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Press
CD and PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
CONTRA COSTA TIMES : MAY 29, 2008
by JIM HARRINGTON, staff writer
The Berkeley-based jazz saxophonist, who is also handy on the keyboards, performs
in more ensembles than there are nights of the week.
What's really amazing, however, is the wide range of styles represented in those bands.
METROSPIRIT.COM : MARCH 25, 2008
by RICH MCCRACKEN IIr
A potpourri of soundscapes produced by musicians that want to take jazz music to
a higher level of consciousness. Unique listening for jazz and rock fans.
Folkworld - http://www.folkworld.eu/ : February 2008
by Eelco Schilder
Between all the jazz CD's I have to review for this issue of Folkworld, this is by far the most adventures and the best one.
I don't know what the real jazz experts will say,
but this is such a CD that makes jazz interesting for me.
WILSON AND ALROY'S RECORD REVIEWS :
2008
by DBW
It's rare that you hear a jazz combo with an electric guitar but an acoustic bass,
rarer when that guitarist (Michael Abraham) plays distorted sound washes instead
of mild-mannered chords, and rarer still when the horn section plays tightly arranged
bop lines that could've come from a 60s exploitation movie ("Inditranego").
Now imagine all that actually making musical sense.
.... Through all the abrupt mood changes, bassist George Ban-Weiss keeps cooking,
the solos are on point, and the weirdness somehow sounds perfectly appropriate ("G.C.").
Though Abraham's playing is often wild, it's under control, while Marcus himself is usually
heard best during the record's softer moments ("Dave's Castle"). Produced by Stephen Barncard.
GLIDETRACK.COM - Listen To This Shit: : February 6 2008
by Ace Cowboy
The MMQ's pioneered a unique sound here, creating something fresh and exhilarating,
borrowing parts and scrap from the legends heap that many jazz lovers unconsciously enjoy
and cobbling together a new direction. It's familiar and foreign, but all that doesn't matter
-- it's about the music, and this album's better than blind adjectives in any derivative review.
SF WEEKLY : November 14,2007
by Eza Gale
The Special, the new release from local heroes the Mitch Marcus Quintet,
is an interesting case study in the future of the jazz music business.
It's a searing document of progressive jazz that is exactly what major labels like
Blue Note and Verve should be releasing instead of looking for the next Norah Jones.
EJAZZ NEWS : August 17, 2007
by Geannine Reid
Overall, this release is one of those surprises you see every once in a while,
but wait for with every opening of a new CD, the title of this collection of powerful
works is duly named. The unit enjoys residing in the fast lane but with the understanding
that they exhibit controlled burn and significant compositional ability.
The Special is worth the purchase and the addition to any jazz aficionado's collection.
ALL ABOUT JAZZ : July 16, 2007
by Glenn Astarita
This quintet gets out of the gate with a ballsy no-nonsense mode of operations.
San Francisco Bay Area saxophonist Mitch Marcus helps steer the way for his ensemble's
progressive-jazz/fuzoid attack with the agility and timeliness of a rapid-response unit.
Not for the squeamish, the preponderance of these works consist of snaky dual-sax choruses
and blitzing guitar unison runs atop pulsating rhythms. Electric guitarist Michael Abraham
adds a significant edge here via his rangy, distortion-drenched licks
as the band uses space to its advantage.
MIDWEST RECORD REVIEWS : July 3, 2007
by Glenn Astarita
MITCH MARCUS QUINTET/The Special: Recently voted San FranciscoÕs best jazz group,
this sax led crew blows their jazz the old fashioned way, that is if you have skeletons
in your closets that range from Monk to Zappa.Ê
Not revivalists, they play with an open ear cocked to the future but invite you on the
journey as opposed to daring you to make it.Ê
Delightfully hardhitting date that shows the future of jazz is in good hands, this post bop,
hard driving set is sure to open ears from coast to coast to what is brewing by the Bay.Ê Hot
No self-indulgence for SF's Mitch Marcus Quintet : March 21st, 2007
by Kimberly Chun in SFBG: Noise
With saxophonists Mitch Marcus
and Sylvain Carton up front flying in tight formation through some impressive mid-air turns,
it's the quintet's simmering rhythm section that's responsible for continuously building,
tearing down, and rebuilding The Special's beat-driven foundations.
Folkworld - http://www.folkworld.eu/ : February 2008
by Eelco Schilder
Between all the jazz CD's I have to review for this issue of Folkworld, this is by far the most adventures and the best one.
I don't know what the real jazz experts will say,
but this is such a CD that makes jazz interesting for me.
Dagens Skiva - dagensskiva.com : SEPT 10, 2007
by Patrik Hamberg
(Translation from Swedish) Rich jazz with a plowing and ragged electric guitar as an unexpected bonus.
Dirty saxophones and a groovy juicy drive. I love it.
Should have gotten a real review, of course!
San Francisco Chronicle : August 28, 2005
by Daniel King
One of the Bay Area's most riotously swinging young jazz groups,
the quartet serves up post-bop with an array of jagged rhythms.
But just when the sound becomes reckless, they connect the dots brilliantly.
San Francisco Chronicle : June 28, 2005
by Daniel King
Headliners and amateurs alike swing through Amnesia for unforgettable jam sessions
.... Onstage, as on record, his commanding touch and his startling use of the various sounds of bebop -- wobbly, sweltering, explosive -- are unmistakable.
SF Weekly : May 28, 2003
By Sam Prestianni
Bay Area tenor saxophonist Mitch Marcus' quintet evokes jazz's legacy without wallowing in easy retroisms
JazzWest.com
Mitch Marcus, "Entropious"
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