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Will Sellenraad: Balance

By J Hunter
March 30, 2009
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Will Sellenraad grew up in a place and time many people dream of: New York City's downtown scene of the '60s and '70s, when music and art were both in a state of quicksilver flux. Given that his parents (prominent New York artists themselves) named their son after modern-art pioneers William de Kooning and Piet Mondrian, it is pure serendipity that Sellenraad's Beezwax Records debut reflects the sound of CTI, a record label that got just as much criticism as the works of the aforementioned modern artists.

Mixing jazz's electric transformation with a tantalizing R&B sensuality,

Creed Taylor

producer
1929 - 2022

" data-original-title="" title="">Creed Taylor's CTI label released records by artists including

Freddie Hubbard

trumpet
1938 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Freddie Hubbard,

Grover Washington, Jr.

saxophone
1943 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Grover Washington, Jr., and

George Benson

guitar
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">George Benson throughout the '70s. Often featuring Hall of Famers like

Ron Carter

bass
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron Carter,

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock and

Billy Cobham

drums
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Cobham, they still stand up today. For those who still hold the defunct label's catalog dear, Balance hits a satisfying sweet spot.

The bluesy groove of the title track motors right down Broadway as

Abraham Burton

saxophone, alto
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Abraham Burton's tenor sax billows sweet smoke while Sellenraad fills elegantly,

Victor Lewis

drums
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Victor Lewis keeps it light on the cymbals, and Kiyoshi Kitagawa plays standard bebop bass. (That's what purists hated the most about CTI: It always echoed the tenets of the Old School, but it dared to embrace the new electric sound.) The effect is heightened when Sellenraad takes the spotlight. A student of both

Jim Hall

guitar
1930 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Jim Hall and

John Abercrombie

guitar
1944 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">John Abercrombie, Sellenraad's guitar finds a wonderfully happy medium through Balance that takes

Grant Green

guitar
1935 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Grant Green's cool blue sound and brings it to a grittier, more urban place.

The coolness increases on the blistering "Double Down." Burton's simple, direct tenor evokes

Stanley Turrentine

saxophone, tenor
1934 - 2000

" data-original-title="" title="">Stanley Turrentine's best CTI works, Sugar and Salt Song (both 1971 releases), and then Burton swaps smoky tenor for soaring soprano on "Prayer," a golden tribute to the late

Elvin Jones

drums
1927 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Elvin Jones. Sellenraad pays tribute to Lewis—who Sellenraad credits as a major compositional influence—with "Blewis," a joyous romp that's like a dinner party filled with best friends. For the lion's share of Balance, Lewis keeps it spare, keeping his fills and solos short and site-specific; on "Blewis" and his own "It's Been a Long Time," Lewis shows he's still got the power and knows how (and when) to use it. Along with a meaty foundation full of marvelous slurs and slides, Kitagawa plays a heartfelt solo on his trio ballad "Tell Me Why."

Balance makes no statement other than "Sit back, relax, open your ears real wide, and let's see how far that smile can stretch." This may confound those who demand fealty to some unnamed musical higher calling, but Sellenraad's music is tailor-made for that first spring night when it's warm enough to roll down the car windows, pop the sunroof, and let the stars pour in. That was CTI Records at its best. And so is this.

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Track Listing

Balance; Double Down; Tell Me Why; Stubbs; Blewis; Nye; Prayer; It's Been A Long Time; Left (Shout Chorus).

Personnel

Will Sellenraad

guitar

Will Sellenraad: guitar; Abraham Burton: tenor sax, soprano sax (7); Kiyoshi Kitagawa: acoustic bass; Victor Lewis: drums.

Album information

Title: Balance | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Beezwax Records

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