Oct 21

Oct 21 Ben Wendel

As regular readers know, I’ve been busy the last two months photographing demonstrations related to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Consequently, I have fallen behind in processing and writing articles. Normally, I turn an article around within 24 to 48 hours of the event or happening. It didn’t happen in the case of tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel’s appearance at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts on October 21, 2023.

At this point, I am not going to manufacture a review almost six weeks after the concert. Suffice it to say, the music and the musicianship were spectacular. Wendel chose not to announce song titles after each selection, so I am pretty much in the dark in terms of selections. I can report that the most notable aspect of the performance (in addition to the fine music that emanated from the stage) was the quality of the sound. I don’t know if the band was using special mikes, but there was a clarity and resonance to the sonics that I have never heard anywhere before. The folks working the Logan Center’s soundboard always do an excellent job, but the musicians were clearly played an integral part in shaping the sonics.

With Wendel were: Philip Dizack on trumpet; Taylor Eigsti on piano, Harish Raghavan on bass, and Eric Doob on drums. Wendel also brought along Xuan, who according to the program notes, is “a new media artist, filmmaker, and pianist working at the intersection of music, visual art, and technology.” Following in the path of the Sixties San Francisco light shows at the Fillmore, Xuan created a series of projections (mostly if not entirely in shades of blue). Rather than using oil and water on opaque projectors, she presumably used computer-generated graphics. What appeared on the screen in back of the musicians looked similar to the tie-dyed fabrics that might be bought from a speciality shop in Kyoto, Japan. Deeply rich blues. From the audience’s standpoint, the effects were great. I, however, viewed them a bit apprehensively. Would they produce banding? Thankful not, although my preference remains for a uniformly dark background. But as is always the case, you deal with the existing realities than with your own preferences.

I spoke with Dizack after the conference. Turns out he is from Milwaukee, which is my hometown. He asked me if I knew Grammy-award winning trumpeter Brian Lynch, who also is from Milwaukee. Brian and I were members of the Nicolet High School’s Class of ‘73. I remember talking music and jazz with him back then—he was the kid that was always carrying his trumpet around with him, or at least that is my recollection.

With Dizack were his parents, who were a year of ahead of me in a neighboring high school. Turns out we knew several of the same people. Small world. I felt old.

Overall, an excellent night of music. From what I can gather, Wendel frequently switches his lineups, so don’t count on seeing these specific musicians if you have the opportunity to catch Wendel, but I have no doubt what Wendel or the others bring to a particular performance is well worth your time.

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