Writing all of the material himself, he lets the band interpret the songs, and they bring the music to life with energy and plenty of color, hitting every stylistic turn with precision and ease.
One Trick Dog Records
Ben Rosenblum – piano, accordion; Wayne Tucker – trumpet; Jasper Dutz – Soprano & alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute; Rafael Rosa – guitar; Marty Jaffe – bass; Ben Zweig – drums, percussion; Gustavo Di Dalva and Brad Dutz – percussion
Ben Rosenblum’s The Longest Way Round plays like a travelogue written in sound. The Nebula Project moves easily between Dominican, Irish, West African, and straight-ahead jazz rhythms, but the album never feels like it’s checking boxes.
Rosenblum’s dual role as pianist and accordionist shapes the sound of the Nebula Project. A working musician who spends much of his time on the road, he’s absorbed rhythms and traditions from around the world without losing his grounding in jazz. On The Longest Way Round, those influences are baked into the music rather than layered on top.
That sense of motion is clear right away on “Merengue x Fantasy.” Lively percussion sets the pace, and a trumpet phrase repeats insistently as the full band snaps into tight unison lines. Rosenblum’s accordion stands out immediately, while the soprano sax solo leans hard into the merengue feel, recalling the bright, dancing lines you hear in Juan Luis Guerra’s Dominican band, 4.40.
“Sheridan’s Reel” brings an Irish flavor through guitar and flute tracing a melody built for dancing, backed by a bass line of long, resonant notes. As the tempo picks up, the tune tightens, but then something shifts. The electric guitar pushes into rock territory, and suddenly there’s tension between the folk roots and a louder, more aggressive rhythm section. Trumpet and parts of the ensemble hang onto the Irish character while the bass and drums toughen up underneath, creating a push-and-pull that never fully resolves.
The three-part “Scenes Frozen in Time” suite shifts the album into a reflective, almost classical space. “Berlin” moves slowly, shaped by bowed bass and repeating accordion figures, with the trumpet hovering between jazz phrasing and baroque flourishes. “Old Friends” loosens the form, settling into a slow tempo with a romantic, gently rocking melody where piano and trumpet trade lines without rushing. That calm doesn’t last long: “Onslaught” opens with heavy piano chords before breaking loose, pivoting into a driving Cuban groove as percussion surges, the electric guitar digs in, and the trumpet pushes the rhythm forward.
Rhythm takes center stage on “Círculo,” with percussion and trumpet locking into a tight, looping motif before the accordion cuts in with a jerky, angular line. The tune eases slightly, with the saxophone trailing just behind the beat, stretching notes and weaving around the rhythm. Rosenblum’s piano comps in jagged shapes, then steps forward, playing with time as the percussion grows louder and more insistent. By the end, the whole band is blowing hard, the piano keys struck with real force, and the track spills into a full-on celebration.
The album’s final stretch leans closer to straight-ahead jazz. “Albatross” moves at a relaxed mid-tempo, built on short, recurring figures that set up a back-and-forth between Rosenblum’s piano and the ensemble. Wayne Tucker’s trumpet solo is clean and direct, bright in tone and firm in attack, before Jasper Dutz steps in on bass clarinet — the first time that woodwind shows up on the album — pushing the melody, smearing a few higher notes, even letting out a couple of squeals. It’s a different sound, and a welcome one.
“Blue Water” eases things further, rocking gently with a loose, reggae-tinged pulse. The guitar carries the melody, bending notes over a thick bass line, while the accordion rolls underneath in short phrases, giving the rhythm an easy back-and-forth.
The Longest Way Round works because Rosenblum treats all of these styles as part of his everyday musical language. Writing all of the material himself, he lets the band interpret the songs, and they bring the music to life with energy and plenty of color, hitting every stylistic turn with precision and ease.
