Marco Benevento – Glera (CD)

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Marco Benevento has spent two decades building a reputation as one of the most adventurous pianists to emerge from the New York Downtown scene, balancing a solo career with collabo rative work in groups like the Benevento/Russo Duo alongside drummer Joe Russo. Glera, named for the grape variety behind Prosecco, finds him channeling that same sense of terroir, something rooted, patient, and particular to a place and moment. Big Crown Records is proud to present Glera, Marco Benevento's debut album on the label. Marco Benevento has always moved like someone who understands the studio as it's own instrument, not just a room where the toys are. Long before he began appearing on stages with Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, and in the liner notes of albums by Clairo and Leon Bridges, Benevento was already thinking like a producer - listening for texture, tension, and negative space, and for the strange emotional alchemy that occurs when groove and curiosity collide. His new album Glera sharpens that instinct into focus, presenting Benevento not only as a virtuosic keyboardist and bandleader, but as a composer building worlds from rhythm, tone, and feeling.Glera is a genre-bending jazz record that folds in soul and reggae's elastic low end with an open-door sense of possibility. The project began three years ago as a kind of private exercise, with Benevento writing intuitively, inspired by Italian film scores and melody. Over time, those sketches evolved into something broader and more muscular, culminating in the grand majesty heard here. What emerges is music that moves cinematically without becoming precious. Tracks can feel like chase scenes or slow dissolves, sometimes within the same song, with jazz improvisation sharing space alongside reggae pocket, orchestral elements, and psych-pop atmosphere. It's exploratory but grounded, complex yet unmistakably groove-forward.Album opener "Frizzante" is pure musical celebration captured on tape - a high-energy, feel-good banger that finds Marco trading melodies with himself over a relentless groove. On "Turandot," Benevento is joined by Italy's own Marianne Mirage on vocals; the haunting, cinematic track sits comfortably between the worlds of Portishead and Serge Gainsbourg. Then comes "Big Top," stretching the album's palette even further; equipped with voice memos and peacock calls, it's most aptly summed up as "circus funk." Blow the whistle and the game begins with the jazz-fusion-esque dancefloor filler "Houdini," a kick-in-the-door burner from the very first drumbeat. Blending dream pop into the mix on "I Can't Control This Bliss," Marco invites Dream Crease to the microphone for a dose of lo-fi gorgeousness. Elizabeth Steiner brings her storied harp work to "Miss Neptune" over a deeply vibey, reggae-influenced backing track. Putting the pedal to the metal, "Sprezzatura" plays like a high-speed pursuit through narrow streets, while "Quattro Passi" brings the pace down to a saunter, featuring jazz vocalist Chiara Civello.Marco Benevento is operating at the highest level, shaping sound with purpose and curiosity. This album announces itself loudly-both outward-facing and deeply intimate. It's music that moves-across genres, tempos, and registers-while remaining anchored to the joy of discovery. It's a record that embodies motion, carrying the past forward without ever standing still Tracklist 1. Frizzante 2. Turandot 3. Big Top 4. Houdini 5. Zio Tony 6. I Can't Control This Bliss 7. Crema 8. Miss Neptune 9. Sorgini 10. Sprezzatura 11. Hip Then 12. Catoni 13. Quattro Passi 14. Over Now UPC: 349223020526Label: Big CrownRelease Date: 7.24.26Format: CD Show more