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The redoubtable bassist Ben Allison is well known as a bell ringer for jazz, and his creative enthusiasm has spawned a series of intrepid solo recordings as well as a productive NY based jazz collective. For his 10th recording, Allison culls his first collection of covers with âAction-Refractionâ (Palmetto Records) and reboots them in wild and wonderful ways, including a switched on version of Samuel Barberâs âSt Itaâs Visionâ (where Allison is thinking Sun Ra as much as Leontyne Price) and a compellingly reverent remix of Neil Youngâs âPhiladelphia.â
As the leader and arranger, Allison expands his palette with his intuitive âelectro-acoustic orchestraâ â saxophonist/bass clarinetist Michael Blake, guitarists Steve Cardenas and Brandon Seabrook, drummer Rudy Royston and particularly Jason Lindner on piano and synthesizer, who rocks the sonic trance arrangement of Donny Hathwayâs âSomeday Weâll All Be Free.â Allisonâs eloquent liner notes may explain his approach to covering Thelonious Monk (âhis music is timeless and perpetually relevantâ) and PJ Harveyâs âMissed,â but itâs his clear-eyed articulation of âWeâve Only Just Begunâ and a remake of his own, âBroken,â complete with Prince-like guitar licks and Trent Reznor feedback, that makes this album an adventure in sound. At a trim 40+ minutes, the Allison team beautifully networks the concept and its aural pleasures will sustain multiple spins. (7 tracks; 41:22 minutes)

Labels: Ben Allison, Brandon Seabrook, Jason Lindner, Michael Blake, Palmetto Records, Rudy Royston, Steve Cardenas