Benjamin Sanz – Black Seeds

Neo-hardbop has become one of the main branches of contemporary jazz, and its zealots are numerous in both the USA and Europe.

So how does one assert one’s singularity in this context of swarming bands?

In part, by proposing – as Benjamin Sanz does here – an original repertoire largely written by himself.

Secondly, by surrounding himself with sidemen who all have their own highly personal style of playing, enabling the quintet – the queen formula of historic hardbop – to sound with a welcome freshness.

The result is an album at once steeped in tradition and totally modern, with the drummer-leader driving his combo with a master’s hand.

The solos by Paris-based Cuban saxophonist Ricardo Izquierdo are full of delicious sap, and all tell a story.

The same goes for the trumpet choruses of American Hermon Mehari, whose beautifully timbred sound is a constant delight.

The quintet’s rhythm section features American pianist and keyboardist Rob Clearfield, whose harmonic support is complemented by excellent solos on acoustic piano or Fender Rhodes, and Italian bassist Luca Fattorini, who “holds down the fort” (as he’s wont to say) magnificently.

Benjamin Sanz‘s drumming, in this context, is both stimulating and discreet, and this leader never pulls the wool over his eyes. It’s no doubt the fact that this band is made up of musicians from different geographical origins that allows it to stand out so remarkably.

Each one brings his own contribution to the edifice, and is fully committed to a project in which they believe deeply.

All these musicians are also leaders of their own band(s), and when they perform as sidemen – as they do here – they have a clear vision of how a band should sound.

A fine achievement, then, from a drummer-leader and his bandmates who continue to keep alive a hardbop whose contemporary extensions we haven’t finished discovering.