I was just about to fly out of the country when I realised that I could squeeze in one last CJC gig. I am glad that I did because the gig was the Ben Winkelman trio. Winkelman has long been resident in New York and so to be included in his two weeks down under tour was our good fortune. He is originally from the USA but he grew up in Melbourne, where he followed the well-trodden musician’s path to New York. There is no greater testing ground for a Jazz musician and those who persevere can reap rewards beyond mere name recognition. Winkelman is a pianist with a sensitive touch and open ears and like all good musicians, he has assimilated the sounds around him and forged his own style.  

His playing is bursting with odd meters, Latin rhythms and a gospel tinge.  While his Latin stylings inform most of his compositions there is much more to it than that. In fact, he is not a Latin purist and many Jazz streams are fused skilfully into his playing. He is post-bop in the truest sense, incorporating the entirety of his musical influences and making a music of his own. After the gig, I asked him how his musical evolution led him in the direction it did. ‘Once you have the foundations you need to get out there and work and by chance, I ended up landing a lot of New York Salsa gigs and a regular gospel gig’. 

Winkelman’s ability to deliver exciting and original music has been noted by the NY Music press and his recent album ‘Balance’ alongside expat Kiwi bass player Matt Penman and New York drummer Obed Calvaire is a testament to his artistry.  All of the tunes are his own except Bye-Ya  (Monk). The album is beautifully recorded and is out on OA2 Records. For the down under tour he teamed up with old friends and his bandmate choices were spot on. The highly regarded Melbourne bass player Sam Anning accompanied him for the whole tour while the drummers alternated between Ben Vanderwal and Alex Hirlian (the NZ leg). It was Auckland’s first time to hear Anning and Hirlian and they certainly won us over. I once heard Anning while visiting Melbourne and I was deeply impressed. He also features on many of my favourite Australian albums. Hirlian gave an extraordinary performance. He is like a bata drummer and a skilled Jazz kit drummer rolled into one.

To purchase the ‘Balance’ album go to OA2 Records or for Sam Anning to samanningmusic.com. The gig was on 30 October 2019 at Anthology, for the CJC Creative Jazz Club.