David Benoit, “Earthglow” April 24, 2010

On Tuesday, “Earthglow,” David Benoit’s latest album, was released.  I spent part of Tuesday and Wednesday listening to it for the first time.  I’m probably on my fourth listen by now.

Two years ago, I said his “Heroes” cover album was a “winner” and a “grand slam”.  “Earthglow” is another winner from David.

The album has a world theme and you’ll hear it in every track.  Here are those tracks:
1. Botswana Bossa Nova (3:54)
2. Will’s Chill (4:33)
3. Unbelievable (4:08 )
4. Easy Day (4:40)
5. Straightaway (4:13)
6. New Creation (3:25)
7. Earthglow (4:25)
8. Sneaky As A Cat (4:07)
9. Downtime (4:15)
10. Brownie’s Gone (4:35)
11. Freedom At Midnight (The Schroeder Variations) (6:01)

On the last track, David switches back and forth from “Freedom At Midnight” to Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”  It’s based on the version played at his live shows, although it’s merely an interlude there.

The musicians:
David Benoit – piano, Rhodes, synthesizers, sequence programming
David Hughes – bass
Jamey Tate – drums
Brad Dutz – percussion

Guests:
Rick Braun – trumpet and flugelhorn
Jeff Kashiwa – alto and tenor sax
Pat Kelley – acoustic and electric guitar
Tim Weisberg – flute, alto flute, and bass flute
James Saez – electric guitar on “Unbelievable”

Expect to hear the above tracks on future editions of “Evening Jazz”.  I played “Botswana Bossa Nova” on Thursday’s show.