Puttin' In Time On Planet Earth
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Album Summary
Ben Sidran, the Madison, Wisconsin-born pianist, vocalist, and all-around musical philosopher, laid down 'Puttin' In Time On Planet Earth' in 1973 for Blue Thumb Records, riding a wave of creative momentum that found him deep in the pocket where jazz, soul, and blues meet on a cosmic corner. Produced with a loose, intimate sensibility that felt like catching a late-night conversation between musicians who truly understood each other, the record showcased Sidran's gift for wrapping heavy philosophical weight inside grooves that felt effortless and warm. This was a man who had studied under some of the greats and brought all of that learning to bear on a set of songs that spoke to the human condition with quiet intelligence and unshakable soul.
Reception
- The album was embraced by the jazz and progressive soul community as a thoughtful and musically sophisticated statement, earning Sidran credibility among critics who recognized his ability to blend cerebral lyricism with genuinely felt musical expression.
- While not a mainstream chart phenomenon, 'Puttin' In Time On Planet Earth' deepened Sidran's reputation as an artist's artist — the kind of record that music lovers passed from hand to hand and whispered about like a well-kept secret.
- Critics of the era noted the album's cohesive mood and Sidran's distinctive vocal delivery, which drew comparisons to the talking-blues and vocalese traditions while carving out something that was unmistakably his own.
Significance
- The album stands as an early and compelling example of jazz-inflected singer-songwriter work, bridging the introspective folk and rock sensibilities of the early seventies with the harmonic sophistication of the jazz tradition in a way very few artists were attempting at the time.
- Tracks like 'Walking With The Blues' and the title cut 'Puttin' In Time On Planet Earth' reflect Sidran's deeply humanist worldview, rooting the record firmly in the philosophical blues tradition while pushing it toward something more modern and self-aware.
- The record holds a meaningful place in the story of how jazz musicians engaged with the counterculture era, using the album format not just as a collection of songs but as a sustained meditation on existence, consciousness, and what it means to be alive on this spinning rock.
Tracklist
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A1 Full Compass 93
0:39
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A2 Play The Piano 114
3:14
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A3 Have You Heard The News 115
3:50
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A4 Face Your Fears 126
5:45
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A5 Think Twice 120
2:57
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B1 Walking With The Blues 124
4:01
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B2 Now I Live (And Now My Life Is Done) 103
8:29
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B3 Puttin' In Time On Planet Earth 116
6:18
Artist Details
Ben Sidran is one of the coolest cats to ever blend jazz, soul, and rock into something that just feels like a late-night conversation with your smartest friend — a Madison, Wisconsin native who came up through the University of Wisconsin scene in the late 1960s and built a career as a pianist, vocalist, producer, and music scholar that stretched decades deep. His records, like Free in America and Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense, carried that laid-back, intellectual groove that sat somewhere between Mose Allison and the hippest corners of Blue Note jazz, earning him respect from heavyweights like Steve Miller and Van Morrison who recognized a genuine musical mind at work. Beyond the records, Sidran's writing and broadcasting work — including his deep dives into the cultural roots of Black music — made him a rare figure who could speak to the soul of American music with both scholarly weight and genuine love.
