Marco Benevento
Me Not Me (Royal Potato Family)With his second studio solo effort, this adventurous New York keyboardist limits the original compositions that filled last year’s Invisible Baby in lieu of covers of My Morning Jacket’s “Golden,” Beck’s “Sing It Again,” Deerhoof’s “Twin Killers,” and Led Zeppelin’s “Friends.” His post-jazz interpretations have less to do with playing off the melodies than they do with sculpting dynamic soundscapes created, in part, by running instruments through distortion pedals and reverb amps. Unlike his high-tonic use of the Hammond B-3 organ in the Benevento/Russo Duo, he sticks largely to the piano here, with some of the album’s most melodic playing in his three originals, “Now They’re Writing Music,” “Mephisto,” and “Call Home.” Benevento again teams with debut companions Reed Mathis (bass) and drummers Matt Chamberlain and Andrew Barr. While exhibiting the same improvisational flair, this isn’t your father’s jazz. (Fri., Elephant Room, 11:45pm.)
This article appears in March 20 • 2009.