Genre: Jazz
Label: Bennett Alliance Records Visit Web Site
Tracks
1. Local Sheriff 2. The Lost Treasure of Lunta 3. Arizona 4. Ghost 5. Andrew Variations 6. Dogs of Our Time 7. Farmer Joe was a Bear 8. The Village 9. Open 10. Bears in a Covered Wagon
The Daniel Bennett Group Peace and Stability Among Bears
Apart from one of the best title's ever given to an album, Peace and Stability Among Bears is one of the coolest and most accessible jazz albums in years.
The third musical installment of the Bear Thompson trilogy, Peace and Stability Among Bears heavily features Daniel Bennett on Alto sax, flute, and clarinet, Rick Landwehr on drums, Jason David on bass, and Chris Hersch on guitar.
As the primary instrument, the saxophone stands very far out. Bennett's music twists and turns, but is always sharp and never meandering. He also expertly includes folk undertones in the songs, really highlighting his Western bear concept.
On the whole, the album feels very playful, especially the first track, “Local Sheriff.” The quickness of the sax and the lightness of the rest of the instruments give the album a genuine sincerity and innocence. This is especially potent because of the dramatic shift in the middle tracks (“Ghost” and “Dogs of our Time,” specifically). Leading to some kind of musical climax, many of the middle tracks are almost foreboding; a huge tonal shift from the first few.
If you aren't a fan of jazz, and not receptive to new kinds of genres, it may be easy to dismiss the album as glorified elevator music, and to some extent that's exactly what it is. But it's so good that it stops mattering that it sounds like something you'd hear on your way to the third floor of your local mall.
