Quotes
"Walrath is equipped with a dry wit, and a full trumpet sound which ably stands the test of his arresting arrangements."
"....a major statement"
"The charts are excellent, the playing superb, and Walrath gets to throw in some surprises, including two songs with Willie Nelson...."
"....he neither plays by the rules nor plays it safe." "In addition to seven brilliant, unique richly orchestrated originals, Walrath totally rearranges two country classics that feature none other than Willie Nelson on vocals and guitar."
"....an alternation of in and out which ignores the boundaries some players set for themselves --- the sorts of boundaries Jack Walrath ignores."
"....approaches the material here from unexpected angles and occasionally veers off in surprising directions. A thinking man's trumpeter...." "....a bracing experience for the discerning listener."
"....among the most impressive and commanding jazz of 1988." "....in the last several years his recordings have been uniformly excellent. The excitement and intensity are non-stop....a careening, non-stop bout of brilliant improvisation."
"....comes across as an assured, seasoned performer." "The weighting of high-energy blowing against ballads works well in "Wholly Trinity". There's a consistency both in the compositions and the playing that makes the recording cohere."
"Blues Album of the week! Mr. Walrath's arrangements stay unpredictable, and he rolls through them with well-honed dynamics, then leaps into solos."
"It boasts a collection of shapely tunes that are anything but mindless pap. What inspired this emotional effort?"
"....the brassiest tone since Lester Bowie.... imaginative and immensely enjoyable...."
"....there are few more compelling composers in a jazz idiom than this canny veteran of the last Mingus Quintet."
".....the band swings low and hard. The strong music bonhomie evident in the ensemble playing is a tribute to Walrath's bravura style, as well as, to his belief that good music can be a barrel full laughs."
"....ebullient, ringing sound...."
"Raucous, spontaneous, looking forward....trumpeter Walrath and company score big while dishing up serious fun....This is a party!"
"The Smell of the Blues is a terrific number, sure to be covered.....in the main the mood is upbeat, even jovial."
"....different, striking stuff." "There's a lot of funny music -- I Can't Get Started, with the leader whipping the mute in and out of the trumpet, is a killer --- and some poignancy, even passion."
"....an unusually intelligent consecration of jazz and strings."
"....adventurous album....a daring endeavor that deserves to be heard."
"I can't see this disc in any Top Ten sellers, though again it ought to be."