Ben Schachter has been active in the heavyweight contemporary (NOT smooth) jazz scene for over fifteen years. He has performed and recorded worldwide with the likes of Tim Hagans, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Sam Rivers, George Garzone, Jack Walrath, John Zorn, etc., etc. He has been repeatedly cited as "Best Jazz Artist" and "Best Jazz Performer" by the alternative press in his hometown of Philadelphia. Ben has been awarded major grants as a composer (PEW fellow, 1999) and is also a music professor at Temple University in Philly. Ben's new release, "Trio of Many", stands in marked contrast to his first as a leader ("Fractals", 1998) in that it features his regular working band and documents the inroads they have made into their search for effective, personal communicative voices in the realm of "jazz". Featuring original compositions by the members of the Trio of Many (Schachter, bassist Micah Jones,and drummer Erik Johnson), a unique interpretation of Thelonious Monk's "Light Blue", and a guest appearance by the mighty Jef Lee Johnson on six -string electric bass, this CD is loaded with truly fresh sounds. Nevertheless, the music here always maintains a connection to the grounded rhythmic vitality, the groove, that is the very heart of the jazz tradition. In fact, the simultaneous connection to jazz lineage, while attempting to forge a sound and identity like noone else's, is the best description of the music of Ben Schachter and TRIO OF MANY. "If the news hasn't reached you, then listen up! Philadelphia-based saxophonist Ben Schachter is one of the sharpest improvisers in modern jazz." AllAboutJazz "...the power of...Dave Holland...or Steve Coleman...the authority of Joe Lovano..." Cadence "...Ben Schachter's Trio of Many is working on a new style of freedom and democracy." JazzTimes "...advanced harmonic capabilities and fluid, sure-fire rhythmic drive....a personal and present-tense sound." Philadelphia CityPaper "...Schachter writes peppery tunes that tapdance on the subconscious before his searing saxophone takes over to blow down the house." Philadelphia Inquirer "...artistic prowess...reams of finely-honed phrases that contain a trace of lyricism within their full-bodied texture." Cadence "...has a fire in his soul that he vents through angular, topsy-turvy modified bop explosions." Philadelphia CityPaper To read a full review of this recording go to; www.allaboutjazz.com/rviews/pf_r0301_132.htm