Somebody call Kenny Loggins, because the Archer star has just stepped into the Danger Zone.
While H. Jon Benjamin’s voice has become instantly recognizable thanks to his titular roles on both Archer and Bob’s Burgers, the man himself has always been something of a mystery — in fact, fans of either show would probably have a tough time picking him out of a lineup had they not also seen his brilliant but short-lived sketch show, Jon Benjamin Has a Van.
In reality, Jon Benjamin is something of an avant-garde comedian, performing in a wide variety of standup and improv shows alongside the likes of David Cross, Todd Barry, and Jon Glaser and popping up occasionally in movies and TV shows like Wet Hot American Summer and 22 Jump Street. If that weren’t already enough, Benjamin also added yet another wrinkle to his already diverse portfolio last Friday, releasing a jazz LP entitled Well, I Should Have…
Calling upon both several established musicians from the jazz world as well as his Bob’s Burgers co-stars Aziz Ansari and Kristen Schaal, Well, I Should Have… sees Benjamin trade-in his infamous voice for a piano, with the only catch being that he does not know how to play piano and in fact isn’t all that big a fan of jazz in general.
“I’m not a huge fan of jazz,” says Benjamin in Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil, the mini-documentary that was released with the album on Friday. “And that’s why I thought it would be funny to make a jazz album.”
The end result is both undeniably terrible, uniquely quirky, and somehow, oddly inspiring — basically, like everything we’ve come to know of H. Jon Benjamin, the man.
You can pick up a copy of Well, I Should Have… over at SubPop today. I’d recommend giving it a spin the next time you find yourself trapped at a snooty wine and cheese party, then trying to convince your fellow guests that it’s a previously unreleased album from Thelonious Monk.
Source: SubPop
