Thursday, May 29, 2008

DOWNLOAD: Daniel Bennett Group, "Andrew Variations" (mp3)

Daniel Bennett is one of a handful of local DIY jazz and improv players (Eric Hofbauer, Andrew Fenlon, and Daniel Ian Smith are a few others) who’s making his own luck by booking his own shows and concert series in offbeat venues. His Daniel Bennett Group feature his light, airy tenor saxophone floating in rushes of eighth and 16th notes over acoustic-guitar chords that have as much to do with ancient British folk as jazz. For some reason, Bennett (who also plays flute) has a thing for bears: he’s following up last year’s A Nation of Bears on his own Bennett Alliance label with the July release of The Legend of Bear Thompson — both of them part of a projected “Bear Trilogy.” Grab the mp3 above, then catch the Bennett Group with Zyrah’s Orange at the Cambridge Family YMCA on May 31.