: ' .. .:.... . ' ' ______________ : ________ : ' \ / .. .:. .. \ / : : \ /_________ \ / . .. ... .. . : .\ / /___ /\ \ / ______________ ___ _. : \ / / \ / \ \/ / \ \ \ \ \ . ...:..\ / _______/ \/ \ ___/__ / / / / / : /\ / / \ \/ \ / / / . sH! ' / \/ / / / \ / / . ... .:.... .. . :/ _______/ / / / _______/__ ___ __ .\ / / / / / / / / / / / \ / / / / / / / / / / / . . \ /\______/ / / / / \___ / / : \/ ____ \ / / / / / : \ / \ /\____/\ / / : : ________\/ \ / \ / / : ' \ / \/ \ /\ / : . ..:.. . \ / \/ \ / \ / \ / . ' : \/ F A N G \ / : ' ____ \ / . . .. .. .:.. . \ / presents \ / . . \/ \/ : : . ..:.. , : Artist......: Benjamin Boone : Album.......: Confluence: The Ireland Sessions : : Label.......: Origin Records .. .:.. . Genre.......: Jazz : Catnr.......: ORIGIN82904 . ' Source......: CD , ; Rip.date....: 2025-04-07 Str.date....: 2024-09-20 Quality.....: 261kbps/44.1kHz/Joint Stereo . :.. .:. Url.........: http://BenjaminBoone.com ' ' , ________ ________ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / # title time \ / \/ \/ 1. On the Banks of the Shannon 4:40 2. Confluence 8:39 3. Your Eyes Meeting Mine (feat. JaYne) 3:53 4. Monkette 6:11 5. In the Twilight (feat. JaYne) 5:43 6. The Clash of the Ash 7:24 7. Another Round at Margaret's 4:11 8. Stern Warning 5:12 9. She Moved Through the Fair (feat. JaYne) 4:13 ______ \ / ________ Runtime 50:06 ,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 98.76 ______ :\/ ', \ / , \ / ' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /. : Release Notes: \/ , \/ , ' ' ,: The Oliver Wendell Holmes quote is loftier, but the Brendan :, : Behan quote gets closer to the heart of the matter on : :' saxophonist Benjamin Boone's new album Confluence: The Ireland ': ,: Sessions, which finds Boone exploring the musical and cultural :, : legacies of Ireland without taking too precious a view of : :' anything. ': ,: :, : That s not to say this isn't serious music, or that these aren't : :' serious players. It is, and they are. It's more that tunes like ': ,: "The Clash Of The Ash" or "Another Round At Margaret's" suggest :, : Boone's appreciation for Ireland without needing to turn : :' everything into a reel. The album also opens a window to the ': ,: ways in which jazz has truly become a global music, as Boone :, : finds himself in the company of Irish musicians who feel just as : :' at home in this quintessentially American art form as any child ': ,: of Detroit or San Francisco or New York or Chicago. :, : : :' Confluence is the result of a Fulbright Fellowship Boone ': ,: received to research and teach at the University of Limerick s :, : Irish World Academy of Music and Dance from 2022-23. The idea, : :' said Boone, was to "immerse myself in the Academy and the ': ,: culture for a year, play with lots of folks, then collaborate on :, : the composition and recording of new works." That led to this : :' album and two upcoming ones each with different musicians and ': ,: in different styles. :, : : :' This album's opening track, "On The Banks Of The Shannon," ': ,: reflects the setting in which most of this music was written: :, : "In a room at the Irish World Academy," said Boone, "with a wood : :' floor, high ceilings, a grand piano, and an expansive window ': ,: overlooking the mystical Shannon River." And despite the earlier :, : protestations against seriousness, it must be noted that this : :' tune brings the mystical river to life, both through its melody ': ,: and through its liminal approach to timekeeping. Is this what it :, : feels like to look from a window at the Shannon River? It : :' doesn't matter. It's what it ought to feel like, and that's ': ,: more than enough. :, : : :' If Boone the composer is one side of the coin, then the other ': ,: side is Boone the saxophonist, and that side is delightfully :, : present throughout the album, even as he allows his companions : :' plenty of time to come to the fore. Boone clearly has such ': ,: command of his horn that his ideas can flow out in an effortless :, : stream of consciousness. Listen, for example, to the on-a-dime : :' shift in mood during his solo on "The Clash Of The Ash." One ': ,: minute his lines are snake-like, the next moment roaring. On :, : "Your Eyes Meeting Mine," Boone rises up out of the vocals to : :' lift the song to new heights, then passes off his spontaneous ': ,: creation to the guitar before taking up the mantle again and :, : then leading back to the vocal, ever in service of the song, not : :' the spotlight. ': ,: :, : Speaking of "The Clash Of The