" ...The variety of exotic atmospheres that Benzola creates is quite
impressive, and his use of hollow and nasal reeds and percussion to design
African or Mideast imagery is often compelling. There certainly is a trippiness
to Benzola's best work....he is a capable sonic architect and an imaginative
drummer." Walter Horn; Cadence
The title of Joseph Benzola's recent avant-garde jazz release
refers to a crytical Zen koan; similarly, the music is cryptical and
referential and, like a zen koan, does not makes sense rationally but
makes utter sense spiritually. All of the percussive and electronic music
on the release is performed by Benzola single-handedly. Single-handedly,
he wrote and produced the music, and single-handedly he runs the label
distributing the disc, Amanita Music. When you hear the density and
variety of the music on this disc, you wonder how it could be created by
one hand (or two hands, that is). The title song, the first suite of two
comprising the disc, commences with the sounds of bells and gongs, as if a
call to worship, and proceeds into a wailing duet sounding like two
mourners weeping. By the third track of eight in this suite, drums and
wooden bells suggest the beat of Santana's "Jingo," and a flute takes up
the riff. This is not to say the song sounds like a bad rip-off: rather,
it sounds referential to the original while creating an aural landscape
all its own.
"Portraits of the Dead," the second suite (comprising the
subsequent eight tracks), pays homage to a wide array of radical musical
innovators, from Kurt Cobain to Sun Ra to Frank Zappa to John Cage to
Thelonious Monk. As with the "Jingo" riff, each "Portrait" is referential
without being derivative. "Kurt and Jaco are Dancing in Heaven" begins
with distortion reminiscent of the intro to Nirvana's "Breed," but then
electronica clanging and droning take over. Benzola merely invokes one
element of Nirvana's sound, fusing it into his own aesthetic. The Sun Ra
tribute sounds appropriately cosmic, while the Zappa tribute is
appropriately short and cacophonous. Perhaps the most successful
"Portrait" from an avant-garde sense is the John Cage tribute, which
sounds haunting and discordant, like the "Jaws" theme pounded out on piano
strings. Delire Actuel Radio listed "The Sound of One Hand Clapping" as
one of the Top 100 avant-garde Releases of 1999--appropriately
Read more
" ...The variety of exotic atmospheres that Benzola creates is quite
impressive, and his use of hollow and nasal reeds and percussion to design
African or Mideast imagery is often compelling. There certainly is a trippiness
to Benzola's best work....he is a capable sonic architect and an imaginative
drummer." Walter Horn; Cadence
The title of Joseph Benzola's recent avant-garde jazz release
refers to a crytical Zen koan; similarly, the music is cryptical and
referential and, like a zen koan, does not makes sense rationally but
makes utter sense spiritually. All of the percussive and electronic music
on the release is performed by Benzola single-handedly. Single-handedly,
he wrote and produced the music, and single-handedly he runs the label
distributing the disc, Amanita Music. When you hear the density and
variety of the music on this disc, you wonder how it could be created by
one hand (or two hands, that is). The title song, the first suite of two
comprising the disc, commences with the sounds of bells and gongs, as if a
call to worship, and proceeds into a wailing duet sounding like two
mourners weeping. By the third track of eight in this suite, drums and
wooden bells suggest the beat of Santana's "Jingo," and a flute takes up
the riff. This is not to say the song sounds like a bad rip-off: rather,
it sounds referential to the original while creating an aural landscape
all its own.
"Portraits of the Dead," the second suite (comprising the
subsequent eight tracks), pays homage to a wide array of radical musical
innovators, from Kurt Cobain to Sun Ra to Frank Zappa to John Cage to
Thelonious Monk. As with the "Jingo" riff, each "Portrait" is referential
without being derivative. "Kurt and Jaco are Dancing in Heaven" begins
with distortion reminiscent of the intro to Nirvana's "Breed," but then
electronica clanging and droning take over. Benzola merely invokes one
element of Nirvana's sound, fusing it into his own aesthetic. The Sun Ra
tribute sounds appropriately cosmic, while the Zappa tribute is
appropriately short and cacophonous. Perhaps the most successful
"Portrait" from an avant-garde sense is the John Cage tribute, which
sounds haunting and discordant, like the "Jaws" theme pounded out on piano
strings. Delire Actuel Radio listed "The Sound of One Hand Clapping" as
one of the Top 100 avant-garde Releases of 1999--appropriately
Bill Baue; Valley Advocate
"…Opening with the multi-tracked tribute to Lester Bowie, Benzola's
combination of harmonica, taragato, percussion, kalimba, bells, gongs,
shakers, toys, and little instruments evokes the creative playful spirit of the
Art ensemble of Chicago. The Conversation recombines electronics with
performance art: a dialogue recited as deadpan monologue filtered with
vocoder effects."
David Lewis; Cadence
"The Sound of One Hand Clapping is an absolute sonic tour-de-force; an
aural cineamatic journey through time and cultures. Make sure you listen to
this one on a good set of speakers.
The first eight tracks are a wonderfully intoxicating celebration of percussion.
The percussion is supported by Benzola with bamboo flutes, tuned bells and
other instruments to create a concrete sonic environment reminiscent of
some sort of extended Eastern festival.
The second half of this CD is probably some of the most interesting 45
minutes of music you will ever hear. It features eight of Benzola's homages
"Portraits of the Dead," to his musical heroes and influences. These include
Kurt Cobain and Jaco Pastorius ("Kurt and Jaco are dancing in Heaven", a
riveting piece heavily influenced by Tibetan religion and instrumentation), Sun
Ra, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, John Cage, Albert Ayler and Ed Blackwell, Edgar
Varese, and Thelonious Monk
Dig The New Breed is the latest release from the Benzola sonic foundry. On
this CD, Benzola continues his ongoing project of "Portraits of the Dead"
paeans, this time with tributes to Lester Bowie and Tony Williams. The
remainder of this very introspective work becomes almost tantric at times
with sounds that transport you beyond what you know to be true. If you can
possibly imagine LaMonte Young writing music for Cecil Taylor performed by
a Tibetan drum orchestra, you will have some idea of this music. Some have
tried to label this as "Free Jazz Psychedelic" but don't get tripped up on this.
To do that will cause you to miss out on some extraordinarily mind
expanding listening."
Philip Egert; Drimala Records
Show less
