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Keyboardist Ben Paterson moved to Chicago from his native Philadelphia in 2004 and he quickly established himself as a major force in mainstream hard bop (often working with the great Von Freeman), both as a tasteful pianist and a bluesy organist, but in late 2012 he left town, jumping into the fray of the fierce New York scene. He does return to town now and again—he led his excellent organ quartet at this year’s Chicago Jazz Festival—and plays the 5 PM set at Andy’s Friday and Saturday in celebration of his fine new album, Essential Elements (MaxJazz). Like so many others who’ve left Chicago, Paterson has maintained connections with local musicians, and these gigs will reunite him with the deft rhythm section that joins him on the recording: drummer Jon Deitemyer and bassist Joshua Ramos. In the pianist’s brief liner notes he spells it all out concisely: “My goal for this disc is simply to offer a recording which captures the three elements that first attracted me to jazz: a strong sense of swing, a commitment to melodic improvisation, and a healthy dose of the blues.” There’s not a whole lot more to the album than those things its title refers to, and in the end, that’s more than enough.
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