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Jimmy Bennington / Julian Priester: Portraits and Silhouettes
On Portraits and Silhouettes, the soft-spoke veteran is joined by the relatively youthful, 37 year-old Jimmy Bennington, whose incisive percussion work gently propels the session. A resident of ChicagoPriester's hometownBennington is at his best as an effervescent foil to Priester's glowing, often laconic statements. On the title track, he sustains a whitewash of cymbal noise while punctuating and responding to Priester's statements with mallet accents or a well-placed bass drum thwack. The modus operandi is the same on "Mood Indigo and "Blount a Bennington original in homage of Sun Raand on each, the trombonist responds with vigorous, bop-inflected retorts.
The duo format suits both men well, as does the repertoirea series of originals, covers and free improvisations that caters to their shared avant-garde leanings. On record and in person (with drummer Aaron Alexander) Priester revels in the freedom the tunes and lack of harmonic backing allow. His solos grow organically, unencumbered by fixed forms or expectations. They soar to unexpected vistas, take strange turns and end up where you least expect them: who could ask for more?
Track Listing
Portraits and Silhouettes; Dust; Return to Saturn; In Waltz Time; Mood Indigo; Blount; Call I; Call II; Re: Sun Ra / Julian's Oral History.
Personnel
Jimmy Bennington
drumsJimmy Bennington: drums; Julian Priester: trombone.
Album information
Title: Portraits and Silhouettes | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Self Produced
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