Eternal Aporia

Multi-instrumentalist Ben Thomas in turn ventures into the "tango nuevo" and this only with his own compositions.

Jazz and tango or also the "tango nuevo" without a composition by Piazzolla on the set list? Ben Thomas does it on this 'Eternal Aporia'. It's a step-by-step story. He first made a name for himself as a vibraphonist and composer before being bitten by the dance bug and finally finding his way into the world of the bandoneon. He even went to Buenos Aires to take lessons with masters such as Osvaldo Montes, Hector Del Curto, Diego Schissi and Exequiel Mantega.

Opening track 'Tangent 7' is immediately a round dance by Nino Rota via classical chamber music to tango and through-composed jazz. For acrobatic dancers and melomans of the eclectic type. In the eleven following songs it is also a tightrope walk between different scenes. The combination of bandoneon, vibraphone and (bass) clarinet leads to swirling passages. Cubist dance steps alternate with cinematic atmospheres marked by a dark undertone. Rhythm and harmony are sometimes turned upside down and lead to unexpected and playful turns, such as in 'Flight Without Air', which seems to have been plucked from the soundtrack of a cartoon.

And Piazzolla in all this? His spirit pops up regularly, such as in 'A Wistful Eschaton', 'Tangent 5' and closing track 'Something Ventured' so that the "aporia" from the title is still put right.

Translated from Flemish