Here’s a pianist with a nice clean touch and a fresh approach to jazz, mixing originals with standards and an adroit selection of Baby Boomer hits. Ben Paterson teams up with Joshua Ramos/b and Jon Deitemyer/dr and show impressive interplay and deft communication as they bebop through originals such as “The Good Stuff” and serenade on the romantic “MOR.” Most intriguing is the triple shift of grooves on Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady” that goes from loping to funky to off-to-the-races in just the statement of the melody! “I Can’t Help It” has Wonder’s music in a more subtle soul mood, while The Beatles’ “Here, There and Everywhere” is sublimely poetic. Sparks fly from Deitemyer on the driving “St. Marks Place” and the whole team skips like a stone on “You’re My Everything.” This is an upcoming trio!
MaxJazz Records