The mysteries on this disc are many, and all are fun to hear.
By intermingling jazz with tango, chamber music, funk and music from Cuba and Brazil, vibraphonist/composer Ben Thomas presents music that is both challenging and captivating. The combination of vibes and clarinet used by Goodman/Hampton and Dolphy/Hutcherson continues to offer a wide range of timbres for composition and improvisation, with Thomas and clarentist Eric Likkel taking it an additional direction. "Triskaidekaphobia" is full of movement and vitality that will engage through many listenings.
Track Listing:
1. Things Happen to Bears 5:44
2. Where Did Those Chickens Come From? 5:27
3. Daring to Find Meaning in Flight 4:11
4. Lockesteps 7:18
5. Triskaidekaphobia 5:24
6. The Surface of an Emerald 3:16
7. The Hat of the Bearded Lizard 3:08
8. Patrolling the Perimeter 5:07
9. Black 4:44
10. Welcome Rain 6:54
11. Waiting 5:47
Performers:
BEN THOMAS - vibes/timbales
ERIC LIKKEL - clarinet/bass clarinet
LAURA CAVIANI - piano
CLIPPER ANDERSON - bass
JOHN BISHOP - drums
TOM BERGERSEN - congas
Production Info:
Produced by Ben Thomas
Recorded at Studio Litho on May 30 & 31, 2005
Engineered and Mixed by Floyd Reitsma
Mastered by Mark Guenther
Photography by Kerry Dahlen
Design and Layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Triskaidekaphobia
Audiophile Audition (John Henry)
Ten tracks here are originals by Thomas and several of them have to do with animals. Eric Likkel is credited with the 11th track. Don't let the album title throw you - it's not indicative of a far-out loft jazz trip but simply the medical term for fear of the number 13. The title track is indeed in 13/4 time - shades of Don Ellis and Dave Brubeck. ...
Jazz Scene (George Fendel)
Right off the bat, let's get to this rather unwieldy title. According to the album notes, the group recorded an untitled tune in 13/4 time. Acknowledging the challenge of such a meter, one of the players stated "all the more reason to fear the number 13." And that, apparently, is what this 17 letter word means: fear of the number 13. Okay with me ...
All Music Guide (Adam Greenburg)
An intriguing third release from vibraphonist Ben Thomas, Triskaidekphobia is rather exploratory, bouncing from tone to tone, but performing all with an inventive vibe-clarinet format, more to the combos of Bobby Hutcherson and Eric Dolphy than those of Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton perhaps (more forward-oriented at any rate), but really not eve ...
Jazz Scene, November 2005 (George Fendel)
Right off the bad, let's get to this rather unwieldy title. According to the album notes, the group recorded an untitled tune in 13/4 time. Acknowledging the challenge of such a meter, one of the players stated "all the more reason to fear the number 13." And that, apparently, is what this 17 letter word means: fear of the number 13. Okay with ...
Percussive Notes (Scott Herring)
On his third recording as a leader, vibraphonist Ben Thomas is joined by Eric Likkel, clarinet, Laura Caviani, piano, Clipper Anderson, bass and John Bishop, drums. All compositions, except "The Hat of
the Bearded Lizzard," are by Thomas, yet there is sufficient variety of styles to hold the listener's interest. Thomas runs the gamut of styles fro ...
