New Release: Overlook from Ben Clifton

 

New Release:  Overlook from Ben Clifton
Label: BCM
Street Date: July 11, 2025
Website: https://www.ben-clifton.com
Pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Clifton documents pieces of his life, transcribed into music for his debut release Overlook as a leader.  The recording is, according to the press release, "a celebration of Clifton honoring his father’s legacy while also telling the story of his journey from grief to acceptance, carrying his father’s spirit within himself and into the music. It is no coincidence that the album release date is July 11, 2025, the anniversary of his father’s birthday."  Ambient and soothing on the senses, Clifton's music is adult contemporary jazz at its finest.  Music for audiences that seek to escape to a sonic paradise.  He is accompanied by bassist Chad Wesselkamper and drummer Gavin Moolchan alongside many other featured artists on individual tracks.  Each track has multiple layers and detailing that pique the listener's sense of wonderment, shaping nomadic twists along "Constructs" and fashioning a bucolic soundscape across the title track.  "Shadows" is the only track featuring vocalist and co-writer Nicoya Polar, opening with a solemn impression amplified in Clifton's intense piano timbre.  As the track progresses, the mood brightens with Polar's vocals soaring beside Clifton's elevating keys.  This is a significant theme across the recording, traveling from solemness into radiance.  Clifton's life journal set to music has an uplifting trajectory, inviting audiences to experience the sonic paradise he has created.