| Jazz |
Ben Clifton’s Overlook Is a Daring Jazz Mosaic From a Musician Who Refuses to Be Classified
The beginning of July brings with it a wave of notable album releases, but few are as richly layered and sonically ambitious as Overlook, the latest offering from composer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Clifton. A former child prodigy who began his musical journey at the age of six under the mentorship of Kathryn Bernard, Clifton’s talent was apparent early, and Overlook is a testament to just how far that promise has evolved. A gifted pianist, bassist, and drummer, Clifton weaves his multi-instrumental mastery into each track with a fluidity that feels both instinctive and intentionally sculpted. The result is an album marked by sumptuous arrangements and an unrestrained melodic complexity, one that dares the listener to engage, reflect, and journey.
Clifton’s first release, an EP titled Reflection, hinted at this potential. Since then, he has shared stages with jazz luminaries such as Joe Lovano, Bobby Watson, Larry Coryell, Terri Lyne Carrington, Carl Allen, and Dwayne Dolphin. Following his move to Houston, Texas, Clifton quickly established himself as a versatile and in-demand pianist. He formed a trio alongside drummer Gavin Moolchan and Grammy Award-winning bassist Tim Ruiz, and continued to collaborate with artists including vibraphonist Jalen Baker, saxophonist Shelley Carrol, trombonist Andre Hayward, and members of the Houston Jazz Collective. His musical reach has spanned genres, from jazz to electronic and classical crossover, through collaborations with DJ Sun, the Aperio Orchestra, and even performances with the B.B. King Blues Band under the direction of James Bolden.
Such eclecticism is not a side note but rather the heart of Clifton’s musical identity. On Overlook, listeners are invited to immerse themselves in a soundscape that draws on classical composition, soul grooves, rock textures, and cinematic atmospheres. If one listens closely, really listens, they can detect the soft hues of those influences, lightly brushed in like a painter adding final touches to a canvas.
Clifton doesn’t just borrow from these genres; he reinterprets them, channeling their essence into something entirely his own. The result is an album both dazzling and unclassifiable, an album that resists definition even as it invites endless analysis.
Clifton speaks through his instruments. Whether behind a grand piano, a swirling Hammond organ, or layered synthesizers, his voice is clear, sometimes gregarious and expansive, sometimes spare and introspective, but always intentional. Overlook plays like a cinematic dream sequence, elusive in plot but vivid in imagery. The listener is never lost, only gently guided through Clifton’s internal landscapes: places shaped by memory, emotion, and artistic discipline. These are not random impressions but curated visions, refined over time and now presented with lyrical precision.
One standout track, Relapse, exemplifies Clifton’s dual role as storyteller and poet. The piece unfolds like a search for beauty itself, water flowing from an unseen source, cascading in sudden harmonies and unexpected melodic turns. It is meditative without being static, expressive without indulgence. Here, Clifton taps into something archetypal, a shared language of longing, curiosity, and awe. While the album is rooted in the foundational vocabulary of jazz, it ultimately speaks in a dialect all its own, revealing a musical selfhood that feels deeply private yet universally resonant.
Ben Clifton may still be early in his career, but with Overlook, he has laid down a statement of intent. This is not just an album; it is a document of a composer beginning to fully realize his way, a way that blends precision with imagination, intellect with feeling. And for those willing to listen deeply, it is clear: this is only the beginning of what promises to be a remarkable artistic journey.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, June 24th 2025
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Houston Ensemble (Ben Clifton, piano) :
Tracklist:
Convocation
Shadows
No Access to Hollywood
Serenity
Constructs
Overlook
Relapse
Cortlandt
Lost On Mapple
Return To Sanity
Introspection
Dream State
Don’t Live The Same
Precious Transition