Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mason Razavi & Bennett Roth-Newell: After You

Mason Razavi & Bennett Roth-Newell: After You

By Tyran Grillo
April 5, 2020
View read count

Mason Razavi & Bennett Roth-Newell: After You

Guitarist

Mason Razavi

guitar
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Mason Razavi and pianist

" data-original-title="" title="">Bennett Roth-Newell place years of collaborative experience under the microscope in this studio album. The performances, as wide-ranging as they are intimate, comprise a generous handful of original dough with a few familiar tunes thrown in for leavening. In the latter vein, we are treated to three slices of optimism, starting with

Clifford Brown

trumpet
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring." In addition to setting the tone for a set of sometimes-whimsical crosstalk, it showcases the duo's ability to unravel melodies in real time. In

Joe Zawinul

keyboards
1932 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Zawinul's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and the Lennon/McCartney evergreen "Yesterday," they tap into textural wonders at every turn. Razavi switches between comping and leading at the drop of a hat, while Roth-Newell lights up the darkness with his incandescent navigations.

Roth-Newell also offers "Escaping The Inevitable," the first of three composed by the pianist, through whose music flows a laid-back yet utterly serious quality that lends veracity to every head. This balance allows the musicians to threat chord changes as limbs from which to swing, tracing their descent in the language of improvisation. "A Daughter Is A Gift To The World" speaks of a multidirectional love and evokes the warmth of home, of lifetimes in the making. Razavi opts for a steel-string acoustic here, adding to a feeling of nostalgia that is even more prevalent in "Mixed Memories." Here the guitarist switches out for nylon in a Latin-inspired picture of jigsaw-puzzle synergy and sunlit aesthetics. Razavi offers two weighty cents of his own in the form of "Will You?" and "Through The Fog," both of which are strong of heart and insightful of spirit. This is what communication sounds like.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Joy Spring; Escaping The Inevitable; A Daughter Is A Gift To The World; Mercy, Mercy, Mercy; Will You?; Mixed Memories; Through The Fog; Yesterday.

Personnel

Mason Razavi

guitar

Bennett Roth-Newell

piano

Additional Instrumentation

Mason Rasavi: electric guitar, steel string guitar, nylon string acoustic guitar. Bennett Roth-Newell: piano.

Album information

Title: After You | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: First Orbit Sounds

PREVIOUS / NEXT

ONA
< Previous

The Soul Jazz of Saxophonists (Donal...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.