The Jeff Benedict Big Big Band, The Weather Is Here… | The Vinyl Anachronist

by Marc Phillips

Let me say this as honestly and bluntly as possible: the Jeff Benedict Big Big Band’s TWIHWYWB (ha!) is a ton of fun. Big band jazz in a ’70s Lalo Schifrin-esque vein, complete with bad-ass electric guitar solo every once in a while from Dave Askren? Count me in. Benedict’s talent as a bandleader is his ability to take his original compositions, along with standards from Miles Davis and Quincy Jones and Irving Berlin, and he infuses the same fire and passion and brightness so that the album flows seamlessly.

I use that word brightness, which is usually employed as a pejorative in high-end audio. In this case I’m talking about a vividness to the sound. I’m not sure if I want to equate any type of jazz with bright sunshine-y days, but Jeff Benedict has an optimistic and refreshing energy–through both his leadership and his dominating, soaring sax performances.

And to those 81 people–could y’all look right into this flashy thing for a second?