Think Free

Ben Allison | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 13, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Palmetto Records
• ASIN: B002L31Q0C
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,174 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Bassist/composer Ben Allison s ninth album, Think Free, is part of a paradigm shift that began with his 2005 Palmetto Records release, Cowboy Justice. I wanted a band that rocked, says Allison of his changing sound. I was moving away from the chamber-jazz elements of Medicine Wheel and Peace Pipe and trying to incorporate other sounds into my music. I continue to try to get to something personal. Cowboy Justice, Little Things Run the World (Palmetto, 2008), and now Think Free are all one continuous train of thought.

Think Free builds not only on the concept but also the personnel of its predecessors. Longtime compatriot Steve Cardenas returns on guitar, alongside trumpeter Shane Endsley, violinist Jenny Scheinman and drummer Rudy Royston. Each of them are composers and band leaders and bear impressive artistic resumes: Cardenas is a member of Paul Motian s Sextet and Charlie Haden s Liberation Music Orchestra; Endsley is a rising voice on trumpet, well known for his work in Kneebody and alongside Ani Difranco; Scheinman has been widely acclaimed for her performance as both violinist and vocalist; and Royston s training in both the conservatory and the church contributes to his soulful precision behind the kit. The addition of Scheinman s violin to the quartet of trumpet, guitar, bass and drums had been in Allison s mind since 2005. In the past few years I was fortunate to play a lot with Jenny, often in collaboration with Rudy and Steve. We all felt an immediate and strong musical connection. Allison continues, I think an extremely important part of being a composer/bandleader is assembling an interesting combination of musicians. Duke Ellington and Miles Davis were masters of this. Their music is very much an extension of the rapport between, and personalities of, the members of their groups. It could be said that choosing the right musicians is part of the compositional process.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Glad I Discovered Ben Allison, November 7, 2009

By 

L. Simon "The Same Yest!" (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Think Free (Audio CD)

Each Ben Allison album is an exercise in masterful playing, fun arrangements, and emotional range. The opener, "Fred," is a real charmer, combining elements of sixties pop and funk grooves, Jean Luc-Ponty violin fusion, and an undercurrent of melancholic unease. Speaking of melancholic unease, the second track (don't worry, I'm not going to review each individual track) sounds like an instrumental outtake from Radiohead's "In Rainbows." The skipping tension of the introductory guitar chords sets the tone for a wave-like melody on top of Radiohead-like chords (beautiful). The rest of the tunes are all great too. This album is full of surprises; some tunes latched onto me right away while others took a few listens to start to fully appreciate. Excellent violin by Jenny Schneiman and tasty drumming by Rudy Royster, lyrical trumpet by Shane Endsley, and free-ranging guitar by Steve Cardenas, who sounds like Mahavishnu McLaughlin one minute and Bill Frissell the next (this is not to say he's derivative--quite the opposite--but that he's incredibly versatile). And of course, Ben's tart and magical bass playing. I can't stop listening to this album! Another real stand-out tune, with a killer title, is "Kramer vs. Kramer vs. Godzilla." I also highly recommend Ben's previous album, "Little Things Run the World," but really, all of his albums are worth checking out, if not fully submerging yourself therein.

Question: The last song, "Green Al," sounds a lot like the theme to one of the early James Bond movies. Anyone know what I'm thinking of?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars incredible, February 5, 2012

By 

dzpenner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Think Free (Audio CD)

no joke, some of the best music of our time. melodically and harmonically tremendous, and performed with such blatant and energized disregard for the constraining clutch of custom...

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing! (The Spark That Jazz Needed!), February 7, 2012

By 

Prabhu Ganesh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Think Free (Audio CD)

Over the last few years,i've been tremendously bored with the stuff thats coming out of the jazz world, the iconic players are expiring one-by-one, as sad as it is - its the fact of life, and the remaining ones are busy selling-out , sadly; their endeavours are not about making good music anymore, i had big hopes for the the young lions (Joshua Redman, Javon jackson etc) , but now no lesser than alley cats although i must say few seem to survive like Roy Hargrove, but then again - theres nothing out of the loop! thats captivating enough to warrant attention.
I stumbled onto "Think Free" by Ben Allison - and oh my what an album! - the compositions are not only catchy, but he instills the spirit of "Jazz" into his meaningful solos - and the best part Ben and gang, do not improvising till the world's end, which is sadly the case on most jazz records these days, the improvisation somehow seem to tell-a-story, which is the heart and soul of good jazz music! Highly Recommended!