Album Notes

The Ben Macy Trio has been playing in and around Portland, Oregon for eight years. What originally started with Ben and two friends at George Fox University playing for college buddies has developed into a group that is now on the eve of releasing their fifth album, For a Time. Although the personnel has changed throughout the course of the group\'s development, Ben\'s original compositions and unique taste in covers (including songs from video games and television) gives the new group a solid foundation from which to branch out.

“The pianist [Ben Macy] pens hushed instrumentals that are coolly rippling, deeply reflective, and can stretch out like a dream on the horizon.” -Willamette Week

Arick Gouwerok, a graduate of the UW School of Music, has been playing bass with Ben for a year now. The most recent addition, Russell Gores, plays drums or guitar, depending on the needs of the music. On this latest recording, Ben played accordion as well as piano, for a slightly different feel than long-time listeners may be used to. “I wanted to approach this album almost as someone approaches a pop album,” Ben shares. “Even though the trio portion was recorded live, we wanted to add textures and layers to the songs in ways that could only be done in the studio.” This included bringing in local rocker Leigh Marble to mix the album. \"Ben\'s music, while falling squarely in the jazz idiom, is so approachable that it sounded best when mixed more like a rock record than a traditionally \'clean\' jazz album,\" states Marble.

\"Ben Macy stole the show with blazin\' digits, occasionally heavy swing mixed with dreamy slow numbers and sharp-but-subtle bandleader skills, as impressive at the helm of original compositions as in standards-interpreting mode.\" -The Source Weekly

Working with Diatic Records and its founder Dusty York, Ben and his trio continue to promote original jazz as vibrant and exciting as it was in the 50s and 60s. “If you put on Miles Davis\' Kind of Blue, no one in the room can keep from tapping their toes, regardless of whether they think they like jazz or not,” Ben contends. “My goal with this album is to reach out to all those people that think jazz is thick and pretentious. Jazz is beautiful, catchy, creative, and can be immediately accessible to anyone.”