BEN ROSENBLUM’S NEBULA PROJECT

THE LONGEST WAY ROUND

One Trick dog Records

Ben Rosenblum, piano/accordion/composer; Rafael Rosa, guitar; Marty Jaffe, bass; Ben Zweig, drums/percussion; Gustavo Di Dalva & Brad Dutz, percussion; Wayne Tucker, trumpet/flugelhorn; Jasper Dutz, soprano & alto saxophone/clarinet/bass clarinet/flute.

Rosenblum is a world traveler, literally and musically.  Consequently, he brings those experiences, those cultures, those musical influences into each recording and every production.

“As you travel, you inevitably bump into all of the parts of your character and perspective that are fundamentally tied to the place where you grew up. You just keep running into familiar parts of yourself, no matter how far away you go from it. … I always come back to these musical foundations that are intrinsically, inescapably me,” says Rosenblum in his press package.

On “Merengue x Fantasy” Rosenblum introduces me to his mastery of the accordion, as he wildly improvises.  He also brings cultural influences into this composition, from gypsy jazz to Count Basie swing. There is also a prominent musical reference to Dominican merengue.  The “X” in the title of this tune is borrowed from Japanese anime, giving a nod to J-pop inspired chord progressions.

Ben experiments with traditions on nearly every piece he has composed. For example, on track #2, “Sheridan’s Reel” I hear traces of Irish culture.  When Rafael Rosa steps center stage to solo on his guitar, he brings the blues into this arrangement. Ben Zweig is powerful on drums, adding funk to the arrangement, as the horns dance an Irish jig on top of the groove.

On Rosenblum’s suite, “Scenes Frozen in Time” he sits at the grand piano to set the mood and tempo for this four-part arrangement.  First, there is a short minute-and-a-half “Intro,” that’s quite lovely. Marty Jaffe’s bass growls beneath this very classically influenced arrangement. The horn lines echo the melody in a sweet way. This song is the beginning of the suite that includes Part 1, Berlin; Part 2, Old Friends and Part 3, Onslaught.

The accordion always reminds this writer of Paris and European culture.  Rosenblum has his own opinion of this wonderful instrument.

“It’s a very misunderstood instrument, especially in America.  A lot of people associate it only with certain folkloric styles … many of which I love.  While the accordion can be the most rough, raw instrument, it can also be the most beautiful classical concert instrument and everything in between.  It blends beautifully with horns and the hard bop aesthetic.  I love finding ways to integrate the accordion into a larger musical vision,” Rosenblum explains in his press package.

“We’re already coming from a music that is a melting pot, so jazz lends itself to fusion beautifully, because it has that aesthetic built into its foundations,” Ben Rosenblum asserts.

This is an album full of surprises, that opens our ears, our heart and minds to accepting the accordion as a jazz improvisor and lead instrument. Rosenblum’s compositions are rich in cultures. His mastery of both accordion and piano shine elegantly throughout this production.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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