Heartbeat

Winkelman's trio of equals, perpetually seeking a state of equilibrium, approach joyful swing, hard-hitting rock and chamber-like inventions as one big, interconnected thing of beauty.
DownBeat

Composed while awaiting the birth of his first child during the early months of the pandemic, New York pianist Ben Winkelman's sixth album draws from the emotional turbulence of the time. With this collection of nine intricately crafted, lyrically rich compositions, his long-time trio of bassist Matt Penman and drummer Obed Calvaire—joined here by guitarist Gilad Hekselman—soar on the Gospel-tinged opener, "Praise," bob and weave on the buoyant title track, and search for understanding through "The Plague."

"Together, these three tackle thorny thoughts, essay beauty with singular style, and swing hard right down the line..." Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

Production Info:

Produced by Ben Winkelman
Recorded May 15 & 16, 2023 by David Stoller
at Samurai Hotel, NYC
Mixed by Chris Allen at Sear Sound, NYC
Mastered by Nate Wood at Kerseboom Mastering, NYC
Recording session photography by Anna Yatskevich
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Heartbeat

Dark Blue Notes (Istanbul) (Burak Sülünbaz)
Australian-born New York based pianist and composer Ben Winkelman‘s sixth album Heartbeat will be released on September 15th via OA2 Records. He is accompanied by very high quality musicians on Heartbeat. Israeli-born New York based fusion jazz guitarist Gilad Hekselman, whose lyrical playing style I love, is on guitar, New Zealand-born master ba ...

All About Jazz (Neil Duggan)
4-STARS Awaiting the arrival of his first child while locked down in New York City during the pandemic were probably not the circumstances which pianist Ben Winkelman would ideally have chosen for writing new music. Nonetheless, taking inspiration from the anticipation of fatherhood and the feeling of isolation acted as the catalyst for the nine c ...

BeBop Spoken Here (Lance Liddle)
Winkelman's sixth album as a leader, recorded during the pandemic whilst awaiting the birth of his first child, is quite delightful. Nine originals that don't appear to be contrafacts although these tunes themselves could become contrafacts of the future. It's gentle and laid back, more Bill Evans than Peterson with perhaps a dash of melancholia ...

Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Playing piano and Rhodes, Ben Winkelman creates some clever melodies and ideas with a simpatico team of Matt Penman/b and Obed Calvaire/dr with Gilad Hekselman/g sitting in for most of the treatises. As a threesome, Winkelman sets up a gentle "Isolation" that eventually builds up to form a pastoral post bop suite, while Penman is playful during "T ...

The Big Takeover (Michael Toland)
Written at a crucial time – specifically facing the dual challenges of the pandemic and impending fatherhood – pianist Ben Winkelman's sixth album Heartbeat captures an emotional whirlwind, with anticipation and dread mixing freely and productively. We can all relate: the excitement of something great coming, but also the fear of figuring out h ...

Fine Music Magazine (Australia) (Barry O'Sullivan)
Pianist Ben Winkelman's sixth album as a leader features nine original compositions, with four played by the pianist's trio and five with the addition of jazz heavyweights Gilad Hekselman (guitar), Matt Penman (bass) and Obed Calvaire (drums) The album draws inspiration from his anticipation of becoming a father and the feeling of crises and isolat ...

Australia Broadcasting (Editor)
Enjoy an import from New York City by Australian expatriate Ben Winkelman. Originally from the States, Winkelman grew up in Melbourne, and in 2010 he returned to America to pursue a career as a jazz pianist. The pandemic has had lasting effects worldwide, but in particular for New Yorkers in 2020 and 2021, it was a particularly trying time. Many ...

Jazz Views (UK) (Ed Sapiega)
Ben Winkelman is a New York-based jazz pianist and composer whose music has been described by Downbeat as "one big, interconnected thing of beauty". This is his sixth album and is the first with a quartet. The diverse group of Winkelman composed songs consisting of four songs for the trio and five songs for the quartet. Winkelman had recorded ...

Take Effect (Tom Haugen)
The New York City pianist Ben Winkelman was awaiting the birth of his first child during the onset of the pandemic, and this 6th album draws from the ups and down of that time, where Gilad Hekselman, Matt Penman and Obed Calvaire are along for the 9 originals. "Praise" leads the listen with gospel nods, as Winkelman's colorful keys and Hekselman ...