Search - Bennie Maupin :: Penumbra

What makes jazz so great?

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 05/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bennie Maupin.



A major Miles collaborator, he never seemed able to parlay that gig into a career-building move.



Until now.



Take a way hip label like Cryptogramophone, link him up with the right bandmates, and voila! instant legend status ensues.



Sometimes, I think, these major jazz figures can't quite figure out how to make their mark, how to take that next step into jazz immortality. Bennie Maupin is a perfect example. One thinks of that neglected disc he did with Patrick Gleeson, Driving While Black--perfectly creditable, but pretty much relegated to obscurity. Whereas Penumbra is absolutely brilliant, especially since he's mostly employing that notoriously difficult axe, the bass clarinet, Maupin has, let's admit it, floundered in relative obscurity until Jeff Gautier of Cryptogramophone found a way to showcase his prodigal talent. Yet an artist as great as Joe Henderson found himself in a similar spot late in his career.



When I listen to Maupin's mastery, combined with the entirely sympatico backing of emerging monster bassist Darek Oles, saucy drummer Michael Stephens, and master percussionist Munyungo Jackson, I can only shake my head, wondering why no one before this has been able to figure out how to optimally present his musical genius.



And make no mistake: we're talking true musical greatness, right up there with late Joe Henderson, whose career was magically rescued and transformed by Richard Seidel. I suspect Jeff Gautier, founder and owner of Cryptogramophone, is playing the Seidel role here, and is responsible for resurrecting Maupin's career.



In any case, real magic goes down here. This group has been playing together and gigging for about a decade. And it shows. There's a both a comfort level and exploratory thrust that these musicians exhibit together. The music they produce demonstrates equal parts daring and empathetic communication. This is music you really need to hear. I pretty much guarantee you won't be disappointed."

Stellar

afbg02 | San Francisco, CA United States | 07/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although the previous reviews do the recording justice, I wanted to add my strongest endorsement. This CD is one of the finest current jazz recordings I've had the good fortune to hear.



Maupin's playing runs the gamut, shifting from atmouspheric, to playful, to traditional bop to more aggressive avant-garde.

Oles's bass playing is a real highlight. He has a wonderful sound, funky and sharp, with a wonderfully warm tone. His sound fits so well with Maupin, it's like butter.

Stephens and Jackson do a great job with the percussion, mostly rolling and roilling along, gentle but not weak.



The songs themselves range in length, some ideas are just introduced, while others are more fully explored. As above, there is a wonderful range of sentiment within the various songs. It is a panoply of the jazz idiom.



This recording is highly engaging. Many thanks to the crew at Cryptogramophone for bringing it to us."

Excellent

S. Jones | Fresno, CA | 03/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even though I love reading liner notes and other reviews that technically dissect the music, and discuss various aspects of the album, I won't do that, I'm sure I'm no good at that.

I would say that I am a jazz lover, and by that I mean bebop, hard bop, post-bop, avante garde, etc. I love jazz, and I love this disc. It gets better and better with repeated listenings, probably because each time I understand it a little better. The bass clarinet can be so earthy, in a Mingusesque sort of way. Bravo, Bennie."