Me Not Me [Slipcase]

ノイジーな轟音とグリッチーなエレクトロニクスに彩られたサイケデリックで多彩なサウンドスケープ。マッシヴなドラムと疾走するベース。躍動するビート。その中を駆け抜けるりりしく美しいピアノ、そしてその旋律。トム・ヨークがピアノ・トリオを作ったらこんなサウンドになるのでは？と評されるピアノ・ミュージック！予測不能の爆裂サウンドでUSジャム・バンド・シーンからフジロックまでをも戦慄させたベネヴェント・ルッソ・デュオ。そのオルガン担当マルコ・ベネヴェントのピアノ・トリオ企画第2弾。今作では、ベック、マイ・モーニング・ジャケット、ディアフーフなどの2000年代USロック・バンドから、レッド・ツェッペリン、ジョージ・ハリソン、レナード・コーエンらベテランの楽曲まで、溢れ出る才能とめくるめく色彩感でカヴァー。圧倒的な興奮と深い癒しが交差する最高のピアノ・ミュージック！

Marco Benevento has been heard mostly on organ with his longtime sidekick drummer Joe Russo, but for this recording he's playing a lot of acoustic piano plus effects. Joined by excellent sidemen such as bassist Reed Mathis (from the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Tea Leaf Green,) drummers Matt Chamberlain (David Bowie, Edie Brickell, Tori Amos, Brad Mehldau) or Andrew Barr (the Slip), Benevento cooks up a thick stew of updated instrumental jazz that borrows from New Orleans rhythm & blues, more funky jazz-rock, and a cerebral piano style that infers classical influences. This program, only partially written but highly rearranged by the keyboardist, shows a growth curve away from jam bands like the Bad Plus or early Medeski, Martin & Wood into a more personalized arena, still suggesting prog rock or techno at times while digging into melodic constructs from famed pop, rock, and folk artists that are all quite pleasing and very interesting. The opener "Golden" sets an intriguing tone in that it is soulful and spiritual, buoyed by a Crescent City shuffle, while also incorporating minimalist tonality a la Esbjorn Svensson, and noise. "Mephisto" is a lovely piece, all on acoustic piano, suggesting Keith Jarrett's Euro leanings, Leonard Cohen's "Seems So Long Ago Nancy" expresses the ultimate in a waltz dance of reflective melancholy, while the soul-pop ballad "Run of the Mill," penned by George Harrison, may be as typical as its title, but works on a low-key level. On the flipside, "Now They're Writing Music" is very much like Sun Ra with a circular motion surrounded by tack piano and a rock beat. Benevento's utilization of samples, loops, and the wondrous mellotron is prevalent during "Twin Killers," a dense piece that goes from completely distorted to clear in a groove, then retro soul. "Heartbeats" also sports the natural and industrial combination of rock & roll, jazzy organ sounds, heavy metal, and an acoustic ending all parsed off in developed segments. Then there's the Jimmy Page/Robert Plant song "Friends," completely mutated into a hard driving semi-boogie, especially dramatic when Benevento's electric piano strolls in and takes center stage. This is an excellent example of contemporary jazz for the youth generation that fusion baby boomers can also enjoy, and comes highly recommended. ~ Michael G. Nastos

轟音ジャム・ユニット、ベネヴェント・ルッソ・デュオのオルガン担当によるソロ作品。ディアフーフ、ベック、ツェッペリン、レナード・コーエンなどのカヴァーとオリジナルで構成された今作は、めまぐるしく変化する極彩色のトリッピー・サウンドが詰まったおもちゃ箱のようだ。エレクトロニカを基調としたトラックの上で美麗なピアノが軽やかに躍る様に、混沌と荘厳が共存する彼独自の世界観を感じずにはいられない。
bounce (C)藤井 大樹