Quintets [DUAL DISC]

Paul James de Benedictis (Artist, Composer), n/a (Conductor), The Arlekin String Quartet (Orchestra), Sussan Deyhim (Performer), Matt Eakle (Performer), Branford Marsalis (Performer), Paul McCandless (Performer), George Shaw (Performer), Claudia Villela (Performer), Ralph Grierson (Performer), John Knox (Performer), Michael A. Lang (Performer), Jeff Lorber (Performer), Eugene Chukhlov (Performer), Rem Djemilev (Performer), Dmitri Glovko (Performer), Sergei Riabtchenko (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Sussan Deyhim, Matt Eakle, Branford Marsalis, Paul McCandless, George Shaw, et al.
• Orchestra: The Arlekin String Quartet
• Conductor: n/a
• Composer: Paul James de Benedictis
• Audio CD (April 11, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Dual Disc
• Label: Mnemonic Records
• ASIN: B0016G192A
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #418,481 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review
MIX MAGZINE FEATURED COOL SPINS (May 2008)-By Blair Jackson Quintets is an ambitious and very well-achieved CD of instrumental compositions rooted in classical music, but also containing jazz and pop ideas: There are flowing, lyrical pieces that have the vibe of some of the best early Windham Hill artists (Will Ackerman, Liz Story, Shadowfax), while other moments bring to mind some of my favorite musicians from the first years of ECM records. The title Quintets is slightly misleading, because in each case the pieces feature the (Russian) Arlekin String Quartet, one of four different pianists, and then a soloist of some sort on top of the quintet, sometimes multitracked—these include sax player Branford Marsalis, Oregon’s Paul McCandless on oboe, David Grisman Quintet flautist Matt Eakle, trumpeter George Shaw, and vocalists Sussan Deyhim and Claudia Villela.

The eight compositions on the CD are mostly impressionistic flights that combine some sort of formal structure with room for improvisation from the soloists. Bright melodies and assertive rhythms cross each other in an elegant dance, weaving a rich and colorful sonic tapestry. There is beauty and joy and tenderness in this music, but also uncertainty, reflection and just enough hints of darkness to lend a bit of edge to the proceedings. I like the way “Returning,” for example, moves in one sonorous direction for its first half, and then takes an unusual turn mid-piece. That “song,” featuring the wonderful, layered, Enya-like vocal musings of Claudia Villela, is perhaps my favorite, though I also really like the tonal chiaroscuro and Branford Marsalis’ inventions on “Incantations,” and the always-spirited Paul McCandless on “Distance.” But it’s all good stuff—deeper and more challenging than it might at first appear from its inarguably pretty surface.

(excerpt) --Mix Magazine Cool Spins (May 2008)

Product Description
Independent record label Mnemonic Records is proud to present Quintets an instrumental album of original music by Paul James de Benedictis, featuring string quartet, the improvisational work of noted piano virtuosos Ralph Grierson and Michael A. Lang, jazz pioneer Jeff Lorber, and a variety of soloists including such luminaries as Sussan Deyhim, Branford Marsalis, and Paul McCandless.

The music was composed over several years, with some of the pieces being specifically written for the soloists. In Prelude the composition contains musical collaboration with singer Sussan Deyhim contributing vocal improvisations that were then arranged by Paul de Benedictis to form the complete work. On two of the compositions, Il Lago (The Lake) and Remember, Paul s boyhood friends who he grew up with in the 1960 s, perform: John Knox on piano and Matt Eakle, a 20-year veteran of the famed David Grisman Quintet, on flute.

Quintets is mixed and presented in both stereo CD and surround formats. The package includes a DVD with Dolby Digital and DTS surround versions, along with audiophile-quality 96k 24-bit stereo. DVD-Audio 96k 24-bit disks will also be available.

The musicians performing on "Quintets" include:

Soloists
Sussan Deyhim (Vocals)
Matt Eakle (Flute)
Branford Marsalis (Tenor & Soprano Sax)
Paul McCandless (Oboe)
George Shaw (Flugelhorn & Trumpet)
Claudia Villela (Vocals)

Piano
Ralph Grierson
John Knox
Michael A. Lang
Jeff Lorber

The Arlekin String Quartet
Eugene Chukhlov (Violin)
Rem Djemilev (Viola)
Dmitri Glovko (Violin)
Sergei Riabtchenko (Cello)