4/1/2013 New Release: Emilio Teubal - Música Para Un Dragón Dormido

CD release show at Le Poisson Rouge on April 3rd

"Without being too superstitious about it, Música Para Un Dragón Dormido (music for a sleeping dragon), is a reference to the Chinese horoscope as we contemplate 2012, the year of the Dragon. During 2012 I became the father of a little 'dragon', and being an older dragon myself, this event made think about the strong connection with this new creature, and the huge footprint that year left on my being," said Teubal. When the pianist released previous recordings he defined the music as "Argentine jazz", which to him meant, original compositions using elements and rhythms from Argentinean music, plus improvisation. He feels that, "this label it’s not accurate for this album. Of course I hear a lot of Argentinean influences on it: Un simple Objeto has a strong Chacarera flavor (chacarera is a folkloric Rhythm from the north of Argentina). The Constant Reinventor has a 'bordoneo,' (a guitar-like figure very common in Tango music) and several other typical things from Tango music, etc," explained Teubal.

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3/19/2013 New Release: Matt Holman-When Flooded

CD release shows March 20 at The Cornelia Street Cafe, & May 1st at Barbes

The title track of Matt Holman's debut recording, "When Flooded", is a nod to Holman's home state of Arizona, and a common road sign there that warns, "Do Not Enter When Flooded". He explains, "it refers to the summer flash floods so common in the area. The first three words had faded on this particular sign, leaving open a world of interpretive possibility. I thought of what a flood can mean in a desert landscape like Arizona, and how much this idea is reflective of the creative process. I also thought about how the effects of a flood can be felt for so long after the waters have receded, something which became painfully affirmed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. For this piece, I had a great flowing of counterpoint ideas. It is highly organized with short bursts of intense improvisation that reflects the desire we all have at times to break out from systemization into a world of free expression."

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6/26/2012 New Release: The Brooklyn Jazz Underground Ensemble - A Portrait of Brooklyn

In 2011 the members of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground composed new music for their first collaborative effort, A Portrait of Brooklyn, for the premiere in May 2011 at Sycamore in Brooklyn (where the BJU, in collaboration with Connection Works, curates a weekly concert series). These performances marked the first time that the BJU members came together as an ensemble (previously they have only operated as an association of bandleaders performing independently with their own groups). "Performing together proved to be such a wonderful experience for us that we unanimously decided to record and release this collection of music. The CD, featuring two compositions from each member, that are reflective of our experiences living in Brooklyn, is not an attempt at defining or representing Brooklyn, it is simply A Portrait", said bassist/composer Iversen.

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5/15/2012 New Release: Arthur Kell - Jester (Live in Germany II)

The Jester could be demented, wise, foolish, unpredictable, indispensable - a mercurial figure, and that is the point. Like an artist, their license was flexibility, their job was to say what others could only think, their aim was perspective. Kell explains, "I had found myself one day writing flippant phrases for a tune. So I called it 'Jester'. But I soon realized that they were so much more than wily jokers. They were all over the planet for many centuries - in the halls of Montezuma, Babur in India, caliphs in Kufa, Queen Elizabeth, Henry VIII, Chinese emperors and across Africa. They were the wild card which kept a leader thinking clearly, often wielding vast influence. But more broadly, they were a trickster, that vital character at the heart and dawn of human society that crossed boundaries to open the imagination. In another guise, they were Hermes and Coyote. I love the fact that they could come from anywhere: a poet, a duck-herder, a musician, a hunchback. And it was a gig."

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5/15/2012 New Release: Jeremy Siskind- Finger Songwriter

Finger Songwriter is designed to tell a story of dealing with loss. The opening line sung, “I’d like to learn how to lose,” serves as an indication of the emotional gamut, and variety of human conditions, that Siskind explores through words and music; from nostalgia, to denial, to madness, and eventually to resolve, optimism and hope.

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5/15/2012 New Release: Isaac Darche-BOOM-BAP!TISM

A great sense of excitement and joy permeates the music on Boom-Bap!tism, the sophomore CD release from guitarist/composer Isaac Darche, featuring Darche on guitar, Sean Wayland on Hammond B3, and the ubiquitous Mark Ferber on drums. "I think the mojo, or the special sauce, of this session was excitement. Sean, Mark and I were just really going for it. We were having so much fun in the studio and the results exceeded our expectations", said Darche. "I believe this album reflects my values as a musician. I try to respect and extend the jazz guitar tradition from inside its own logic, and produce a product that is original and new in some way. I give 110% everyday, trying to constantly improve, and I believe this is what it takes to create something that inspires people and opens their imaginations to new possibilities."

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3/27/2012 New Release: Anne Mette Iversen - Poetry of Earth

Poetry of Earth is the newest musical creation from the heart, soul, and life of bassist/composer, Anne Mette Iversen. This double CD is a collection of art songs: eighteen English and Danish poems set to a unique combination of extended composition and jazz improvisation. The music was conceived while Iversen spent time at an artists’ residency in a thousand year old cloister on the cliffs of Italy’s Amalfi coast. The poems, from Romantic to contemporary, were all chosen as meditations on human nature, and the nature of the world around us. The Poetry of Earth musicians are world-renowned as improvisers, and have each developed a personal sound and identity that they contribute selflessly for the realization of this singular music.

