By GEORGE FENDEL FEBRUARY, 1995 Jazzscene, Oregons Jazz Magazine **** Since his move to Portland several years ago, Ed Bennett has established himself as one of the area’s premier bass players. In Season is his second CD and it provides a wide ranging look at Bennett’s music. The twelve selections are evenly divided between trio and quintet performances with Paul Mazzio,trumpet and flugelhorn and Lee Wuthenow, tenor added to the trio of Bennett, Steve Christofferson, piano and Ron Steen, drums. Seven of the tunes are originals and I liked the loose, loping, lyrical, West Coast feeling on The Path and Solution of Resolution. Bennett displays a leaning for the Latin rhythms on Samba de Ed and Bindu and solos with style on Noel Coward’s Mad About The Boy. I was impressed with the inclusion of two infrequently heard tunes from jazzdom’s hallowed history: Bennie Harris’ Crazeology and the even more rare Dancing Sunbeam by Lucky Thompson. Mazzio, Wuthenow and Christofferson are pearls of musicianship and Steen lends his usual solid presence. Bennett’s writing and playing are at the very heart of jazz: swinging lines with room to improvise and always, the joy of making good music. Even though it’s only February, I can safely say that this will be one of my highly recommended local recordings of 1995. By JACK ALDRICH JUNE, 1995 Victory Review Big label A&R folks should have feeding frenzies for jazzlike rock so superb NW musicians like Portland bassist Bennett will not get lost. This fine collection features Ed’s own compositions and standards presented in the best of the neo-classic style - a blend of West Coast jazz, and bop, but with modern modal lines and harmonic structure. Bennett has played for diverse artists from Witherspoon to McRae and the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabaken Big Band. He assembled competent NW musicians: Paul Mazzio-trumpet and flugelhorn, Lee Withenow-tenor, Steve Christofferson-piano, and Ron Steen-drums. I can’t say enough about the arrangements and choice of music. I’ve known about but haven’t heard Lucky Thompson’s “Dancing Sunbeam” before. Noel Coward’s “Mad About the Boy” is given a droll reading featuring Bennett’s bass. “Samba de Ed” and “Bindu” are nice Brazilian influences. “In Season” has a great set of changes as it moves through several keys. Other titles are indicative of what’s going on in the head: “Blues Over extends beyond the blues; “The Path” has a line that moves us along through the changes; and “Eyes of Ibad” goes beyond bop. This is so good I have asked for lead sheets! I hope this is circulated back East. By SANDRA BURLINGAME FEBRUARY, 1995 5/4 Magazine Bassist Ed Bennett caught my ears almost 20 years ago as a member of Carmen McRae’s trio in a televised concert with Clark Terry’s big band plus strings. Bennett’s playing stood out in a gorgeous duo with McRae on an Ellington medley. He’s been based in Portland for the past five years and just released his second CD on Saphu. In Season has him wearing several hats as producer, recording engineer and main composer. He features Rose City artists in trio and quintet settings covering a dozen compositions, seven of them Bennett’s. It took me a while to warm up to the CD-- perhaps it was the order of the selections or the occasional monotony of Ron Steen’s drumming--but I was won over. Quintet and trio divvy up the tunes. The horns of Paul Mazzio (trumpet,flugelhorn) and Lee Wuthenow (tenor sax) are well-matched, especially so when they open in the unison style of classic ‘50s quintets. Mazzio plays with great warmth and an assurance that belies the difficulty of his solos. Wuthenow, too, is a melodic player whose ease lends an appropriately sultry touch to Bennett’s “Samba de Ed.” The quintet dispatches Miles Davis’ “Serpent’s Tooth” with cool, sophisticated swing of the master himself. Pianist Steve Christofferson’s linear style and firm yet light touch provide the perfect counterpart for Bennett, whose fluid approach retains the individuality of his rapidly plucked notes. Bennett favors the bass’ rich lower register which Steve echoes with his bass lines on Lucky Thompson’s “Dancing Sunbeam.” In a trio version of “Mad About the Boy” Bennett bows the melody and then an improvisation on it with smooth clarity, while Christofferson snakes around the bass lines. “Time,” a composition by Richard Powell that is completely new to me and a highlight of the CD, is a haunting ballad dramatized by fascinating voicings from bass and piano and subtle shadings from Steen. You’ll be rewarded by a careful listen to In Season.