Search - The Redwine Trio :: Baby Won't You Please Come Home

Breakthrough Jazz Clarinet CD

G. J. Huba | Culver City, CA USA | 08/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ben Redwine is a clarinetist perfoming in the Washington, D.C., area and a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Band. This outing with a trio also including Tom Mitchell on guitar and John Previti on bass is a breakthrough recording. As Redwine states in the liner notes "My concept ... was to make a 'gumbo' using influences from each of the places I have loved..."



This "musical gumbo" has as its ingredients Redwine's flawless techniques on the horn, perhaps the most beautiful tone to be heard anywhere currently on jazz clarinet especially at the bottom of the instrument's range, impeccable phrasing that lets the music "breathe," a level of interplay among the members of the trio that borders on psychic, and a knowledge of the history of these standard songs that makes them sound traditional and completely fresh at the same time. This is all liberally spiced by an awful lot of knowledge about the New Orleans jazz tradition.



While one may be initially drawn to several well-known standard tunes including a haunting rendition of Georgia (on my Mind) and three variations on Sweet Georgia Brown called the Georgia Brown Suite, there is not a single track on this CD that fails to delight one's ears. Sweet Georgia Brown has been recorded almost countless times by some of the most important jazz artists of all times. Within this context, Redwine's three versions -- each connected but quite different from one another -- can be considered as quite possibly the definitive ones on the clarinet, and among the very best on any instrument. There can perhaps be no greater praise of a jazz album but to say that every song and virtually every phrase within these songs is "haunting" and evokes complex imagery and feelings.



At a time when the clarinet is again re-emerging as a major jazz instrument, Ben Redwine and his trio have both summarized the past -- by their brilliant understanding of traditional music -- and defined a major path for the future. Redwine's music deserves to be considered as being at the same level as his well-known, and equally brilliant contemporaries Ken Peplowski and Don Byron. If Redwine continues to record at this level over a period of years, he will undoubtedly establish his own school of jazz clarinet playing: his sound and phrasing are absolutely beautiful and sound truly original.



If you love jazz clarinet, you will have to own this CD. If you like jazz clarinet, you will probably love it after listening to this CD a couple of times.



As a technical footnote, the recording quality on this CD far surpasses most current jazz CDs being released and further adds to the enjoyment of the music."

Love it!

B. Hauck | Sullivan, NH USA | 12/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this CD - I don't know that much about jazz, since I'm from the "classical" world, but Ben has a wonderful, clear "just right" sound and together with his colleagues make this CD a joy to listen to. The sound of the CD is so natural, you'd think you were sitting in the same room with them, listening to them play.

"

A Command Performance Just for You

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mapleshade makes some of the finest-sounding discs on the market, no doubt about that. When they feature music that is equally fine, you have a release that is a must-have for audiophiles and music-lovers alike; believe me, this is a great recording that you must hear.



The Redwine Trio comprises Ben Redwine on clarinet, Tom Mitchell on guitar, and John Previti on bass. All three bring great energy and enthusiasm to this music, most of which is traditional-sounding jazz that you might imagine hearing in a small club in New Orleans. Thanks to Mapleshade's lifelike recording, you can pretty well imagine that these three gentlemen are putting on a command performance for you alone in the privacy of your listening room. Tasty, tasty stuff that should appeal to a wide spectrum of musical tastes, and can also be used for showing off your audio system."