Deep grooves, sweet swing and dynamic interplay...This album is one of those sparkling, straight-ahead gems that can convert pop fans into jazz acolytes.
With his two acclaimed big band recordings, and quartet sessions with saxophonists Joel Frahm and Greg Osby, pianist/composer Ben Markley has been steadily building a significant discography since his 2008 OA2 debut. With his fellow artists' strengths in mind, Markley has always written specifically for the session, and Tell the Truth is no different. Composed to highlight the hard-swinging resumes of the rhythm section—with bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Kyle Swan—Markley pays tribute to the '60s Blue Note quintet sessions, but hands the usual trumpet role to guitarist Steve Kovalcheck, along with alto saxophonist Wil Swindler, running the front line.
"Markley, his comping is exemplary, his solos as lyrical and logical as two of his role models, Cedar Walton and Bill Evans."
All About Jazz
Track Listing:
1 Tell the Truth 5:38
2 Tuesday Morning Feeling 7:58
3 Don't Bring It Up 6:04
4 Snowy Range Blues 7:13
5 Spencer's Mood 5:15
6 It's Spoken Spokane 9:12
7 The Picture Outside My Window 5:37
8 Rimshot 5:29
All compositions by Ben Markley | Markley Music, BMI
Performers:
Ben Markley - piano
Steve Kovalcheck - guitar
Wil Swindler - alto saxophone
Rodney Whitaker - bass
Kyle Swan - drums
Production Info:
Produced by Ben Markley
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Greg Heimbecker
at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
Recorded on February 27, 2024
Band photo by Marlon Rissatto
Cover painting by Steve Johnson
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Tell the Truth
Paris Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
Ben Markley stands among those rare composers who have mastered both the art of orchestral composition and the subtle craft of arrangement. From the very first track—bearing the album's title—the tone is unmistakably set. Markley's works possess a cinematic and novelistic quality, evoking the shadowed alleyways and brooding atmospheres of 1950s ...
Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Piano man Ben Markley leads a tasty post-bop team of Steve Kovalcheck/g, Wil Swindler/as, Rodney Whitaker/b and Kyle Swan/dr through a collection of classy originals. Most of the tunes have an optimistic feel, with his piano dancing on the tables of the Latin folk feeling "Rimshot" and sophisticatedly lyrical "It's Spoken Spokane". Swindler is fill ...
