GREEN PARK (2023)

JEAN-LUC PONTY - “EXCELLENT !!!”

RUTH FISHER, JAZZ FM - “…a stunning album…”

CHRIS PHILIPS, JAZZ FM - “…brilliant new sounds…”

ADAM SIEFF, JAZZ ON THE BEACH RADIO - “…an excellent album…”

JULIAN JOSEPH, BRITISH JAZZ PIANIST, BANDLEADER, COMPOSER, BROADCASTER AND EDUCATOR - “Benet McLean pushes the boundaries of the violin in jazz with unparalleled modernism. His rendition of Bobby Watson’s "Fuller Love" is captivating, and his original compositions showcase a brilliance, allowing his dynamic, hand-picked band of talented young players to shimmer. His use of the iconic B3 Organ at the heart of the ensemble combines perfectly with the timbre of his violin and the tenor saxophone of Duncan Eagles. This latest offering sparkles and glistens with the magic of his expansive artistry. Profound, ethereal, and pulsating with raw energy, the essence of this musical titan resonates in every track, capturing your undivided attention and admiration.”

ALAN BARNES, MULTI-AWARD-WINNING BRITISH SAXOPHONIST AND CLARINETIST - “This wonderful album showcases the compositions and violin playing of Benet McLean. The group sound is refreshingly original and the interplay between the leader, the rhythm section and Duncan Eagles on tenor (with a timbre not unlike early 60’s Rollins) is a joy. Liam Dunachie on piano comps superbly throughout and contributes inspired and breathtaking solos including some very groovy organ on the middle-eastern influenced "Blue Fingers”. Rio Kai on bass and Zoe Pascal are names new to me but both are exceptional players. They navigate the rhythmic intricacies of the music with complete relaxation whilst still being a driving force. Try “Mr Bap” to hear their brilliant soloing. Benet is a virtuoso and inventive soloist as well as being an accomplished composer. High spots include his bluesy phrases on “Red”, his soaring lines on my favourite track “Fuller Love” which also brings out the best solos from Duncan Eagles and Liam Dunachie, and his intricate ruminations on “The Pharaoh”. He really has got it all together. This band is a dead cert for the festival market - catch them live but buy the album in the meantime.”

JULIAN MAYNARD-SMITH, LONDON JAZZ NEWS - “…McLean’s subsequent violin solo is gorgeously limpid, with none of the rhythmic stiffness that can mar jazz violin. McLean’s also extremely tasteful (throughout the album) in his use of effects such as sustain and delay, using just enough sonic seasoning to flavour the dish without overwhelming it. …‘Mr Bap’ is like classic sixties Blue Note updated for the 21st century, an earworm tune drenched in the blues (especially the violin and tenor sax solos) but with squelchy keyboards (think Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters) and organ putting the fun into funky, and a playful ending spiralling off in an unexpected direction. Everyone sounds as if they’re having a blast. …In summary, this delightful album should entrance even those who think they don’t like jazz violin. And given the joyful energy this group has created in a studio, I bet they sound fantastic live as well.” Click for full review

THIERRY DE CLEMENSAT, USA CORRESPONDENT, PARIS-MOVE - “If there’s one instrument in jazz that I’ve never appreciated, it’s the violin. But that was before I heard Benet McLean, who is both an excellent composer and an exceptional violinist. Right from the first track, it works like a charm – modern, inventive, with arrangements that take your breath away. This guy is like the Zawinul of the violin, and in the presence of such genius, one can only have deep respect. …Well-known in the British music scene, it’s high time to introduce him to the rest of the world. …2023 is certainly the year of many exciting album revelations, and Green Park naturally belongs to this category. It’s an album you can play on a loop to fully appreciate all its subtleties. …I would like to thank Benet McLean for placing his trust in us, and it is rewarded by the endorsements of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-Move, who classify this album as “Essential.” ” Click for full review

