Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Ben Pratt
by Kurtis Lee
click to enlarge
Ben Pratt
Rico's at Poor Richard's, 322 N. Tejon St., 630-7723 Thursday, June 7, 7:30 p.m. No cover.
Local guitarist and songwriter Ben Pratt couldn't find a name for the type of music he was creating.
So he made one up.
"Jazz hop" encompasses the up-tempo tunes he creates with his guitar synthesizer, looping machine and personal passion. Performing as what he calls a "one-man band," he weaves original spoken word into instrumentals.
"Jazz and hip-hop are both so powerful," Pratt says. "It gives me shivers because the two put together make for such a tasty combination."
It's a sound heavily influenced by jazz musician Pat Metheny and the unique flow of lyricist Tech N9ne. Pratt's always-in-process album, Life Brew, consists of a mixture of mellow and up-tempo jazz tracks, some featuring his poetic lyrics.
With his music, Pratt seeks to evoke thought and to maintain his originality.
"I feel like jazz has such a universal language that it allows me to be diverse," says Pratt. "It's nice to make people think, and on the same note allow them to have fun and dance."
