With Blue Sky Blond, the Netherlands' most famous jazz saxophonist Benjamin Herman shows that besides jazz he is also charmed by funk, but also by the temptations that a well-equipped coffee shop entails. Most of the titles would not look out of place on the menu of such an establishment. The accompanying mind-altering vapors float inspiringly further into the music on Blue Sky Blond, where Herman
… shows that he still has a lot to add to the funk. Aided by musicians from his quartet and New Cool Collective, Herman explores the extreme boundaries of funk and afrobeat and does not hesitate to enter psychedelic territory. In addition, there are contributions from Paul Weller, guitarist Ulco Bed (who can finally be heard elsewhere than with Candy Dulfer), DJ Git Hyper (who is performed as a vibemaster and dictates the grooves to the rhythm section), producers C-Mon & Kypski, and keyboardist Wiboud Burken. A large part of the titles had already been released (for example on the 12 inch Durban Poison and the 7 inch Haze) but are now finally accessible to owners of a CD player. (AD)more