PETER JONES, JAZZWISE **** - “As a young man, Benet McLean was tutored by none other than Yehudi Menuhin; perhaps he was the one who introduced McLean to jazz - after all, he famously tried it himself in the early 1970s with a series of concerts alongside the mighty Stephane Grappelli. And like Grappelli, McLean really knows how to swing… ‘Lucy’ opens with a sax/bass duet and settles into a late 1950s New York vibe, with just enough reverb on the violin to suggest a feeling of space, and particularly satisfying when doubled by Eagles’ sax. The melody here is strong, as also on the tender ballad ‘Red’, which follows, with a mellow piano intro, the tune and harmony supplied by violin and sax. ‘Jo’ is an uplifting samba with a lighter feel, introduced by Pascal’s rumbling toms. The most intriguing cut is ‘The Pharoah’, its shimmering violin intro conjuring up the mysterious Nile Valley, accompanied by ominously surging organ. Green Park should appeal to anyone who enjoyed Tamil Rogeon’s viola jazz album from a couple of years back.” Click for full review

CHRIS MAY, ALL ABOUT JAZZ - “…Green Park is a blast. …McLean's band on Green Park is a new one other than for tenor saxophonist Duncan Eagles from Partikel. …The rest of the band comprises young London lions Liam Dunachie on piano, Rio Kai on double bass and Zoe Pascal on drums. It is a tight and kicking ensemble. …Overall, the music is joyful, melodic, rhythmically intense, up-tempo and visceral, taking in hard bop, fusion and points between. But McLean—who wrote all the tunes bar Bobby Watson's "Fuller Love"—rings the changes. Track three, "Red," is delicate, slower paced, and track six, "The Pharoah," on which Eagles swaps the tenor for a flute, has neo-classical gravitas. Stand-out track on a consistently enjoyable set is the closer, "Jo," at 09:16 the longest track, which features some thrilling interplay between McLean and Eagles on tenor, first trading eights then engaging in extended simultaneous improvisation.” Click for full review

SAMMY STEIN, PLATINUM MIND - “It’s the energy that grabs you. …It is an album of changes, quick-silver reactions, and, above all, musicianship. …It is Benet’s leadership that directs, and his playing is beyond superb. There is one point where he drops a perfect major seventh but, almost before your ears register the jarring opposition he slides into the major key, and you wonder whether you heard right. This kind of playing is so clever and deliberate and keeps the listener completely engaged because the brain can never switch off to this music – it is packed with surprises, not just from McLean but the rest of the ensemble too. 

The influences are diverse, from classical to hard bop, gypsy dance, and fusion. There is warmth, searing, soaring escapades, and delightfully challenging episodes. …Making technically challenging music feel effortless, McLean demonstrates (again) his talent and ability – not only for playing the violin but for how he has put these pieces together. …I am sure I shall be playing this one for years and only hope it is not quite so long before McLean releases another. “ Click for full review

LANCE LIDDLE, BEBOP SPOKEN HERE - “I reviewed McLean's previous album The Bopped and the Bopless in 2016 and, just as I was impressed then, I am equally taken with his latest offering. In this pared down ensemble Benet once again excels. A technique and tone that covers the whole nine yards from Venuti and Grappelli to Jean-Luc Ponty, Jerry Goodman and beyond, he hits the spot with every masterful stroke of the bow. With Eagles sharing front-line duties, Dunachie alternating between piano and organ, Kai and Pascal fuelling the engine, this is a band that crosses the genres with ease.”

GARY WHITEHOUSE, THE GREEN MAN (USA) - “…I’ve been a fan of jazz violin ever since, and now I can add Benet McLean to my list of favorite players. McLean’s solo debut on violin, Green Park is an impressive showcase of his prodigious talents for composing, arranging, and playing. …If, as the one-sheet says, “Green Park reflects the energy and musical melting pot of the quintet’s live shows together” (and I’ve every reason to believe that), this must be a tremendously entertaining act to see live. This vibrantly recorded studio album will have to do for those of us on this side of the Pond for now, and I’m thankful we have it. Recommended.” Click for full review

ADRIAN LEVINE, FORMER LEADER ROME OPERA, ASSOCIATE LEADER PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA & ACADEMY OF SAINT-MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS & PROFESSOR ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC, LONDON - “What a wonderful new album this is.  So refreshing to hear, in particular,  jazz violin so masterly played and so at one with the rest of the group, with complex material that retains the flavour of improvisation yet is imbued with the discipline of classical training and background. But this is no classical violinist trying his hand at jazz, something we are all too familiar with; Benet McLean is very much the real deal, a jazzer through and through but who has benefitted from a deep understanding of classical virtuoso technique.”

