BEN MONDER
Excavation
Arabesque Jazz
AJ0148

Guitarist Monder in a long set ranging from (mostly) ECM-without-the-echo to a heavy-metallic section in “Hatchet Face.” Either I’ve grown to appreciate Theo Bleckmann’s voice, or he’s doing different things here; his vocalise is varied and consistently at one with the group. Jim Black adds tasteful percussion, and here Skuli Sverrison’s electric bass is so well recorded that you can appreciate his notes; elsewhere and live too often he’s overmiked and all you get is midbass blur. www.arabesquerecords.com.

Steve Koenig

Track Listing: 1. Mistral; 2. Luteous Pangolin; 3. Ellenville; 4. Sunny Manitoba; 5. Hatchet Face; 6. Etching; 7. Windowpane; 8. Are You My Sunshine

Personnel: Ben Monder, guitar; Jim Black, drums; Theo Bleckmann, vocals