All One

Album review

Over the past 20 years, Ben Wendel has mainly made a name for himself through his active participation in the avant-garde cooperative group Kneebody, whose formal experimentation within the confines of post-rock, electro-pop and alternative hip hop have considerably influenced the young progressive jazz scene on both sides of the Atlantic. Recently, however, the saxophonist and composer is pursuing a particularly active and attractive solo career, setting up an increasing number of collaborations here, there, and everywhere (including pianists Tigran Hamasyan and Dan Tepfer, electronic musician Daedelus), creating ever more personal and ambitious leader records. This is the case with this new album, which is unique in the way it highlights the musician's talents as an arranger. Playing all the instruments and, in certain tracks, going so far as to superimpose over 30 tracks of tenor, alto and bassoon saxophones (cf. the hypnotic version of I Love You Porgy by Gershwin), Wendel (assisted by the sound engineer, Steve Wood) creates kaleidoscopes of extreme harmonic and contrapuntal sophistication, each time highlighting the poetics of a different guest with whom he enters into dialogue. Ben Wendel brought together a vast array of different artists in his recording studio, such as Cécile McLorin Salvant and José James, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, guitarist Bill Frisell, pianist Tigran Hamasyan, and flautist Elena Pinderhugues. Like a demiurgic director/scenographer, he was certainly not afraid to continuously reincarnate himself and join his creatures to shake up the beautiful ordering of his universe from the inside, using solo interventions of great expressive force. Here, he offers a new shining example of his multifaceted talent. © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz