It’s certainly commonplace now to praise the resourcefulness of musicians during the pandemic. We’ve seen more than our fair share of ambitious projects, but Ben Wendel’s aptly titled All One may arguably be the most ambitious or at least the most unique of any. Wendel is noted for his genre-less or post jazz offerings, but this was an entirely different endeavor. As one gleans the set list that includes two well-known jazz standards and the first call guests, it certainly reads as a jazz project but it’s what’s underneath that is the most remarkable aspect of the album. Knowing that he couldn’t bring these guests to the studio, he put some of his improvisational bent aside in order to form his own mini-orchestra that would back the featured artists – Cecile McLorin Salvant, Terence Blanchard, Bill Frisell, Elena Pinderhughes, Jose James, and Tigran Hamasyan.
In so doing, the Grammy-nominated Wendel (tenor and soprano saxophones, bassoon, EFX, hand percussion) began to sketch arrangement ideas for a multi-tracked chorale of the above instruments. While he used some software programs, he avoided MIDI entirely. He moved beyond just textures and tones to create very dense harmonies, especially on the low end. He rarely doubled any one note twice to develop these lush soundscapes, filled with dynamics and tension and well-suited for these individual artists to put their own stamp on. He offered virtually no guidance, and instead simply sent them the scores. There are six pieces, one for each of the artists, three of which are Wendel originals, another from Bill Frisell, with the two vocalists singing standards.
Salvant’s sublime rendition of “I Love You Porgy” features 30 different woodwind parts. If one didn’t know better, they would think Salvant is fronting a large orchestra. The fact that he could create these dynamics on his own as the music swells and recedes behind her vocal is remarkable. In addition, it sounds live and prescient. Sometimes the tenor sax goes through an octave pedal and is pitched lower, to create a bassline. Sometimes bass is handled by bassoon – or bassoons. Wendel and engineer Steve Wood did get granular as parts were added, using digital post-production tools to create a multidimensional space. These techniques were applied to all six pieces, Blanchard’s trumpet blending beautifully with the woodwinds on Wendel’s original, the highly animated, cinematic “Wanderers.”
The woodwind choir proves to be very malleable. In some cases, such as on Bill Frisell’s “Throughout” Wendel’s woodwind textures carry a similar smooth effect as a large string ensemble, and when paired with Elena Pinderhughes’ flute on “Speak Joy” the woodwinds somehow sound like a mixed choir of woodwinds and brass. Wendel’s classical training shows brightly in his arrangements as well. The dark tones, presumably mostly through multiple bassoons, on “Tenderly” serve Jose James’ rich baritone beautifully, not to again mention the deft use of shifting dynamics. This one also features a strong tenor solo from Wendel, a rarity among the other half-dozen pieces. The final original, “Anima” showcases pianist Hamasyan in another highly orchestrated, classically influenced piece where one hears both short and elongated soprano bursts from Wendel before the pianist solos at the midway point, after which Wendel’s soprano sounds like cries in the wilderness over the mysterious soundscape forged between the two. The last few notes are indicative of the lush, soothing, cinematic soundscapes Wendel has created, better appreciated when one realizes how Wendel went about producing them.
