented and extremely capable new voice.
Track Listing: Mr. Twilight; Monkish; Prayer For Brothers Gone; Jazz Heaven; Inner Flights; Neeney’s Waltz; This Is New; Kickin’ Up Dirt; Polka Dots And Moonbeams.
Personnel: Benjamin Drazen: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Jon Davis: piano; Carlo De Rosa: bass; Eric McPherson: drums.
Posi-Tone Records www.posi-tone.com
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Lucid Culture has this to say about Benjamin Drazen “Inner Flights”…
Benjamin Drazen’s Inner Flights Delivers Understated Intensity
Intense but not overbearing, richly melodic, rhythmically surprising yet extremely accessible, saxophonist Benjamin Drazen’s new album Inner Flights is smartly titled. Beneath the surface calm, there’s an inner fire – he’s one of those guys like JD Allen who chooses his spots. Drazen likes a clear tone with a judicious vibrato to drive a point home occasionally. While he typically favors restraint in his phrasing, pianist Jon Davis gets to absolutely scorch here, blazing through one tricky, ferocious chart after another, alongside Carlo de Rosa on bass and Eric McPherson on drums. This isn’t just one of the most fascinating jazz albums of the year, it’s one of the most fascinating albums of the year, period.
They get off to a briskly tuneful start with a somewhat altered swing blues, Mr. Twilight – a Mr. Moonlight allusion, it seems – with Davis taking no time launching into a rapidfire solo, echoes of Kenny Barron, Drazen on alto. Monkish comes together slowly, hints at swing and then goes there. It’s an unselfconsciously fun, wry evocation of Monk in a more devious moment, Drazen in airy Phil Woods mode without totally ripping him off, Davis once again getting some delicious charts, including some neat tradeoffs with the drums, and makes the most of them. The requiem Prayer for Brothers Gone By opens with Drazen pensive and somewhat apprehensive over rippling piano and low bowed bass, moves further from the center as each instrument reflects a second time around, then becomes a tone poem of sorts, winding down gracefully with upper-register cascades from Davis. By contrast, Jazz Heaven is a crisp, deviously syncopated swing tune, Drazen buoyantly playful, Davis following in the same vein. Building off a dark, incisive staccato piano hook, the title track is where Drazen and Davis switch roles, the sax cutting loose more here than anywhere else – when Drazen spirals down into a gritty modal atmosphere, the effect is viscerally intense. As it winds out, Drazen overdubs a sax section that eventually flutters to an unexpectedly elegant landing.
The warmly nostalgic Neeney’s Waltz updates Willard Robison-style Americana for a new century, while Kickin’ Up Dirt, an absolute gem, shifts from rubato piano glimmer to relaxed syncopated sway, distantly mysteriouso modalities, hints of a jazz waltz and then a real one: it’s a clinic in how to write allusively. There are also two covers here, a staggered, scurrying version of Gershwin’s This Is New, Drazen kicking up some dust along the shoulder of the blues road, and an expansively deconstructed and then reconstructed version of Polka Dots and Moonbeams, everybody taking their time. Watch for this on our Best Albums of 2011 list. It’s out now on Posi-tone.
Another nice write-up for Benjamin Drazen’s “Inner Flights” CD….
Benjamin Drazen: Inner Flights
Benjamin Drazen (sax)Inner Flights (Posi-Tone Records; 2001)
Eric McPherson (drums)
Carlo De Rosa (bass)
Jon Davis (piano)
There is something warm and positive about Benjamin Drazen that keeps me coming back to Inner Flights(Posi-Tone Records). Drazen, a veteran of the New York scene has performed in various settings (funk, jazz and soul) as well as with some prestigious company (Rashied Ali, Dave Liebman, Lew Soloff and Gary Bartz to name a few). It is a surprise that Inner Flights is his first album as a leader.
Pretty much growing up in the New York scene, Benjamin Drazen shows wonderful penchant for strength in performance and melody. The opener, “Mr. Twilight” is a fast paced number with real intent. Drazen bring a muscle to his musicianship that I haven’t heard since early Branford Marsalis or Eric Alexander records. While the obvious compositional influences are there (Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and Jackie McLean) Drazen makes his individual voice known very quickly and I think every lover of jazz will gravitate to him, no problem.
The follow up “Monkish”, a playful and appropriate tribute, delivers with great verve. The quartet, especially Jon Davis on piano will have you imagining Monk setting in the audience saying “This kid is pretty good” (Well, maybe Monk wouldn’t say it so nicely). The title track, “Inner Flights” and “Neeney’s Waltz” both add depth, intensity and intimacy to the sessions. The quartet shows a real richness and lovely craftsmanship that switches from a uptempo funky groove (in the case of “Inner Flights”) to delightful romanticism (“Neeney’s Waltz”).
“Kickin’ Up Dirt” highlights Benjamin Drazen’s more soulful side. It’s also an opportunity for DeRosa to standout as well, with some touching and fluid pace on the bass. The closing number is the standard, “Polka Dots And Moonbeams” which seems the perfect way to end this outing. Drazen makes it a lush, bluesy and beautiful affair. He doesn’t oversimplify the passages here. He just let’s the melody speak for itself but he ends up having the listen remember exactly who is performing.
