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| Ben Allison releases Cowboy Justice On April 18, 2006, Palmetto Records will release Ben Allison's new album Cowboy Justice. Featuring a new quartet with Steve Cardenas, (guitar), Ron Horton (trumpet), and Jeff Ballard (drums), eight original tunes and one cover, Cowboy Justice marks a new direction for this prolific and ever-evolving composer and band leader. Tracks are “Tricky Dick, ” “Talking Heads, ” “Hey Man, ” “Emergency, ” “Midnight Cowboy, ” “Tricky Rides Again, ” “Weazy, ” “Ruby's Roundabout” and “Blabbermouth.” All compositions are originals by Ben Allison with the exception of “Midnight Cowboy, ” by John Barry. Ben's five previous releases on Palmetto - Buzz (2004), Peace Pipe (2002), Riding the Nuclear Tiger (2001), Third Eye (1999) and Medicine Wheel (1998) - showcase Ben's original compositions as well as his amazing skills as a composer, arranger and bassist. NPR describes Ben's group as “A band that knows exactly what it is doing at all times. Allison's compositions are complex yet slyly surprising - you don't realize exactly how catchy they are until you find yourself humming them.” Cowboy Justice promises to be no exception, as its selections explore the influence of rock. Ben has toured extensively throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, winning fans and building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected. The Boston Globe ranks Ben Allison “among today's best young jazz musicians - Dave Douglas, Don Byron, James Carter, Jason Moran, Ben Allison.” With his groups Peace Pipe, Ben Allison Quartet, Medicine Wheel, the Kush Trio, and the Herbie Nichols Project (which he co-leads with pianist Frank Kimbrough) Ben has toured extensively throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Brazil winning fans and building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected. His six recordings as a leader - Buzz (2004), Peace Pipe (2002), Riding the Nuclear Tiger (2001), Third Eye (1999), and Medicine Wheel (1998) on Palmetto Records, and his 1996 debut Seven Arrows on the Koch Jazz label - showcase Ben's forward-thinking vision as a producer, composer, arranger, and bassist, and his hands-on approach to his craft. At the age of twenty-five, he formed the Jazz Composers Collective a musician-run, non-profit organization based in New York City that is dedicated to constructing an environment where artists can exercise their ideals of creating and risking through the development and exploration of new music. As the Artistic Director and a Composer-in-Residence of the Jazz Composers Collective, Ben has produced or co-produced over 100 concerts and special events, including the Collective's annual concert series (which ran for eleven seasons), national and international tours by Collective artists, an on-going Collective residency at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, NYC), and an annual “Jazz Composers Collective Festival” at the Jazz Standard which has drawn international attention as a mainstay of New York City's musical life. Along with pianist Frank Kimbrough, Ben co-leads the Herbie Nichols Project, a performing and researching entity premiered by the Jazz Composers Collective in 1994, dedicated to the music of the brilliant pianist-composer. The group has recorded three CDs, Strange City (Palmetto Records, 2001), and Dr. Cyclops' Dream and Love Is Proximity (both on Soul Note Records, 1999 and 1997). Strange City topped the jazz radio charts (CMJ) peaking at #1, and was picked as “Best Album” in the 2002 Downbeat Critics' Poll. The group was also chosen as “Best Acoustic Group” and “Best Acoustic Group - TDWR” in the same poll. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |