Think Free

Ben Allison | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: October 13, 2009
• Label: Palmetto
• Copyright: (c) 2009 Sonic Camera
• Total Length: 45:40
• Genres:
• ASIN: B002RM98D4
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,697 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

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
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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?

4.0 out of 5 stars Ben Allison mixes rock song forms with his jazz, January 10, 2010

By 

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

Ben Allison has long recorded jazz songs that would be approachable by rock fans. He doesn't have distorted guitars, but the rigorous song forms are rock-inspired. "Think Free" takes things another step in the rock-inspired direction than "Little Things Run The World" or "Cowboy Justice". The personnel on "Think Free" are slightly different. Long-time trumpeter Ron Horton is replaced by Shane Endsley, though Endsley plays in a similar spare, disciplined style. Jenny Scheinman plays violin, Steve Cardenas is back playing mostly subtle guitar, and Rudy Royston is new to the drum chair. The addition of Scheinman's violin gives the songs some additional depth, though I don't think the songwriting is as strong as the last two CD's. All in all, this is an about average CD for Ben Allison, which makes this CD better-than-average.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars give me some more, January 18, 2011

By 

searches for truth - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Think Free (Audio CD)

I thought it would be a great CD to listen to on a lazy morning. I will seek out more of his work. Some of the songs seemed to have an eastern flavor while being jazz. I enjoyed the blend of instruments he uses. Check him out.