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Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show


Welcome to Straight No Chaser, the Award-winning Podcast hosted by Jeffrey Siegel

Aug 23, 2022

Over the years, the drummer-less trio of Steve Cardenas (guitar), Ben Allison (bass) and Ted Nash (reeds) has recorded wonderful interpretive albums to celebrate their favorite composers. First came Quiet Revolution (2016),  drawing from the compositions of Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre and then Somewhere Else: West Side Story Songs reinterpreting the music of Leonard Bernstein. 

Now we have Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley (Sunnyside Records).The trio plays a wide range of Bley-penned tunes written between 1958 and1987, including classics like "Ida Lupino" and "Lawns", along with lesser-known compositions such as "Ictus" and "Donkey". The tunes are constructed to give top improvisers plenty of room to work, and the results are often striking. These three have developed an awesome chemistry.

In a career that spans over 30 years, Allison has developed his own instantly identifiable sound. Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, Ben draws from the jazz tradition and a range of influences from rock and folk to 20th century and a broad range of music from around the world, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole. Ben is also well kn own as an educator and advocate. Ben served as an advisor to the Doris Duke Foundation, helping to establish Chamber Music America’s New Works – Creation and Presentation program. He served two terms as President of the Board of the New York chapter of the Recording Academy and chaired the Advocacy Committee from 2012 until 2019. 

Musical selections from Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley include "Lawns" and "Ictus."