Cowboy Justice

Ben Allison | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Palmetto Records
• ASIN: B000EQHXVY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,856 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No description available.
Genre: Jazz Music
Rating:
Release Date: 0000-00-00
Media Type: Compact Disk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired, compelling new jazz, May 6, 2006

By 

John C. Thornton "searcher" (OC California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cowboy Justice (Audio CD)

Politics are part of life. I would suggest that the critic/fans might better serve if they commented more about the music and less about the inspiration of the artists. The earlier Ben Allison masterpiece, Riding the Nuclear Tiger, was also inspired by political conviction. Tiger is a ground breaking album, and so appears to be Cowboy Justice. I will edit and update my comments after more study, but can say that the time signatures of this album are unique and wonderful, and that Allison and Ballard have a relationship that will be long remembered. This is as Longboarder suggests, a unique trumpet-guitar- bass and drums album. There is freshness to this sound I am really excited about. Collective trumpeter Ron Horton, whose earlier album was quite good but lacked the unifying ideas heard here, finds a setting for his exceptional talent. Notwithstanding the titles, the structures and melodies are pure Allison. I have already sent copies to friends.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The chalice of jazz, June 9, 2006

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C. E. Silva Rios (Caracas, Distrito Capital Venezuela) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cowboy Justice (Audio CD)

I wish I were a gifted writer, a monster of a jazz critic. It would be the only way to express the whole thing with Ben Allison's "Cowboy Justice" (I mean its music not its politic background). You know originality is the lost chalice of jazz. Nevertheless, I dare say this release is simply original. I am not saying Allison found the goblet, but he and his comrades are really close to the end of the search. "Cowboy Justice" is rhythmically rich and surprising; one can find out nuances of reggae, Venezuelan's joropo, waltz, and even of hard rock. It's a pretty inclusive gamut of colors, a wonderful range of great compositions and crafted improvisations. Ron Horton's clean and velvety tone gets by with Steve Cardenas subtle strings very well (have you heard Liberty Ellman?), while Jeff Ballard is a drummer instead of a mere cymbalist. Ben Allison himself gives an alternate role to the bass player. He's not a selfish leader, a loud voice in front of them all. He knows how to manage his presence among his companions. For instance, listen carefully the pacing "Midnight Cowboy" and you'll see. The whole band is like a last generation aesthetics processor. This is jazz of the 21st century and doubtless one of the best records of 2006. Bravo Ben!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rock-esque, but all jazz, December 4, 2006

By 

Anthony Cooper (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cowboy Justice (Audio CD)

I read Ben Allison chose the trumpet / guitar front line because he wanted to rock on this CD. It's not a loud CD, but it has some intense parts. Steve Cardenas on guitar strums a lot of chods, which is unusual for non-Django Reinhardt jazz songs. Sometimes he'll state the melody in unison or harmony with the trumpet. Ron Horton on trumpet carries a lot of the melodic and solo load. This is the first thing I've heard him on (Ben Allison too, truth be told), and he's very good. The songs are mostly written by Ben Allison, and they have strong melodies. Jeff Ballard's playing is the best I've heard him do, compared to what I've heard with Rosenwinkel, Mehldau, and Redman. The mood of the CD is part intense and part melancholy, which I think is the CD's purpose as Ben Allison's view of things happening in the world. It's not a rock or fusion album, but it is informed by rock, and perhaps jazz fans who also like rock might appreciate it more than those jazz fans who don't.