2007-07-19
Hartford Courant By Owen McNally - Review
New on disc
July 19, 2007
By OWEN McNALLY
SPECIAL TO THE COURANT
RONI BEN-HUR
Keepin' It Open
Motema
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As the family matriarch in a small Israeli town, Roni Ben-Hur's mother welcomed every kind of music, cuisine and philosophical and spiritual thought expressed in spirited conversation.
Like mother, like son. The nimble-witted, fleet-fingered guitarist welcomes a variety of styles into his musical home on "Keepin' It Open," embracing bop, bossa, ballads, blues, samba and traditional folk motifs.
With various-size combos - all buoyantly propelled by the miraculous drummer Lewis Nash - Ben-Hur ranges from a fiery rendition of Elmo Hope's "One Second Please" to an atmospheric interpretation of "Eshkolit," a Jewish folk song based on a traditional Sephardic melody.
When Ben-Hur is off to the races on "One Second Please" and "Can't We Be Friends," his tone and phrasing are crisp and explosive. On mood pieces such as Victor Herbert's operetta-like "Indian Summer," his tone is rounder, more luminescent.
For mood-setting lyricism and a touch of bop edge, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt sits in periodically.
Aside from Nash, Ben-Hur's most valuable player is pianist Ronnie Mathews, who is at home soaring in Thelonious Monk's spiritual sphere on "Think of One" while expressing himself in his own distinctive voice.
On "Recado Bossa Nova," Mathews sways with savoir-faire, sparked by support from Nash and bassist Santi DeBriano. Adding sonic spice, percussionist Steve Kroon generates exotic birdcalls that seem to emanate from a primeval Brazilian forest.
- OWEN MCNALLY
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features Jeremy Pelt, Ronni Mathews, Santi Debriano, Lewis Nash |  listen
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Roni's popular Jazz Guitar Instructional book is the only official guitar book featuring the 'Barry Harris Method' - Published by Mel Bay |
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