Penumbra

The Bennie Maupin Ensemble (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2006)
• Original Release Date: May 9, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cryptogramophone
• ASIN: B000F6ZP3G
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #165,170 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Bennie Maupin is best known for his atmospheric bass clarinet playing on Miles Davis’ classic "Bitches Brew" album, as well as other Miles Davis recordings such as, "Big Fun" "Jack Johnson," and "On the Corner." He was a founding member of Herbie Hancock’s seminal band The Headhunters, as well as a performer and composer in Hancock’s influential Mwandishi band. Born in 1940, Maupin started playing clarinet, later adding saxophone, flute and, most notably, the bass clarinet to his formidable arsenal of woodwind instruments. Upon moving to New York in 1962, he freelanced with groups led by Marion Brown, Pharoah Saunders, and Chick Corea, and played regularly with Roy Haynes and Horace Silver. He also recorded with McCoy Tyner, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, Eddie Henderson, and Woody Shaw to name only a few.

Maupin’s own discography as a leader includes a well-received recording for ECM Records, "The Jewel in The Lotus" (1974), "Slow Traffic to the Right" (1976), "Moonscapes" both on Mercury Records (1978), and "Driving While Black" on Intuition, (1998). The instrumentation of Maupin’s current group The Bennie Maupin Ensemble, harkens back to the tradition of great saxophone-bass-drum trios, such as the group led by Sonny Rollins with Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones. While echoes of the great John Coltrane can be heard in Maupin’s work, one can also discern the influences of Yusef Lateef, Sonny Rollins, and Eric Dolphy, as well as Maupin’s contemporaries like Wayne Shorter and the late Joe Henderson. Maupin’s approach to his music is intentional and profound, yet alive in the interpretation of the moment. He maintains active performing and teaching careers in Europe, and the US. Bennie Maupin currently resides in the Los Angeles area.

Product Description

Woodwind player Bennie Maupin has recorded with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Lee Morgan, Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, and Eddie Henderson, to name only a few. His highly personal bass clarinet sound has helped define such important jazz albums as Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson, Big Fun and On the Corner, as well as recordings by Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band, and the Headhunters. Penumbra is a profound musical statement by an important jazz artist who is at the pinnacle of his artistic powers. Penumbra is dedicated to the memory of Lyle "Spud" Murphy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What makes jazz so great?, May 16, 2006

By	Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Bennie Maupin.

A major Miles collaborator, he never seemed able to parlay that gig into a career-building move.

Until now.

Take a way hip label like Cryptogramophone, link him up with the right bandmates, and voila! instant legend status ensues.

Sometimes, I think, these major jazz figures can't quite figure out how to make their mark, how to take that next step into jazz immortality. Bennie Maupin is a perfect example. One thinks of that neglected disc he did with Patrick Gleeson, Driving While Black--perfectly creditable, but pretty much relegated to obscurity. Whereas Penumbra is absolutely brilliant, especially since he's mostly employing that notoriously difficult axe, the bass clarinet, Maupin has, let's admit it, floundered in relative obscurity until Jeff Gautier of Cryptogramophone found a way to showcase his prodigal talent. Yet an artist as great as Joe Henderson found himself in a similar spot late in his career.

When I listen to Maupin's mastery, combined with the entirely sympatico backing of emerging monster bassist Darek Oles, saucy drummer Michael Stephens, and master percussionist Munyungo Jackson, I can only shake my head, wondering why no one before this has been able to figure out how to optimally present his musical genius.

And make no mistake: we're talking true musical greatness, right up there with late Joe Henderson, whose career was magically rescued and transformed by Richard Seidel. I suspect Jeff Gautier, founder and owner of Cryptogramophone, is playing the Seidel role here, and is responsible for resurrecting Maupin's career.

In any case, real magic goes down here. This group has been playing together and gigging for about a decade. And it shows. There's a both a comfort level and exploratory thrust that these musicians exhibit together. The music they produce demonstrates equal parts daring and empathetic communication. This is music you really need to hear. I pretty much guarantee you won't be disappointed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar, July 15, 2006

By	afbg02 "afbg02" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Although the previous reviews do the recording justice, I wanted to add my strongest endorsement. This CD is one of the finest current jazz recordings I've had the good fortune to hear.

Maupin's playing runs the gamut, shifting from atmouspheric, to playful, to traditional bop to more aggressive avant-garde.
Oles's bass playing is a real highlight. He has a wonderful sound, funky and sharp, with a wonderfully warm tone. His sound fits so well with Maupin, it's like butter.
Stephens and Jackson do a great job with the percussion, mostly rolling and roilling along, gentle but not weak.

The songs themselves range in length, some ideas are just introduced, while others are more fully explored. As above, there is a wonderful range of sentiment within the various songs. It is a panoply of the jazz idiom.

This recording is highly engaging. Many thanks to the crew at Cryptogramophone for bringing it to us.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, March 15, 2007

By	S. Jones (Fresno, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even though I love reading liner notes and other reviews that technically dissect the music, and discuss various aspects of the album, I won't do that, I'm sure I'm no good at that.
I would say that I am a jazz lover, and by that I mean bebop, hard bop, post-bop, avante garde, etc. I love jazz, and I love this disc. It gets better and better with repeated listenings, probably because each time I understand it a little better. The bass clarinet can be so earthy, in a Mingusesque sort of way. Bravo, Bennie.