All One

All One

With his album The Seasons, his Standards With Friends video series, his Small Constructions project with pianist Dan Tepfer, and other duo-conceived scenarios, tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel (of Kneebody renown) has shown himself to be a dream collaborator. All One offers a new twist on the duet format, with tenor and soprano saxes and bassoon overdubbed to conjure a one-man studio band, in essence. Wendel crafts unusual arrangements in this vein, framing contributions from notable guests who span a few generations. Vocalists Cécile McLorin Salvant and José James are heard, respectively, on “I Loves You Porgy” and “Tenderly,” the jazz standards of the set. Veteran guitarist Bill Frisell appears on his evergreen “Throughout,” while trumpeter Terence Blanchard brings his expansive tone and refined instincts to Wendel’s adventurous “Wanderers.” Acclaimed pianist Tigran Hamasyan and flautist Elena Pinderhughes have a go at Wendel’s compositions as well. The recording was done remotely in a range of environments, meaning anything can happen in terms of sonic manipulation, such as the tubalike bass accompaniment (probably bassoon down an octave) on “Speak Joy” or the fuzz-guitar effect (also likely bassoon) on the melody of “In Anima.”

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