BRIAN PAYNE, JAZZ JOURNAL - “I first saw Benet McLean 10 years ago when he played piano and sang with Jay Phelps’s Projections Of Miles sextet at Seven Arts Leeds. His performance was impressive. With a solid lineup of Phelps on trumpet, Soweto Kinch on tenor, Logan Richardson on alto, Tim Thornton on bass and Shane Forbes on drums, the veritable star of the band that night turned out to be McLean. In Green Park though, he’s no longer the pianist. Instead he plays violin, the instrument he apparently took up at the age of three. …While often abstract and experimental, it embraces a mélange of elements including jazz manouche, hints of hard and post-bop, folk and jazz fusion. …I should imagine live performances by this band will get audience feet tapping and for contemporary jazz violin aficionados, this album will be right up their street.” Click for full review

GEORGE HARRIS, JAZZ WEEKLY (USA) - “…The team gets fusion on a read of Bobby Watson’s “Fuller Love” with the team handling the tricky curves of “ Blue Fingers” with elan. There’s some nice blues mood, with Eagles bopping on “Lucy” and Pascal shuffling for McLean on “Mr. Bap”. And McLean working through some dark complexities for “The Pharoah”, sounding as lyrical as Stephane Grappelli with Dunachie on “Red”. Well woven strings.”

The bopped and the bopless (2016)

CHRIS INGHAM, MOJO ****

"...Random highlights in this consistently engaging and entertaining set include his authentic Meade Lux-Lewis style piano among a brilliantly unruly cover of The Ruts’ Babylon’s Burning, the ballad Polly, which blossoms from straightforward sentiment into a scribbly jazz painting, and the emotional closer Shizannah featuring McLean’s twisted soul vocal..."

ANDY ROBSON, JAZZWISE ****

"...for its piano playing alone – Massarik made no bones of namechecking Art Tatum when writing of McLean – The Bopped is rich with McLean’s talents: just check out those long swinging runs on I Waited For You. But it’s also typical of McLean that he takes that Dizzy song and gives it an almost surreal edge. ...Now indeed may be the time for McLean and his unique vision."

SAMMY STEIN, JAZZ IN EUROPE

"...Benet can create musical pictures and manipulate the listener in ways subtle and yet so effective.  It is as if he is a sponge and has soaked up influences from the jazz greats and some good vocalists and to this he adds his own natural talent. The result is something different, impressive and totally engaging. This music has life, energy and a vitality born not just of technical expertise but intuitive, effervescent comprehension of the effect each tune can create... The term 'amazing' is overused in reviews and long ago I vowed only to use 'awesome' on rare occasions when I was struck by something exceptional. Sometimes one is left with no choice. This album is awesome."

EDDIE MYER, SUSSEX JAZZ MAGAZINE

“McLean is a true polymath; pianist,  guitarist, vocalist, violinist, writer, arranger and producer, he’s on a musical journey that’s included such diverse adventures as receiving mentoring from Yehudi Menuhin at the Royal College of Music and touring with Brit-soul legend Omar. This album presents him unleashing the full strength of his musical personality in a set of muscular jazz-derived originals and a couple of unusual covers, delivered by a tight and punchy band – including local hero and international man of mystery Ashley Slater – and crisply and cleanly recorded for maximum impact. The title track sets out his stall – his full, fruity, jazz-inflected vocals deliver a powerful lyric decrying social inequality, before the band takes flight for a virtuosic  swing-time piano solo complete with Monk quotes. I Waited For You sets off at a canter into full-on fusion territory, with the piano evoking Hancock and Corea over Harvey and Raman’s top-draw rhythm section as overdubbed strings and brass create sweeping orchestral textures. 

Babylon’s Burning creates an unlikely punk-jazz hybrid, with McLean’s snarling vocals over the dense twisting arrangement recalling the kind of virtuosic mash-ups you’d find on a Frank Zappa record. It’s unashamedly flashy, totally excessive and brilliantly bonkers. Like his fellow Brit multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, McLean is bursting with seemingly limitless talent and utterly uninterested in restraint or understatement. Lucy sees him create a choir of multi-octave voices in dazzling harmony, then allows Harvey to stretch out on a prodigious solo, followed by scat and piano from the leader over triumphant brass and woodwind. Polly is a lachrymose ballad enlivened by unexpected key shifts and vocalese effects; Electric Bopland delivers on it’s title exactly;  Shizannah reworks Faure into a work of high drama that could sit well as a piece of musical theatre. Credit goes to McLean, and to his truly outstanding band, for pulling all these diverse strands together into a work that’s as strong and cohesive as it is dazzlingly, even bewilderingly, adventurous. Don’t miss the live shows.”

