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Ben VanderWal

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Album Review

Vanessa Perica Orchestra: The Eye is the First Circle

Read "The Eye is the First Circle" reviewed by Barry O'Sullivan


The music on The Eye is the First Circle is undeniably outstandingly composed and arranged by Vanessa Perica. Her second outing--following Love is A Temporary Madness (Self released, 2020)--with another supersonic ensemble, it was superbly recorded at the Sing Sing East Studios in Melbourne, showcasing numerous flawlessly performed solos by some of Australia's best improvising musicians. The bandleader, composer and arranger has created explosively expressionistic charts which would bring out the best in any orchestra. Perica utilises the chosen voices ...

38
Album Review

Vanessa Perica Orchestra: The Eye is the First Circle

Read "The Eye is the First Circle" reviewed by Jack Bowers


In a review of Love Is a Temporary Madness, the debut recording by Australian composer/arranger Vanessa Perica, the observation was made that “Perica's impact in the realm of big-band jazz should be anything but temporary." Perica's second album, The Eye Is the First Circle, has added an exclamation point to that assertion. Again, each of the album's seven numbers was written and arranged by Perica. And again, she has shown that she deserves to be in the ...

5
Album Review

Vanessa Perica: Love is a Temporary Madness

Read "Love is a Temporary Madness" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Even as the year 2020 has slid ignobly into the dustbin of history, music-lovers have been buoyed by a number of encouraging signs that the future of big-band jazz is in capable hands. While splendid recordings by old hands Mike Barone, Steve Spiegl, Mark Masters and Maria Schneider have helped keep the flame burning brightly, their customary artistry has been rivaled if not surpassed this year by relative newcomers such as Jeremy Levy, Seth Weaver, Lisa Maxwell, Jon Schapiro, Dennis ...

3
Album Review

Jamie Pregnell: Sleepy Town

Read "Sleepy Town" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Australian jazz guitarist Jamie Pregnell leads a quartet through a program of original compositions. Joined by tenor saxophonist Julien Wilson, bassist Sam Anning and drummer Ben Vanderwal, Pregnell kicks the album off with the gentle loping swing of “Brightside." The title tune is a lovely ballad—introspective, maybe, but certainly not sleepy. It inspires lyrical solos from Pregnell, Wilson's saxophone and Anning's bass. “Rover" continues in a contemplative mood, this time with a more contemporary rubato feel. “Moon" is ...

Album Review

Vanessa Perica Orchestra: Love is a Temporary Madness

Read "Love is a Temporary Madness" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Da Melbourne ci giunge quest'impressionante debutto orchestrale di Vanessa Perica, bandleader e compositrice che guida una formazione con i migliori jazzmen australiani di nuova generazione. Anche se geograficamente distante dal nostro emisfero, il jazz prodotto in Australia e Nuova Zelanda ha sempre mantenuto connessioni con le tendenze e le espressioni nate negli Stati Uniti, esprimendo notevoli musicisti come i pianisti Mike Nock e Chris Abrahams, i batteristi Tony Buck e Ben Vanderwal, il chitarrista Tony Barnard, il ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

You Are Home

Self Produced
2023

buy

Best Buddies

Toy Robot Music
2021

buy

Love is a Temporary...

Self Produced
2020

buy

Sleepy Town

Self Produced
2020

buy

Something That Speaks To You

From: You Are Home
By Ben VanderWal

Brightside

From: Sleepy Town
By Ben VanderWal

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