The latest offering from Michael Benedict and Bopitude, Five and One, is a hard bop delight filled with classic tunes and some forgotten gems by some of the greats of the post war bop scene. Drummer Benedict is joined by special guest baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan, Chis Pasin on trumpet and flugelhorn, Brian Patneaude on tenor, pianist Bruce Barth and bassist Mike Lawrence. The band offers fresh interpretations of such classics as Nat Adderley's Work Song and Miles Davis' Compulsion. There are a few non-bop tunes in the set as well. The group does Train Samba, which was written by Gary McGFarland for trombone great J.J. Johnson. This new project is catching fire on jazz radio across the country and is a nice homage to an era in jazz that still inspires.
The cd is available on the Planet Arts label: http://www.planetarts.org
Below, you'll find a compilation of all album reviews done by local KIOS jazz and blues staff.