Skip to main content[JAZZ] Ask Portland bassist Ed Bennett about his songwriting inspirations, and there's something funny about his response. "Horace Silver—the way he writes, he makes instant arrangements in the tunes themselves," Bennett says. "Also, Bill Evans, Miles [Davis]—if you looked at my record collection, I have the most of those artists."
None of those, you might notice, are bass players.
"I do have bass players' albums," Bennett laughs. "But the way I approach the bass, as far as rhythm accompaniment for other soloists, I try and make them shine. And when it comes to the bass solo, I think more like a horn player…so I have a lot of transcripts of solos from Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins—all kinds of horn players and piano players."
It makes sense, then, that En Route, 58-year-old Bennett's fifth effort as a bandleader, opens with a blast of brass. Saxophonist Scott Hall and trumpeter Paul Mazzio start "Blues For KG" on the same melodic page, then take the disc's first two solos. The tune is as hip and downtown as its name would suggest, though, and like many of Bennett's original tunes, its arrangements would feel as appropriate in a big-band setting as they do with Bennett's small ensemble. The tune swings, but all the players are swinging together—which makes each soloist sound more daring and wild when they step out on their own.
Though Bennett says his titles are often chosen on impulse, En Route is a fitting one for this new disc. From the bittersweet, Latin-tinged "Solari" to the bop-era title track and the bossanova interplay between drummer Todd Strait and pianist Dan Gaynor on "Suavemente Ahora," there's a movement in these tracks that persuades the listener to imagine Bennett—who penned all of En Route's tracks himself, with the exception of the standard "For Heaven's Sake"—as an exotic tour guide.
Only, between weekly gigs with Mel Brown and a busy family life (he has two sons—neither of whom are big jazz fans, he says), Bennett doesn't get out of town a lot these days. His heavy touring days mostly came in the '70s, including a stint with famed singer Carmen McRae (who sharpened him as a musician, Bennett says. "If she didn't think she was getting what she needed onstage, she would let you know right there.").
These days, Bennett is easier to track down: Stop by Jimmy Mak's on a Wednesday night—among other weekly gigs—and you'll find him there, clutching his un-amplified bass with his eyes closed tight and plugging soulfully away—even if it's a horn player's soul he's playing with.
Ed Bennett and his quintet release
on Friday, Sept. 3, at Jimmy Mak's. 8 pm. $10. Minors welcome for first set, second set is 21+.
WWeek 2015