Press
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Quotes: Performance | Quotes: Recordings | Reviews | Interviews | Press Kit Performance Quotes"Johnson's sterling sound and quicksilver mind place him firmly in the modern jazz tradition." – Down Beat "Johnson will be one of the next important cats on trumpet. His tremendous chops serve him very well, as does his clean articulation in every register. He is so relaxed and poised; when you hear him start some many-note phrase containing wide interval leaps, you don't tense up wondering if he'll play it cleanly." – Harvey Pekar, Jazziz Magazine "...it was the understated virtuosity of trumpeter Russ Johnson that ultimately lifted the music to the stratosphere." — The Globe & Mail "Russ Johnson is simply amazing. His melodicism, energy and tone make him sound like the best new trumpet voice since Dave Douglas." – cadence magazine "Johnson has a fine range, good chops, a big, pretty tone, and is never at a loss for ideas." – Jazziz Magazine "Johnson is a player with crisp articulation and intriguing ideas." – JazzTimes "beautifully melodic and yet harmonically challenging" — AllAboutJazz "When trumpeter Russ Johnson takes a solo it's like exploratory surgery!!" – Pulse! "Johnson, for me, was a revelation; he has a lush, open sound, and acres of technique and imagination. His fluid improvisations provide several spine-tingling moments." – jazzweekly.com "Russ Johnson's trumpet solos were another highlight for me. His sound and ideas were like an old friend. Why you haven't heard his name more baffles me, he's head and shoulders above the household names. In short, I really appreciated his ideas and improvising. Wow!" – Saxophone Journal "... effortless ability to move with great fluidity..." – Down Beat "In Johnson's hands, the trumpet is an organic entity. His tone is edgy, sometimes rough, embodying raw emotion." – All About Jazz "Russ Johnson confirms himself once again as one of the more interesting voices that is emerging within the turbulent universe of contemporary music that derives from jazz." – AAJ - Italy "... melodic shreds appear to fascinate him, forcing him to engage in various excursions into restricted and delineated areas, where avant-garde and retro-garde or modernity and tradition don't matter anymore. Where the only thing that matters is the heart..." – All About Jazz-Italy "Trumpeter Russ Johnson is an impressive player." – JazzTimes Recording Quotes"Another, lesser-known (for now) New Yorker who endeared himself to our ears this year: trumpeter Russ Johnson with Save Big, memorable not least for his smooth and suave work with a plunger mute. Johnson makes the horn talk, and what it says makes sense. Good tunes, a pushy rhythm section (with ex-Frisell bassist Kermit Driscoll) and a lean, piano-less quartet lineup with John O'Gallagher on excitable alto set off the leader's limber and slightly raspy horn." – Kevin Whitehead, Emusic.com Best of 2005 "Johnson's Save Big is as auspicious a leader debut as they come." – All About Jazz-New York "A beautiful, wide-ranging, thinking and feeling album, Save Big deserves some serious listening." – All About Jazz "Ultimately, the music and arrangements are engineered upon shifty little revelations that seem uncannily appropriate within the overall game-plan. (Raucously recommended…)" – jazzreview.com "Trumpeter Russ Johnson is also the primary composer here, which is noteworthy because these nine tunes are not merely blowing vehicles, but diverse, thoughtful examinations of mood and genre." – CODA Magazine "Scheinman, Melford, and Johnson have all made their mark (both here and elsewhere) as improvisers drawn to attractive, direct melodies, but confident enough to take brave risks when they lay them out on the musical table. This gives them a certain grounding, no matter how eccentric the side streets they follow." – Charles Walker, Sudden Thoughts "The quartet infers a rather nebulous demarcation between future jazz and mainstream proclamations." – jazzreview.com "Many of the most "far-out" jazz artists today are primarily interested in creating original instrumental styles. Trumpeter Russ Johnson has an unusually warm, rich tone-never harsh, even when he plays in the upper register. His warm tone and phrasing indicate modern classical music influences (which, in fact, he's also adept at playing). Fine examples of Johnson's work appear on the OmniTone CD New Math, where he plays free duets with the excellent pianist/percussionist Mick Rossi. Another fine Johnson CD is Save Big, a quartet disc which features impressive work by him and alto saxophonist John O'Gallagher." – Harvey Pekar, Ruminator Magazine Article "How Will Jazz Survive" April/May 2005 "Diverse, thoughtful examinations of mood and genre...It's a band that balances spirit and restraint, and it's good that they've been given something of substance to play. Altogether, an attractive and occasionally challenging disc." – Coda Magazine Reviews
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