BT3 re: Vision Review

By: Dr. Matt Warnock

Click to Buy re: Vision from Amazon.com

New York has long been on the cutting edge of what’s new and hip on the global jazz scene. Even with the wide reach of the internet, with sites like YouTube and Facebook spreading news about new artists and musical trends like wildfire, residents of the Big Apple always seem to be one step ahead of the rest of us when it comes to knowing about the hot new players and new directions in music. It is therefore not surprising that guitarist and Sonic Architect Ben Tyree is bursting onto the world’s stage from his adopted city of New York.

Among those in the know, Tyree has long been player to watch out for on the modern jazz scene, but with the release of his latest record re: Vision Tyree’s reputation as one of the baddest players on the block is spreading, as fans and players are taking note of his uniquely personalized take on modern jazz.

The album features a who’s who East Coast, cutting edge jazz musicians, including DJ Logic, bassist Steve Jenkins, saxophonist Stacy Dillard and keyboardist John Medeski. Though bringing together a mixture of players on an album, where they sometimes only sit in on one track, can be risky, Tyree and company come together in a way that sounds as if they’ve spent years on the bandstand together. The collective musicality of these performers is impressive to say the least, and the results are engaging and entertaining.

As a player, Tyree takes a thoroughly modern approach to jazz improvisation, tone and harmonic vocabulary, though don’t let his distorted guitar fool you, this is a player who understands the history of his instrument and of the jazz genre, allowing him to stretch and explore new and exciting melodic and harmonic territory without losing the listener along the way.

Take his solo on the Latin influenced “Telekinesis” for example. Here, Tyree’s distorted lines lead the listener through myriad levels of harmonic and melodic development, but along the way he throws in these short, quasi-bebop phrases, that link everything together and refresh the listener’s palette before moving on to the next phrase.

By keeping himself harmonically grounded in this short phrases, Tyree is able to lead the listener through the more adventurous moments of the solo, rather than beating them over the head with them, as is too often the case. This ability is not only enviable from a performer’s standpoint, but is one of the reasons why the album as a whole is so successful. There’s logic to everything Tyree plays, which is something that the audience not only enjoys, but appreciates.

re: Vision is a strong release for Tyree and company. The songs are well-written and carefully arranged, the playing is top notch and the ensemble interaction is thoroughly enjoyable. Though the album fits firmly into the modern jazz genre, there is enough variety that fans of all jazz can find something to enjoy. Tyree brings together funk, rock, jazz, soul and hip-hop grooves and melds them into an album that is sure to make waves in the jazz world and beyond.

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