Search - Marco Benevento :: Live at Tonic (Dig)

Avant-garde jazz at its finest

The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 10/14/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Live at Tonic" features keyboardist Marco Benevento playing in various incarnations at the New York City club. Recorded over five nights in November of 2006, the musical settings offer variety. Disc one is simply spectacular. The initial songs feature what is the strongest group of this release - the trio with Reed Mathis (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey) and Grammy award winning Matt Chamberlain of Critters Buggin'. 'Clouds' trips things out while 'Record Book' is a beautiful acoustic piece. Next, the group plays a moving retelling of Pink Floyd's 'Fearless.' The band gets extra points for selecting such a wonderfully underrated cover. 'The Arrival of Greatness' is a Benevento solo contribution. This piece begins in an electronic haze but soon drifts through various acoustic melodies. At one point, there even seems to be a nod to 'I Am the Walrus.' The beautiful and ethereal jam eventually returns to the digital haze from which it came. A celebration of straight jazz, 'Sabbath' reintroduces the Mathis and Chamberlain trio. 'The Night Before October' features Joe Russo (The Duo), Mike Dillon (Les Claypool) and Bobby Previte. The piano work is stunning and brings to mind what it would sound like if Radiohead played jazz. Until 'Prestidigitation,' this had been an experience without brass. This song introduces the quartet with Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob) and Ween's Dave Dreiwitz and Claude Coleman. Phish's Mike Gordon joins Benevento on Benny Goodman's 'Moonglow.' While there are six personnel incarnations on "Live at Tonic," the common thread is straight jazz that takes frequent detours into the avant-garde with the occasional visit to psychedelia. What makes a roller coaster so exciting is the suggestion of spiraling out of control. Like wise, avant-garde works best in measured doses and Benevento seems to always find the perfect balance. Disc two's 'Peppermint Hippo' is a prime example of this musical formula. The trio takes the gloves off for 'We're Using Time for Fun.' The jamband friendly piece rocks hard. Coming off Marco Benevento's "Me Not Me," 'Seems So Long Ago Nancy' is one of those solo piano pieces that balances a melodic acoustic sensibility with psychedelic fuzz. This Leonard Cohen composition is one of many highlights. 'Intro' meanders through a psychoactive maze. The most unusual selection off "Live at Tonic" is probably Carly Simon's 'Nobody Does It Better.' The initial humor quickly wears off as the listener realizes that this isn't a hokey tribute to a James Bond theme song. The trio plays a smoldering version with unexpected heart and intellect. What initially seemed a joke rises to become a highlight. The joke comes later with Mike Gordon's 'Elmer's Tune.' Of the three discs, the last CD is by far the least interesting. That written, it starts off on a good note with 'Bye Ya.' A solo piano piece, Marco Benevento successfully channels the spirit of Thelonious Monk. From there, the rest of the final disc sounds like leftovers. Not including Mike Gordon's novelty songs, the third disc features a good deal of material by the least exciting incarnation -the Bobby Previte, Joe Russo and Mike Dillon quartet. As a whole, "Live at Tonic" is mind-blowing. The first disc is spectacular and the second disc is almost as strong. The first two discs subsidize the third CD. Much of this material features the perfect marriage between song selection, improvisation, production and the X-Factor that can only be attained on a live stage. Featuring so many musicians from the rock world, one might expect jamband fluff on "Live at Tonic." Make no mistake, this is a serious effort that is pulled off with class, inventiveness and elation. This kind of material invites Marco Benevento into the company of musicians such as Marc Ribot, John Medeski and John Zorn. Well over twenty-five albums were recorded at Tonic. As the final live album cut at the now finished beacon of the avant-garde, this farewell to Tonic may mark Marco Benevento's arrival as a serious jazz musician."

THE REAL DEAL

dtm | ct USA | 03/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had a chance to see Marco Benevento Live with Reed Mathis (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Tea Leaf Green) and Jon Fishman (Phish) live at a small arts theatre in Hartford CT. and was absolutly blown away. I had heard of the Bennevento/Russo Duo but never really paid much attention. Well after seeing Marco, Reed and Jon tear it up i went right out and purchased this live album hoping to have a memento of the stellar performance i had witnessed, let me tell you, this three disc set delivers the goods. Recorded live at TONIC in NYC, this album covers a month long run of wednesday night shows featuring many different configurations including Trio work with Reed Mathis and Matt Chamberlain, Duo's with Mike Gordon(Phish), a quartet with Steven Bernstein, Dave Dreiwitz, and Claude Coleman and also features Scott Metzger ("Particle" guitarist). The music covers a full range of dark-moody jazz, avant garde, and rock. Performances are raw and very skilled, Bennevento layering his masterfull key-work to the point of dis-beleif. He is a master of his craft, employing multiple keyboards at once, effects pedals and synth's to acheive outstanding sonic textures. This is the kind of stuff that can MOVE you, sometimes to tears. Because of the variety of band configurations and the inclusion of a few or more covers these three discs do not wear thin for the patient listener. If you like avant-jazz in the same vein as "Medeski, Martin and Wood" or "The Bad Plus" you will LOVE this record. But you dont have to love those guys to like this, if your just an adventurous listener who likes to hear extremely skilled musicians feed of each other in a live setting, i recommend you check this out. Open your mind and you just may find yourself wandering into a relm of music you otherwise might not as a result of this album."