Benjamin Drazen, after all these years on the scene gets to standout on his own and he delivers with a real diamond of a debut. Inner Flights features mainly all original material and will definitely impress even the non jazz fan. I really had to put listen to this a couple of times because I kept saying to myself, “this can’t be this good.” Man, I was so wrong. This is really impressive. So if you are reading this blog for the first time or if you’ve been reading it for awhile–Inner Flights is one of those classic, straight ahead jazz records that is rare nowadays and well worth your time. Enjoy listening…
Another AAJ review for Benjamin Drazen Inner Flights…
Alto saxophonist Benjamin Drazen has been plying his trade around Manhattan’s network of small jazz bars—places like 55 Bar, Smalls, and The Garage—for over a decade. At long last, the New York native unveils his debut outing, Inner Flights. In a program of mostly original music, Drazen consistently delivers strong post-Coltrane fire, with a sound that lies somewhere between Jackie McLean and Gary Bartz. Paired with Drazen, his band is a juggernaut, everyone possessed of the frenetic, driving pulse destined to keep this music aloft.
Opening with an up-tempo blues, “Mr. Twilight,” the melody skates through modal twists, accented by pianist Jon Davis‘ strong, McCoy Tyner-ish left hand. Drazen’s opening, guns-a-blazing drive is met with the full support of the trio behind him. A Thelonious Monk tribute follows with “Monkish,” a nod to the legendary pianist’s more comedic side, à la “Raised Four.” True to the title, Davis begins this track with a jagged piano intro.
The album’s apex arrives in the middle of the program, with the title track. Here, Drazen switches to soprano, unleashing a dazzling Coltrane-esque solo. The energy is matched again on Davis’s arrangement of the rarely-heard Kurt Weill standard “This Is New.”
Drazen closes the set with the ballad show tune “Polkadots and Moonbeams,” highlighting his affinity for Cannonball Adderley. The slower pace can be a trap for less experienced soloists, but for Drazen it’s an incentive to be lyrical and swinging at the same time. A relaxed, Red Garland-style solo from Davis adds to the Adderley homage.
On Inner Flights, Drazen and his swinging cohorts deliver on all fronts. It’s a head-turning debut from a talented and extremely capable new voice.
SomethingElse reviews Benjamin Drazen “Inner Flights”…..
http://somethingelsereviews.com
Benjamin Drazen Inner Flights:
Soprano and alto sax specialist Benjamin Drazen is a relative newcomer, and Inner Flights released earlier this week on Posi-Tone Records marks his first foray as a leader on an album. That doesn’t mean he sounds “green,” though. Now here’s where I might say which famous altoist Drezen sounds like, but I’m kind of reluctant to do so because he sounds more like a “little bit of this and a little bit of that.” I will say that he’s more of an old school kind of player who knows how and when to bend a note to squeeze the most soul juice out of it and though he can fly up and down the scales like a real bebopper, he’s more apt to play for the feel than to show off.
For his debut, Drazen went with the tried-and-true quartet format, ably backed up by Jon Davis on piano, Carlo De Rosa on bass and Eric McPherson on drums. In this set of nine songs, Drazen wrote seven of them, and they reveal a real range in his composing: going from the post-bop cooker “Mr. Twilight” to the floating ballad “Prayer For Brothers Gone,” or the urbane “Kickin’ Up Dirt.” But I might like his exercise on making up his own Thelonious Monk tune the best. “Monkish” has all the impishness of a Monk composition with an unmistakable blues and bop-based foundation. Inner Flights gets Benjamin Drazen’s solo career off the ground with a smooth takeoff.
Brian Landrus Quartet Traverse: Baritone sax players tend to get the short shrift in recognition compared to practitioners of the “lighter” saxophones. It’s big, burly sound has more edge in its tone that might be a little gruff to some but that didn’t stop Gerry Mulligan from making some jazz history with it. Luckily, though, there’s still players out there blowing the big horn with all the swing and passion of their forbears. One of those cats is Brian Landrus.
Landrus put out his first record just last year. Forward was covered here and that record was an octet. ForTraverse, released March 1, Landrus whittles it down to a quartet, retaining Michael Cain on piano and adding the top-rate Lonnie Plaxico and Billy Hart on bass and drums, respectively. Landrus wrote, or cowrote with Cain, all of the eight songs except for “Body And Soul.” In this lighter arrangement, we get to hear more of Landrus (who also doubles on bass clarinet) and here we discover how much of a tenor player he sounds like; his a cappella piece “Soul And Body” followed by a straight rendition of “Body And Soul” a more feathery sound in his baritone that you don’t hear often, and it’s very enjoyable to hear. “Gnosis,” “Lone,” and “Lydian 4″ are also highlights, but there’s no real filler on this record. Traverse is another chapter in the fast-developing career of Brian Landrus. And his third record Capsule is due out in July. Watch out for this guy.