CHRIS SEARLE, THE MORNING STAR

"Searing sound in touch with the world. ...The Bopped And The Bopless stews up its music with the world we live in and all its inequities as well as its joys and is a very original and potent album indeed."

 LANCE LIDDLE, BEBOP SPOKEN HERE

"...This is as fine an example of cross-gendering as you'll find in a long day's pogoing across the great divide. Suddenly the divide doesn't seem that great!"

DAVE JONES, JAZZ JOURNAL

"A refreshing album... McLean's ability at the piano alone would be impressive, but he is also an extremely talented multi-instrumentalist and singer, composed at least half of the material here and arranged it all."

CHARLES WARING, RECORD COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

"...His wonderfully-titled album, The Bopped And The Bopless (*** 33 Xtreme), is mostly self-penned... ...including a startling, rambunctious, big band-style cover of The Ruts’ Babylon’s Burning. Fittingly, it makes for incendiary stuff."

SANDY BROWN JAZZ

"The Bopped And The Bopless is an inspired album with imaginative arrangements and draws on a cornucopia of influences to deliver a truly satisfying listening experience..."

MUSICWEB EXPRESS 3000 (MWE3)

"...An outstanding pianist, composer-arranger and vocalist, Benet really comes alive on his 2016 release for the 33 Jazz label. ...even the most ardent jazz fan will have to admit that Benet McLean's album The Bopped And The Bopless is one of the most original sounding and most adventurous jazz vocal albums of 2016."

In the land of oo-bla-dee (2010)

JACK MASSARIK, JAZZWISE MAGAZINE ****

"Early as it comes, I expect this to become my UK album of the year. Pianist-singer-rapper-composer Benet McLean is not young enough to be described as a new discovery but he seems to have been making giant strides lately. On these tracks he’s positively bursting with talent and energy. I first caught him live in an unbalanced duo with Jean Toussaint which did not work well at all, but with his own trio, as on this album, his second, he’s simply sensational.

Whether rocking along in brisk stride or gliding in ultra-fast bop, as he does on the opening track, Charlie Parker’s ‘Klactoveedsedstene’, he swings like a garage roof in a hurricane. At live gigs he’s also been known to break into contemporary Errol Garner musings, but this does not make him a mere stylistic chameleon. Whichever historical chapter he feels like opening, his playing is personal, driven and passionate. There’s no covers-feeling, it’s all Benet McLean. ‘Giant Steps’ has never sounded more fun, and to my ears nobody has incorporated rap - usually an ugly, overbearing rant, messily disconnected to a boring, metronomic beat - into jazz more successfully than he does.

Add a gift for fractured French (‘Tu Captes ou Quoi Blues’) and sense of humour - so essential in art and life - and the results are irresistible. Dodd, Miller and Yarde, a powerful soloist on alto and soprano saxes, combine admirably to bring McLean’s visions to life, their group-vocal riffs working beautifully. The moods change from funky to stormy to brooding near-silences, eased along by assured and ever-creative piano comping. This album is an extroardinary achievement that would raise eyebrows internationally if Benet had a recording and distribution deal. It’s ridiculous that he has neither and must market them from his own website. But get hold of a copy, check it out, marvel and enjoy."

Cliches (for another day) (2005)

KEITH AMES, THE MUSICIAN MAGAZINE

"Recorded totally live in a few hours, this album of liberated jazz has a vibrancy and urgency rare even for this genre. Escorted by a crack team of Roger Crosdale - saxophone,  Chris Dodd - bass, and Nick France - drums, Benet McLean generates an environment conclusive to creativity, drawing on every drop of nuance from material and bandmates. Appreciation of the tunes, starting with Tempo X, only grows as recognized by Humphrey Lyttleton, who has featured Benet on his BBC Radio 2 show. A STORMER!!"