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2/7/2012 New Release: Josh Ginsburg - Zembla Variations

Josh Ginsburg on Zembla Variations: I have lived in Red Hook, Brooklyn for the past five years. Aside from "Push Bar", all of the songs on this album were written in this period. In Red Hook there was, until recently, a small furniture company called Nova Zembla. In Nabokov's "Pale Fire", Zembla is a distant land that becomes less and less real (and more bizarre) as we learn more about it. It seemed obvious that “new” Zembla must be Red Hook. This little neighborhood just across the water from Manhattan is also pretty unreal; a Midwestern-like village with a view of the Statue of Liberty.

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10/17/2011 New Release: Dan Blake- The Aquarian Suite

With Blake’s The Aquarian Suite, to be released on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records on October 17, you have a recipe for a wildly successful jazz recording; eight new jazz compositions for “chordless quartet” that stretch the boundaries of modern jazz while staying true to the forms set by the masters; a “Mingus meets Monk” quality of blues-inflection, compositional unity, and ever-present melodicism; and an incredible band comprised of Blake on tenor saxophone, Jason Palmer (Greg Osby, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roy Haynes, Ravi Coltrane, etc) on trumpet, Jorge Roeder (Gary Burton, Julian Lage, Alex Acuna, Maria Schneider) on bass, and the ubiquitous Richie Barshay (Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spaulding, Lee Konitz, Chick Corea, etc) on drums and percussion.

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9/27/2011 New Release: Rob Garcia - The Drop and the Ocean

Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records releases the latest creative tour-de-force from the inspired drummer /composer /bandleader, The Drop and The Ocean, the follow up to Rob Garcia’s previous, critically-acclaimed recording on BJURecords, Perennial. The Drop and the Ocean features Garcia’s working band, including two young sensations and regulars in the group for the past three years, Noah Preminger (saxophones) and Dan Tepfer (piano), as well as the future bass legend and long time friend, John Hebert.

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8/30/2011 New Release: Oscar Peñas - From Now On

On August 30, 2011, Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records releases the third recording, From Now On, from guitarist/composer Oscar Peñas. Utilizing a multi-cultural band with members from the U.S., Japan and Argentina, Peñas delivers an album of music that he is very attached to, as it truly defines who he is as a Barcelona-born/Brooklyn-based composer and improviser. Paradoxically, Peñas feels that he had to be removed geographically from his native Spain to compose the music for From Now On. The recording is many things, but it is predominantly Peñas’ personal and heartfelt reflection on his cultural heritage.

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6/7/2011 New Release: Jeff Fairbank's Project Hansori - Mulberry Street

Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records is proud to announce the June 7, 2011 release of Mulberry Street from trombonist/composer Jeff Fairbanks' Project Hansori. This debut album won an American Music Center Recording Grant, and features Fairbanks' distinct compositions for big band, augmented with traditional Asian instruments, in his innovative and groundbreaking concoction of Asian folk music and modern Jazz. Existing recordings of this nature (traditional Asian fused with jazz) are very rare, and nearly unprecedented for an ensemble of this size. Project Hansori features an uber-talented cast of 22 of some of the most in-demand and acclaimed jazz musicians today, including Linda Oh, Fred Ho, Remy LeBeouf, Erica von Kleist, and Sebastian Noelle, combined with traditional Asian instruments. Grammy-nominee Darcy James Argue produced the recording sessions.

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5/24/2011 New Release: Anne Mette Iversen- Milo Songs

Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records releases the latest burst of creativity and beauty from the fertile and imaginative mind of bassist/composer Anne Mette Iversen; with a little help from her young son, Milo. All of the music on Anne Mette Iversen Quartet – Milo Songs, grew from a little melody that Milo made up when he was two, which can be found in all of the compositions on this album. The music reflects on, and pays tribute to, a child’s world, through the exploration of his experiences and perspective. Each composition aims to tell stories about the life of a child, such as the turbulence of a new sibling in the home, the ability to exclude the world around you, the intense focus on something seemingly unimportant to others, the fantasy world, the stubbornness, the strong will and fight for ideas and wants, the dreams shared with mom in the morning, and so forth.

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4/1/2011 Alexis Cuadrado's "Noneto Ibérico" all over the media

Alexis' new CD is receiving much press attention:

Radio:
Alexis appeared on WBGO's "The Checkout" for a live performance with a quintet and an interciew. Listen to it HERE.

Also "The Jazz Session" with Jason Crane dedicated an entire episode to "Noneto". Check it out HERE.

Press:
The New York City Jazz Record ran a wonderful review on Noneto, get it HERE.
Another great review from the Inside World Music blog.
Richard Kamins reviews Noneto in his blog Step Tempest.
The Indianapolis Star also reviews the album, and so does Midwest Record.
CD release concerts in NYC were listed by The New Yorker, Time Out New York and The New York Times.

2/12/2011 Owen Howard's "Drum Lore" has been nominated for a Juno Award (the Canadian Grammys)

Owen has made it to the top of the Canadian musical industry. Check out the Juno Awards website!

