BLACK SEEDS (vinyl)

Description

Drummer, composer and producer Benjamin Sanz worked with music masters before founding his own band. He has also been involved in or originated numerous projects influenced by American and African Black music, such as the group Benkadi with Hervé Samb, the large free Afro-Cuban music ensemble Los Pistoleros Del Infinito, or the quartet Divine Pocket Bouncers. As a sideman, he has played internationally with David Murray, Archie Shepp, Oliver Lake, Sabir Mateen, Joëlle Léandre, Mike Ladd, Napoleon Maddox and Iswhat, Roy Campbell, Bobby Few, Lobi Traore, Abdoulaye Traore, to name but a few. - - Benjamin Sanz has also released two albums under his own name, which were very favorably received by critics in France and beyond: Mutation Majeure (2011 - Archieball/Harmonia Mundi) and The Escape (2020 - MiRR/l'Autre Distribution). Benjamin Sanz is releasing a third album, Black Seeds, with his quintet, bringing together some of the most prominent musicians on the current scene and long-time collaborators: Hermon Mehari, Ricardo Izquierdo, Rob Clearfield and Luca Fattorinini. This album uses the harmonic language of jazz, blending influences from West to East Africa, from Mali, 'Bamako Stomp' to the Comoros with 'Chindini'. The melodies are often inspired by daily or family life, such as 'Colline Dans Le Jardin' or 'Morning Song' which uses a New Orleans swing rhythm. The slow ballad 'The Psychopomp' carries the memory of those who have passed and remain with us. The cohesion and improvisation within the group allow for two improvised melodies: 'River' and 'Turbulent Streams'. 'Sea' concludes the album on a lively tempo and an original form.