BEN Wanicur

The Excluded Middle

2014-01-02

Ben Wanicur is based in California. Sporting a thick, bottom-heavy sound, this bass player fronts a skillful quartet on his release, The Excluded Middle.  This disc offers half original compositions and half covers. Wanicur's arrangements of both keep the songs complex enough to be interesting, yet not so much as to be inaccessible to the average listener.  The disc opens strong with the swinging "13 Vans". The cover of Cole Porter's "So In Love" is uptempo and like so many of the songs here, sports occasional changes in rhythmic meter. The album highlight, "Sun Chant", starts with a bowed bass intro and features a melody of both guitar and sax playing off each other. Drummer Charlie Weller often steals the show on this disc...not that drums are highlighted. He's just so damned talented with his rim shots and hi hat, that one can't help but notice. This entire band is talented and I look forward to hearing more from them on their own or with other projects.    

Rebecca Ruth 

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Jazz

  • reviewed 11/2011

    WYNTON MARSALIS
    SELECTIONS FROM SWINGING INTO THE 21'ST

  • reviewed 11/2004

    The Yohimbe Brothers
    The Tao of Yo

  • reviewed 11/2016

    Dan Costa
    Suite Tres Rios

  • reviewed 12/1969

    THE MEMPHIS HANG
    THE MEMPHIS HANG

  • reviewed 01/2004

    Matt Flinner Quartet
    Walking on the Moon

  • reviewed 09/2019

    BLUE MOON MARQUEE
    BARE KNUCKLES & BRAWN

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.