Ben Schachter: The Missing Beloved (2002)

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

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Published: October 25, 2002

If the news hasn’t reached you, then listen up! Philadelphia-based saxophonist Ben Schachter is one of the sharpest improvisers in modern jazz. Primarily due to his "Trio of Many" band featuring bassist Micah Jones and drummer Erik Johnson. Here, Schachter enhances his trio with perennial all-stars, saxophonist Gary Bartz, guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, and trumpeter Tim Hagans. With the piece titled “Visitation,” Schachter (tenor sax) soars into the stratosphere via a series of torrid hard bop lines. Hagans follows while leading the rhythm section thru variable flows and staggered swing vamps. Nonetheless, the soloists meld lyrically rich passages with a modus operandi consisting of cyclical movements and a shrewdly enacted reengineering process.

The band takes a bit of a breather during the gliding, blues motif heard on the piece titled “Simultaneous.” Whereas, Gary Bartz (alto sax) augments a perky swing groove via a sequence of machine-gun like flurries on “Bebrew.” In any event, Schachter and associates have it all down to a well thought-out science. Recommended...

Cadence North American Distribution

Track Listing: 1.The Missing Beloved 2.Visitation 3.Simultaneous 4.I Know You Hate Me 5.Next

Personnel: Ben Schachter: tenor and alto saxophones

Record Label: Ben-Jam Music
Style: Modern Jazz