Ash," it's important to note that : :' Boone's visit to Ireland was more than just musical, it was ': ,: cultural in a wider sense. The song title is a common term for :, : one of the oldest field games in the world, the ancient sport of : :' hurling (Ioma nai ocht in Irish) and refers to the ash hurleys ': ,: (paddle-like sticks) violently striking each other. The game has :, : been popular in Ireland for at least 3,000 years, and Boone : :' received his indoctrination into its mysteries from drummer ': ,: John Daly, and soon became a rabid Limerick fan. While this made :, : Daly happy, it was less well received by Tipperary fanatic and : :' guitarist Joe O'Callaghan. The Clash captures the incredible ': ,: athleticism of the game, replete with exciting twists, turns, :, : clashes, pile-ups, and even a victory-winning goal at the end. : :' And who is cheering loudly alongside Boone? None other than his ': ,: Limerick neighbor, the very Margaret referred to in the :, : humorous and well-lubricated tune, Another Round At : :' Margaret s. ': ,: :, : Boone's companions on Confluence bring both strong individual : :' voices and a clear willingness to serve the music first. ': ,: Guitarist O'Callaghan in particular shines throughout. Listen to :, : his inventive solos on the title track and "Stern Warning," to : :' name just two standout moments. O'Callaghan is a skilled ': ,: improviser who isn't beholden to any particular idea about what :, : a "jazz tone" should be. He often roars out of the speakers with : :' a fierceness that elevates the music, but he's equally at home ': ,: doubling melody lines or creating ethereal sound worlds. Daly, :, : who in addition to being a hurling fan also runs the Limerick : :' Jazz Festival, and the bass team of Dan Bodwell and Rory Murphy ': ,: (who trade off throughout the album) are locked in from start to :, : finish, whether they're being called on to power a fast-paced : :' burner (see the aforementioned "Stern Warning") or to set the ': ,: table for a more subtle, searching song, like "She Moved Through :, : The Fair." : :' And that brings us to Jane Fraser, aka JaYne, who sings on "She ': ,: Moved Through The Fair," "Your Eyes Meeting Mine," and "In The :, : Twilight." Fraser is a Limerick native whose musical tastes run : :' from jazz to soul and back again, a fact that serves her well ': ,: against the backdrop of the musicians on Confluence. Fraser's :, : understated approach to "She Moved," in particular, invests the : :' song with a melancholy that makes it one of the highlights of ': ,: the album. Listeners might be familiar with this ancient Irish :, : folk song, given that it's been recorded through the years by : :' everyone from Wayne Shorter to Led Zeppelin to Sine ad ': ,: O'Connor. :, : : :' This project might illustrate these Irish musicians' comfort ': ,: with an American art form, but Boone was also careful to point :, : out the influence goes the other way, too: "There is a strong : :' connection between Irish music and jazz, " said Boone. "Irish ': ,: workers in the US actually influenced the development of jazz. :, : They lived shoulder to shoulder with emancipated black workers, : :' and they influenced each other s music. Some types of Irish ': ,: music actually have a 'swing' feel that predated jazz swing; and :, : much of Irish trad music has constant spun-out rhythms like lots : :' of improvisations in jazz." And it doesn't take long at a ': ,: traditional Irish session to hear the same kind of melodic :, : fluency that the best jazz players bring to their craft. : :' ': ,: In the end, Confluence isn't an Irish-American or American-Irish :, : project. It's yet more proof, like Boone's 2020 Origin Records : :' album, Joy (recorded in Accra with the Ghana Jazz Collective), ': ,: that the inherent magic of music lies in its ability to :, : transcend all barriers. With Confluence, Boone has crafted a : :' fun, smart, engaging, and often moving collection, played by a ': ,: group of musicians whose countries of origin inform their :, : playing without controlling it. And we, the listeners, are : :' transported sometimes, yes, to Ireland, but more often to ': ,: that mystical shore (perhaps along the Shannon?), where all the :, : best music resides. : :' ': : ' '.. ..' .. . :........... . . . . ............: . . ______________ ______________ \ / \ / \ / GREETS: \ / \ / \ / \ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ / \ / MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ / \ / \ / \/ ____ ____ \/ \ / F A N G \ / \/ \/