Marco Benevento’s second studio release in less than a year comes on the heels of his critically acclaimed LP, Invisible Baby.Me Not Me, a series of interpretive covers with three originals sprinkled in, is a natural extension of his last album, focused on layered, dissonant sound-sculpting, while beautiful piano leads carry the melody.Featuring diverse artists such as My Morning Jacket, Deerhoof, Leonard Cohen, and Led Zeppelin, Benevento has incorporated some of his favorite songs into his own musical milieu.
The three originals shine through as quintessential Benevento compositions, especially “Now They’re Writing Music,” an homage to his ever-growing use of circuit-bent toys.Benevento again teamed up with bassist Reed Mathis (Jacob Fed Jazz Odyssey) and drummers Matt Chamberlain (Tori Amos) and Andrew Barr (The Slip); recording the album in Seattle’s Chroma Sound studio during a 2008 West Coast swing and mastering it in New York.This record re-affirms Benevento’s place as the preeminent modern band leader in the jazz-fusion arena, consistently pushing himself, and those he plays with, to more creative planes. Leaving the harmony and melody of the covers relatively untouched, Benevento crafted sonic textures to compliment the songs’ paths.
In working on layering these textures in the studio, Benevento teamed up with acclaimed producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Phish) in mastering Me NotMe.The album exists as a beautiful self-portrait of one of today’s top improvisers, and sparkles with musical acumen.Not only does Me Not Me represent Benevento’s second consecutive outstanding studio effort, but it marks the creation of his own record label, “The Royal Potato Family.” With an independent label, Benevento hopes to have more creative and financial independence moving into the future, with the potential to flirt with a producer’s role helping other musicians enhance the richness of their recordings
Standout tracks on the album include My Morning Jacket’s “Golden,” The Knife’s “Heartbeats,” Cohen’s “Seems So Long Ago Nancy,”as well the other two originals, “Memphisto” and “Calling Home.”
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Marco Benevento’s second studio release in less than a year comes on the heels of his critically acclaimed LP, Invisible Baby. Me Not Me, a series of interpretive covers with three originals sprinkled in, is a natural extension of his last album, focused on layered, dissonant sound-sculpting, while beautiful piano leads carry the melody. Featuring diverse artists such as My Morning Jacket, Deerhoof, Leonard Cohen, and Led Zeppelin, 
