Jazzin’ it up!

The PSU Department of Music’s Performance Attendance Recital Series continues this Thursday with the Ben Darwish Trio. This Portland-based progressive jazz trio has been performing together since 2005.

“I’m continually striving for originality in our sound,” Darwish said. “This isn’t your typical piano trio, and the group has an exciting dynamic between musicians.”

Vocalist/keyboardist Ben Darwish and drummer Jason Plamer met while attending the University of Oregon. Bassist Dave Captein and Darwish met in Portland. The band currently has two albums to its name: Industrial Hero, which was released in 2006, and Ode to Consumerism, a live album released in 2009. The band has high hopes of producing a new album soon.

“The trio pushes the boundaries of the modern acoustic piano trio. Performing mostly original music, the group features incredible musicianship,” according to Ben Darwish’s website.

“Music from Industrial Hero is heard on radio stations across the country, in a Voleurz extreme sports video and even on ESC Records’ tribute to The Beatles titled Step Inside Love. On this 2007 release, the Trio’s version of “Hey Bulldog” is alongside recordings by such luminaries as Brad Mehldau, David Sanborn, Joel Frahm, Bob Sheppard and others.

Cadence Magazine compared their cover of “Hey Bulldog” to a “treatment Ramsey Lewis might try, pulling the shape and tempo of the song around but always keeping the melody recognizable.”