Caught in the Rhythm

An artist who is well versed in composing and playing the saxophone, Benjamin Boone brings the work of contemporary poets with spur of the moment jazz ideas across these 13 adventurous tracks.

"Mississippi 1955 Confessional" opens the listen with Hashem Assadullahi's soaring sax and Peter Brendler's well timed bass complementing T.R. Hummer's fluid wordplay in the warm jazz climate, and "Hoodwitches (Redux)" follows with Faylita Hicks' linguistics alongside Francisco Torres' lively trombone and McKenna Reeve's acrobatic drumming.

Further along, Edward Hirsch's voice and Greg Osby's animated sax are accented by Kenny Werner's bright keys via "Art Pepper", while "Anger Management" spotlights John Bishop's frisky drums amid Hummer's vivid storytelling in the squealing jazz delivery.

Nearing the end, the tense "Mercy" is populated by Tyehimba Jess' powerful and focused spoken word that suits Corcoran Holt's dense bass and Ari Hoenig's moody drums, and "You'll Be Sorry" exits with Hummer's eloquent demeanor that welcomes Eyal Maoz's dreamy guitar for the stirring atmosphere.

The long list of musicians and highly articulate narration makes for a varied listen that's immediately striking and deeply engaging from piece to piece, where Boone's soprano and alto sax contributes much richness to the poeticism.