Stories
Local Feature: Ben Vanderwal on ECM-inspired record Lugano
Ben Vanderwal is one of the most in-demand and prolific jazz drummers in Australia. Born and based in Boorloo, he’s spent significant time in New York and Melbourne and performed around the world, including tours pretty much everywhere!
His new album, Lugano, is a jazz trio record at heart with Ben himself on kit, Harry Mitchell on piano and Karl Florison on bass — with guest appearances from Matilda Abrahams & Helen Shanahan on vocals, and Theo Carbo on guitar, lapsteel and synth, adding extra depth and ambient layers to the beautifully devotional tracks.
A homage to a bunch of albums recorded in the Swiss town of Lugano released on the iconic German label ECM, Ben took inspiration from their unique recording process, and so this album was recorded live in a classical auditorium without baffles or headphones. The attention to reverb and resonance during the recording process (special nod to sound engineer Greg Nosow), make it a spacious album that gives the listener room to stretch out and enjoy.
Giant Stepper Tash Thomas started off by asking Ben, what sent him down this ECM rabbit hole to begin with?
