irockjazz.com piece on Orrin Evans…
irockjazz.com
It can be quite risky admitting to a well-known musician that you’ve never heard of them. One, that revelation could be result in a tongue lashing by the artist. Two, the interview could come to an abrupt end, and three, my music journalistic credentials could be damaged all in the name of honesty. Thankfully, none of these has happened…yet. Though the response I did receive (aft ...Read More
Shaun Brady reviews “Flip the Script”…
www.citypaper.net
After a series of releases paying tribute to his mentors, keyboard player Orrin Evans reasserts his own bold identity on Flip the Script (Posi-Tone). His new trio features bassist Ben Wolfe and drummer Donald Edwards, both matches for Evans in sensitivity and strength. The disc features a half-dozen originals, from the strident blues of “Big Small” to the tender melan ...Read More
Dan Bilawsky reviews “Flip the Script”…
www.allaboutjazz.com
Pianist Orrin Evans’ last three outings for the Posi-Tone label have been vastly different from one another. He forged new, edgy frontiers as part of the collectively formulated Tarbaby on The End Of Fear (Posi-Tone, 2010), put his own unique stamp on the big band format with the bold Captain Black Big Band (Posi-Tone, 2011), and gave a nod to Philadelphia, the city that ...Read More
Brent Black has more to say about “Flip the Script”…
www.criticaljazz.com
Passions run deep today. From the failure of the Obama economic recovery to the terrorism of Hamas the world is a dangerous place and not always easy to understand. Jazz should be our “easy button.” I have to admit that I originally did not understand Orrin Evans and his passion and for that I am certainly sorry. Evans and his passion are one and simple. To make th ...Read More
eMusic review for “Flip the Script”…
www.emusic.com
Calling a piano trio album Flip the Script in 2012 might seem like too much irony to bear, but Orrin Evans and his hard-swinging rhythm section (bassist Ben Wolfe, drummer Donald Edwards) invigorate one of jazz’s most commonly deployed — not to mention beaten-into-the-ground — formats. This is Evans’s fifth album for Posi-Tone in two years, including a live big-band disc and ...Read More
Philly Examiner reviews “Flip the Script”…
articles.philly.com
There comes a moment on pianist Orrin Evans’ new CD when he takes on Gamble & Huff’s “The Sounds of Philadelphia,” quietly passing through the tune alone. The piece is powerful and tragic, a resonant meditation on the gap between jazz and R&B and perhaps the shortcomings of his adopted town.
Evans also dips into Luther Vandross’ “A Br ...Read More
Nate Chinen reviews Orrin Evans for the NYTimes…
www.nytimes.com
Questioning Everything in a Jazz Dialogue: Socratic, Dark and Stormy
Orrin Evans Trio at Jazz Standard
Orrin Evans began one tune in his second set at the Jazz Standard on Tuesday night with a solo piano reverie, ethereal with a touch of the ominous, like Duke Ellington in a sepulchral mood. His dark but delicate sonorities slowly gathered force, until his left hand locked into a t ...Read More
Brandon Wright on The Pace Report…
The Pace Report: “Outward Journeyman”
In a very short time, saxophonist and bandleader Brandon Wright has gained the respect and accolades from the jazz and rock circles over the last decade. His sophomore project “Journeyman” on the Posi-Tone record label has gotten lots of critical acclaim as well as being hailed as one of the best jazz recordings so far in 2012. The disc ...Read More
Brandon Wright on The Jazz Session…
The Jazz Session #386: Brandon Wright
Saxophonist Brandon Wright’s new CD is Journeyman (Posi-Tone, 2012). In this interview, Wright talks about what he learned from playing with Chuck Mangione, Doc Severinsen and Fred Wesley; why he’s chosen to arrange tunes by Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and Oasis; and how improv comedy classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York have made him a b ...Read More
JazzHistory Online reviews Brandon Wright “Journeyman”…
www.jazzhistoryonline.com
BRANDON WRIGHT: “JOURNEYMAN” (Posi-Tone 8095)
There’s a great urgency to the music of Brandon Wright. He seems intent on making every note count and every solo memorable. That spirit permeates throughout his sophomore album, “Journeyman”, whether he is tearing through the changes of “What Is This Thing Called Love” (via his original line “Shapeshifter”), ...Read More