Album Review: Ben Allison"s "Think Free

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Bassist and composer Ben Allison’s Think Free is a rock album at its core, wrapped in the unexpected textures of Shane Endsley’s trumpet and Jenny Scheinman’s violin. On each of the tracks, Allison doles out equal parts subtlety and simplicity. The result is widely accessible, and leaves room for repeated listening.

The combined tones of the trumpet and violin give Allison’s original compositions a sense of stylistic breadth, injecting traces of jazz and folk music.

However, both instruments function almost as vocal substitutes. Rarely do Endsley or Scheinman play something that couldn’t be sung. Guitarist Steve Cardenas plays similarly, emphasizing his round and sweet tone with lilting improvisations that occasionally verge on become epic rock solos.

While each piece clearly sets a character, a few tracks into the album it becomes apparent that each character is virtually the same as the last, with minor modifications. The first two tracks, “Fred” and “Platypus,” play with gloom and its occasional disruption by swells of optimism. The following tracks continue in a similar vein, with slight variances in proportion of these two ingredients. The overall reflective and melancholic mood of the album is sustained until the jubilant and soulful final song, “Green Al.”

That isn’t to say that the monochromatic emotional content is taxing. In fact, it mirrors the wistful underpinnings of many of today’s top indie rock albums. Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest (2009) is a recent album that comes to mind, as does the Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible (2007).

Radiohead fans might recognize the continued pensiveness from any one of the British rock band’s recordings.

Despite its foundation in straightforward rock grooves, Think Free offers some tasty examples of modern jazz at its best. Shane Endsley’s solo at the end of “Sleeping Giant” begins with long tones reminiscent of Louis Armstrong, and later erupts into a series of agitated, heaving gestures. Cardenas’ solo on “Broke” is economical and expressive, and it glides through the twists and turns of the rhythmic structure.