10 Reasons To...

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Cat No: 33JAZZ275

Release Date: 08 March 2019

Label: 33 Jazz

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 5020883337753

Genres: Jazz Contemporary

Description
Written over a period of two years, '10 Reasons To...' is Benjamin Croft's first solo album of twelve original compositions. The British pianist/keyboardist and composer was inspired by the passing of several legends and has dedicated tracks to Allan Holdsworth, Keith Emerson, Christopher Lee and Gustav Mahler.

'I felt a close affinity with these individuals - the work they produced defied boundaries," says Croft. "The fact that they were fearless in pursuit of their art despite the fashions of their respective eras' struck a chord with me and has influenced me to do the same."

"The sounds and styles on this album reflect the slow processing of all that captured my imagination since I was a child. I didn't want this to be a typical acoustic jazz sounding album as my ideas tend to be more orchestral," explains Croft. "I wanted the sounds to be a combination of keyboard instruments and have always had a love of 70's and 80's analogue synths. The Mini-Moog, Prophet 5 and Mellotron for example all feature on the tracks." The synths were recorded by Andy Whitmore at Greystoke Studios who owns one of the largest collections of vintage synths in the UK.

Sonny Johns, the Grammy, Mobo and Mercury Prize nominated engineer, recorded the music at Livinston Studio 1 where Croft was able to play on a Steinway. Ray Staff mastered the album at Air Studios. "Ray is a living legend and was the chief mastering engineer at Trident Studios during the 70's. His work can be heard on many of the albums that have influenced me over the years."

'10 Reasons To...' is recorded by the band Triple Echo featuring renowned UK jazz musicians - Andy Davies (trumpet/flugelhorn), Benet McLean (violin), Henry Thomas (bass), Mario Castronari (double bass) and Tristan Mailliot & Saleem Raman (drums). It also marks the final work of the actor Peter Miles, a great friend of Croft's. "I have been a Doctor Who fan almost since day one. Peter can be seen in many classic episodes acting alongside Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee," says Croft. "Peter reads two extracts of poetry that book-end the album - '100 Years At Sea Introduction' and 'For Future Past'. The Doctor Who connection was kept with the artwork. Andrew Skilleter, famous for a multitude of book covers and video releases for the BBC, painted the album cover."
Tracklisting