ACE
Ocean Road, 2019
8/10
A long running guitarist from Australia who now resides in New York City, Ben Eunson has built an impressive resume playing with John Legend, Marcus Strickland and Queen Latifah, among others, and this debut album brings Alexander Claffy on electric bass and Kush Abadey behind the drum kit.
A very meticulous effort, “Ace Of Hearts” offers strong, thriving rhythms as jam band and prog-rock ideas enter the proficient tune, and “Three Of A Kind” follows a similar path, but with a soaring setting and crisp percussion that’s immediately memorable.
Other album highlights include the restrained, dynamic jazz influenced “Growing Pains”, the rich, playful and soothing sounds of “Ocean Grove”, and one of the most adventurous tracks, the bristling, driving energy and blues solos of “Flight Of The Aces”
A young musician with an old soul, Eunson’s debut album is a stunning collection of varied sounds, and his chemistry with Claffy and Abadey results in a fine instrumental record that’s worth multiple spins.
Travels well with: Kurt Rosenwinkel- Starts Of Jupiter; John Scofield- A Moment’s Peace