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 Crazy Cool Mar 07, 2007
I mainly checked this out to get a sample of some more material of my new favorite drummer Jeff Ballard. I've gotta say, he is one of the baddest drummers out there. His playing on this album is absolutely off the radar. I've never heard a drummer who gets so many sounds out of a kit, and does it so incredibly tastefully. I would rank this as my favorite JB album, right up there with Kurt Rosenwinkel's "Next Step" and Mehldau's "Day Is Done."
What surprised me the most was how good the music is on this album. Not only great chops but very nice melodies, lots of different vibes and great band interplay. This is an album which takes you somewhere else, which is very cool.
This is my first BA album so I can't say how it stacks up to others, but I will just say that I'm very excited to check out all of his stuff.
Musicians are inspired both positively and negatively by LIFE. Politics, and the evil-doers who call that their profession are are a major part of life. I for one am glad that some artists out there are willing to sound their voices on injustice, hypocrasy, or whatever, while all the corporate sponsored bubble-gum pop acts tell us nothing more than to buy their albums and drink Coke. Anyways, the music on this album rocks (although the cover art is quite odd). Thanx Ben.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Rock-esque, but all jazz Dec 05, 2006
I read Ben Allison chose the trumpet / guitar front line because he wanted to rock on this CD. It's not a loud CD, but it has some intense parts. Steve Cardenas on guitar strums a lot of chods, which is unusual for non-Django Reinhardt jazz songs. Sometimes he'll state the melody in unison or harmony with the trumpet. Ron Horton on trumpet carries a lot of the melodic and solo load. This is the first thing I've heard him on (Ben Allison too, truth be told), and he's very good. The songs are mostly written by Ben Allison, and they have strong melodies. Jeff Ballard's playing is the best I've heard him do, compared to what I've heard with Rosenwinkel, Mehldau, and Redman. The mood of the CD is part intense and part melancholy, which I think is the CD's purpose as Ben Allison's view of things happening in the world. It's not a rock or fusion album, but it is informed by rock, and perhaps jazz fans who also like rock might appreciate it more than those jazz fans who don't.
4 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Allison shows promise, but his writing flounders Sep 30, 2006
This album was my first exposure to Ben Allison's music, and I have mixed feelings. I first heard him with Larry Goldings on his recent "Quartet," on which he sounds great, he's clearly an excellent bassist. However, I feel like his writing definitly leaves something to be desired. All of his tunes are pretty simple, always based on some bass groove, and end up being really static and melodically and harmonically boring. The problem is, they're all more or less based on a groove, but it's never quite groovy enough to be interesting. The overall sound is really mellow (especially with Ron Horton's super smooth trumpet sound), which I think may contribute to the problem.
The only exception is "Tricky Dick," which is actually a really good tune. It's a very original concept; very rock oriented, and really swingin'. It's the only track where they kind of rock out, and I actually find myself listening to it over and over again. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is boring as hell. I look forward to his next album though, since he definitely is a promising musician, and hopefully he'll mature as a composer.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Another great disc from Benny! Jun 25, 2006
I really love what Ben Allison does. He really gets a lot of cool textures going in his music and this album certainly exhibits that aspect of his musicallity. He also really thinks outside the box when it comes to instrumentation. Who else gives a percussionist his daughter's baby rattle and takes his gutiarist's pick away and gives him a wooden doll instead? He really makes the trumpet/guitar/bass/drums combo work on this album. And his personel is extraordinary. Trumpeter Ron Horton adds a lot of lyricism to the album. His glass-smooth tone really just shimmers in the music. Guitarist Steve Cardenas executes several exemplary improvised solos and uses several unconventional comping methods to really add to the texture of the music. Jeff Ballard is a very versitile drummer in that he can lay back and just barely pitter-patter and then turn around and jab a drumstick in your eye. And Ben not only shows off his bass chops every once in a while but also establishes himself as a very accomplished composer. From the angry, in-your-face "Emergency" to the warm and lush "Ruby's Roundabout," Ben has figured out how to really write fascinating music that grows with every listen. And in his present setting, the music tends to work better with a smaller ensemble. It's hard to say which Allison record would be my favorite, but this one holds a candle to all the others.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
The chalice of jazz Jun 09, 2006
I wish I were a gifted writer, a monster of a jazz critic. It would be the only way to express the whole thing with Ben Allison's "Cowboy Justice" (I mean its music not its politic background). You know originality is the lost chalice of jazz. Nevertheless, I dare say this release is simply original. I am not saying Allison found the goblet, but he and his comrades are really close to the end of the search. "Cowboy Justice" is rhythmically rich and surprising; one can find out nuances of reggae, Venezuelan's joropo, waltz, and even of hard rock. It's a pretty inclusive gamut of colors, a wonderful range of great compositions and crafted improvisations. Ron Horton's clean and velvety tone gets by with Steve Cardenas subtle strings very well (have you heard Liberty Ellman?), while Jeff Ballard is a drummer instead of a mere cymbalist. Ben Allison himself gives an alternate role to the bass player. He's not a selfish leader, a loud voice in front of them all. He knows how to manage his presence among his companions. For instance, listen carefully the pacing "Midnight Cowboy" and you'll see. The whole band is like a last generation aesthetics processor. This is jazz of the 21st century and doubtless one of the best records of 2006. Bravo Ben!
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