Rare Peace
Outside In Music, 2021
8/10
The bassist and composer Ben Tiberio delivers an exceptional debut here, where Nathan Reisins’ alto sax, Lex Korten’s keys, Evan Hyde’s drums and Morgan Guerin’s tenor sax are along for a diverse and well thought out listen.
“telepath in monotone.” opens the listen with Tiberio’s plucked bass alongside the frisky drumming and adventurous keys in the swift jazz landscape, and “(e)motion” follows with a calmer approach of warm vocal scatting to complement the soulful brass and punchy drumming acrobatics.
At the midpoint, “Midwife Crisis” spends 7+ minutes mesmerizing us with its rowdy and energetic free jazz approach, while “The Becky Song” finds plenty of cautious melody to cultivate amid Tiberio’s fascinating bass prowess.
Moving towards the end, “Stay” displays incredible grace and playfulness between the rhythm section and brass, and “Rare Peace” exits the listen with sublime piano balladry alongside light drumming and well timed sax.
Tiberio cut his teeth in New York City’s improvised music scene, and he certainly holds his own as bandleader across these 10 exciting selections that illustrate his singing and guitar skills, too.
Travels well with: Asaf Yuria- Exorcisms; Adam Glaser- Excursions