| Benjamin Drazen – Inner Flights |
| Saxophonist Benjamin Drazen is proud to announce the release of Inner Flights, his first recording as a leader on Posi-Tone Records. The quartet features Drazen on alto and soprano saxophones, Jon Davis on piano, Carlo De Rosa on bass, and Eric McPherson on drums.Drazen who is a native of New York, studied at the prestigious New England Conservatory and returned to NYC in 1995. In more recent years he has been playing around New York City with the likes of Rashied Ali, George Garzone, Gene Jackson, Steve Tyrell, Ron McClure, Lew Soloff, Santi Debriano, Marvin “Bugalu” Smith, and Ron Affif.
The opening cut on Inner Flights quickly reveals Benjamin Drazen to be a fine alto saxophonist with a sound and sense of time many will envy. His self-proclaimed cluster of influences include a predictable lot – that of Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Although one can hear shades of each of these players coming out of Benjamin Drazen’s saxophone, Drazen is his own player. The up-tempo Mr. Twilight and more jovial Monkish squarely establish the rhythm section’s ability to swing behind Drazen’s definitive alto sound. The third cut entitled Prayer for Brothers Gone seems a conglomeration of influences – whether by coincidence or design. The influence of Trane on Drazen’s sound and approach is obvious, however the alto is sweet and the vibrato fast at times, almost classical in nature. Here Drazen sounds like no singular saxophonist except himself. Jazz Heaven reveals a grittier side of Benjamin Drazen’s saxophone sound. His occasional growling is followed by Jon Davis’ energetic piano solo. The energy is carried over into the title track’s opening statement. Inner Flight showcases De Rosa’s percolating bass line along with McPherson’s cymbal work behind Drazen on soprano. It is easy to make comparisons to other great soprano saxophonists such as Dave Liebman – I trust this is not a comparison to which Drazen objects. The sweet sound of Drazen’s alto is never more evident than in the tender introduction of Neeney’s Waltz. It is clear he has studied the saxophone seriously, yet his jazz playing maintains a flexible sense of pitch, time and tone color, which never sounds rigid. His use of bend and portamento is particularly apparent on the final standard Polkadots and Moonbeams. This Is New and Kickin’ Up Dirt round out the selections for Benjamin Drazen’s inaugural cd as a leader on Posi-tone records. Jazz saxophone lovers looking for something traditional and new at the same time will likely enjoy checking out Benjamin Drazen live in New York or here on Inner Flight. Inner Flights will be available on Cd as of March 1, 2011. You can find out more about Benjamin Drazen at benjamindrazen.com |
