Marco Benevento
Invisible Baby
[Hyena]

For all of the experimental post-jazz playing Marco Benevento has been associated with – anyone who’s witnessed the fuzz-bomb power of a Benevento/Russo Duo gig understands – the approach he takes on his first solo studio album is surprisingly sedate. Accessible melody lines and fluid, rhythmic playing give Invisible Baby an almost gentle feel, and by the time the twee-pop instrumental twirl of  “The Real Morning Party” rolls around with its saccharine-sticky catchiness, it’s hard to link the sounds on the disc with the downtown New York jazz scene Benevento’s associated with. Nonetheless, there’s still something deeply subversive about a pop album that relies on keys, drums, bass and no vocals to get its point across. Jazz isn’t what Benevento’s going for here; instead, he’s created a multifaceted album that benefits as much from his composition skills as it does from his facility on the piano.