Ben Marc surfaces

Fascinating glimpse of an alternative side to the musical personality of bassist/bass guitarist Neil Charles (Anthony Braxton, Pulled by Magnets, Jonny Greenwood, Lady Blackbird, Zed-U, original Empirical) as Ben Marc rolls out here with 'Mustard' from Glass Effect hard on the heels of an EP last year. The Innovative Leisure release has a loungey jazztronica and Afrojazz relaxed feel to it that reels you in fairly instantly a country mile way from his more avant garde work. A cop-out it's not! Featured guests on the album include singer Judi Jackson on 'Give Me Time' and performance poet Joshua Idehen on 'Dark Clouds'.

Ben Marc photo: Alex Waespi

Tags:

If you love a track that rises up from the internal pulse and groove that somehow envelops as you listen then the dazzling 'Maxwell Steet' from pianist Greg Spero featuring Joel Ross, Irvin Pierce, Darryl Jones, Marquis Hill and Jeff Parker drawn from The Chicago Experiment out at the end of the month is tailor made for you. Three tracks from the album are streaming so far, all worth your time, this arguably the most intriguing of all cooked up by Spero but kicked off by a fascinating figure from vibes star Ross. Created during 4 days of improvisation and performance there's a restlessness that keeps the group-play interesting and lots of microscopic detail in the way the instruments blend and lines intertwine as the beat eventually gallops along. On Bandcamp

Ben Marc surfaces

Greg Spero, Maxwell Street, Ropeadope ****