I absolutely love the experience of popping a new CD in the tray and being surprised, in a most positive way, by what I hear.
This time around, it happened with Paul de Benedictis’ “Quintets,” released in 2007. We last talked about de Benedictis a few weeks ago in reference to his self-composed-and-performed piano solo album Power of One. It was an interesting album, but one that didn’t fully capture my attention. It was better as background music than as music one could get lost in.
All that changes with “Quintet.” In this album, a variety of 5-piece groups (piano, strings, wind, vocals, even a mute trumpet) perform music written by de Benedictis. And it’s all sorts of awesome. I’ve gone from cautiously optimistic to “when is this guy going to write some more music?” And, seriously, with his association with the industry of audio engineering, this guy needs to start getting recognition in media. In other words, the guy should be featured in a videogame score. That’s my thought.
I think you’ll agree with me if you take the jump and read the rest of the review. (more…)
