Benjie Porecki
Servin' It Up
Severn Records CD-0005, 1998 (65:29)

On a platter

Ben Ohmart

I'll give this one a good review because we nearly share the same first name. Or perhaps I'll praise the platter because the back photo shows a surprised keyboardist who looks vaguely like Ringo. Or possibly I'll love it for the music.

The bright title track starts off this 65 minute CD. I love him for the length of it; and I love him for including tracks that he didn't write himself. "Servin' It Up" is a good, lite-rock band sound. The sort of combo you might hear if you were eating chicken for $44 a plate at someone's retirement party.

"Last Train to Aalter" pushes on the jazz sounds a bit more. Good restrained guitar work and drums that beat like a slow slave galley.

But probably my single favorite composition on the CD is Victor Young's "Beautiful Love." According to the credits, it's from a movie. Which one? Anybody?

It's a very light sounding album. You know, your usual four piece jazz, in the studio, but you can imagine their sound in a top club at 2 am. "Sunny" is beautiful, a well-crafted, nearly seven minute epic by B. Hebb.

The track I often fast forward is the lastone, Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Not because I've heard the tune too often. No. It's the organ. Reminds me of my grandmother's organ that she bought in the mall. The kind you can play with one finger. I guess I must have had bad dreams of that organ sound, so don't let my own phobias keep you away from a technically, and usually, sound album.

performers  Benjie Porecki, piano, organ, electric piano; Alex Schultz, guitar; Steve Gomes, bass; Robb Stupka, drums;

songs  Servin' It Up (Breakfast) · Last Train To Aalter · Beautiful Love · Chicken Neck Wilson · Blue In Green (Introduction) · Blue In Green · Baptism · Servin' It Up (Dinner) · Sunny · Boogie On Reggae Woman · S.A.M. in the Night · Bridge Over Troubled Water