One of the most exciting things about Marco Benevento is that he defies definition. No label can accurately pin him down; he frequently and comfortably moves from pop and indie rock covers to his own originals, always pursuing his desire to discover new sounds and new interpretations.
His new album, Between the Needles and Nightfall, displays his unique compositional style: the material was drawn from fragments of melodies and song ideas that Benevento had been collecting throughout the year. After wrapping the sessions at Trout Recording, Benevento then transferred the tracks to his home studio, taking the next two months to cut, loop and shape the pieces into full-fledged songs. He says:
"One of the hardest things about writing music is being able to capture the ideas in the time that they’re happening. If you are unable to document those naturally unfolding moments, they're often forgotten...I feel like I caught a lot of those flashes this time around and I was able to develop them and realize the promise they suggested in that initial spark."
Here's a brief glimpse into the process at work:
One of the other guarantees that come with a Marco Benevento performance is that he'll be playing the piano as you've never before seen it played. His pianos are typically bolstered by guitar pick-ups, amplifiers and a myriad of pedals and circuit bent toys as he seeks to create new sounds. Add to that loops, samples and other electronic effects, and you've got a unique concert experience. Here's Marco in performance, solo, at John Zorn's The Stone in New York - check out the myriad sounds he's able to produce even when solo: You're Gunna Have a Good Day.
For his TD Toronto Jazz Festival show, Marco will be joined by Andrew Barr (drums) and Reed Mathis (bass/strings); they'll be playing music from Between the Needles and Nightfall. The concert happens at Church of the Holy Trinity, a beautiful space and one which will perfectly capture the trio's ambient sounds. Here's one last peek at the trio's work - a video for "Greenpoint", off of the new album:
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