2/1/2011 Spring 2011 New releases: Alexis Cuadrado's "Noneto Ibérico", Nadav Remez's "So Far", Jeff Fairbanks Project Hansori's "Mulberry Street" and Anne Mette Iversen's "Milo's Songs"

BJURecords is proud to announce 4 new releases this spring:

Bassist-composer Alexis Cuadrado's "Noneto Ibérico" is his 4th CD (and 2nd with BJUR) and is a fascinating exploration of the confluence of Flamenco and Jazz. You can check a fantastic EPK of "Noneto" on Youtube. It will be released on March 1st (digital) and 15th (Physical) 2011.

Nadav Remez is a guitarist and composer whose music is gaining the attention of both fans and music critics worldwide. his debut album "So Far" captures a magical performance by Nadav and his band, in one hour of adventurous musical journey. Released April 15th

Asian folk music-inspired original compositions for large Jazz ensemble augmented with traditional Asian instruments. “Mulberry Street” features a cast of 22 musicians, including kayageum (Korean harp), various Chinese and Korean percussion, and acclaimed guest baritone saxophonist Fred Ho, along with my large Jazz ensemble. Released May 1st, 2011

The music for the Anne Mette Iversen Quartet’s upcoming album will be a meditation on childhood. In a literal way, the pieces are derived from a simple melody that Anne Mette’s son Milo used to sing over and over again at 2 years of age. released May 15th, 2011

1/1/2011 BJURecords chosen amongst the best Record Labels of the year by the DownBeat reader's poll.

OK so this is a big one... we were amongst the chosen ones. 103 Downbeat readers thought of us as the hippest label of the year. We are humbled and yet proud of this acomplishment for our artist-run company!

11/15/2010 Two New Releases

BJURecords is proud to announce the 2 new releases from pianists Jeremy Siskind and David Cook.

BJUR020
Jeremy Siskind
Simple Songs (For When The World Seems Strange)
Featuring: Jeremy Siskind (piano, compositions), Jo Lawry (voice), Chris Lightcap (bass), Ted Poor (drums)

BJUR 021
David Cook
Pathway
Featuring: David Cook (piano, compositions), Matt Clohesy (bass), Mark Ferber (drums)
Produced by Bruce Barth

Upcoming releases for 2011 will be Alexis Cuadrado's "Noneto Ibérico" and Anne Mette Iversen's new CD. Stay Tuned!

11/3/2010 Owen Howard's "Drum Lore!" reviewd on WHYY's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross"

Amazing review of Owen's CD-Check it out!

8/14/2010 massive praise for Owen Howard's "Drum Lore!"

Owen's release is receiving multiples rave reviews, including this week's Sunday NY Times. Check them out!

NYTimes Sunday magazine review by Nate Chinen

Step Tempest review by Richard Kamins

Blog Critics review by Jordan Richardson

Review by Indy Star (Indianapolis)

7/15/2010 Sunny Jain's "Taboo" receives great reviews!

State Of Mind Music Blog

EZJazzNews blog

Allaboutjazz

Midwest Record

MTV Viggy Blog

NY Daily News

The Jazz Session.com

All About Jazz (Vox Column)

4/12/2010 BJURecords proudly announces the release of 4 more CDs this spring. We're happy to be the home of these forward-thinking Brooklyn-based artists. Look out!

Mike Fahie "Anima"
Mike Fahie (trombone), Bill McHenry (tenor saxophone), Ben Monder (guitar), Ben Street (bass), Billy Hart (drums). Produced by John McNeil.
Released on April 25th 2010.

"Anima" Reviewed at Step Tempest by Richard Kamins

David Smith "Anticipation"
Nate Radley ( guitar), Gary Wang ( bass), Greg Ritchie ( drums), Kenji Omae (sax).
Digital release May 4th 2010, physical release May 25th 2010.

Sunny Jain "Taboo"
Digital release May 20th 2010. Physical release May 30th 2010

Owen Howard "Drum Lore"
Owen Howard (Drums/arr.), John O’Gallagher (alto), Adam Kolker (ten, sop, bass clr.), Alan Ferber (trb) Andy Middleton (ten, sop), Frank Carlberg (pno), Johannes Weidenmeuller (bass)
Released August 24th 2010

4/12/2010 More Rave reviews and interviews!

BJUR feature on the April issue of ICON magazine

Arthur Kell's "Victoria" recommended in the Village Voice Jazz Consumer guide

Alexis Cuadrado and Anne Mette Iversen featured on NPR's "A Blog Supreme"

3/13/2010 Reviews, reviews, reviews, reviews!!!

Arthur Kell's "Victoria" reviewed in the February 2010 issue of Jazzwise Magazine

Rob Garcia's "Perennial", Randy Ingram's "The Road Ahead", and Andy Cotton's "Last Stand at the Havemeyer Ranch" reviewed at Allaboutjazz Italia (in Italian)

Group review of "Last Stand...", "The Road Ahead" and "ACT" on the March issue of Jazz Journal

"ACT" reviewed on Downbeat's March issue

12/23/2009 BIg News!!!

12/13/2009
RAVE REVIEWS FOR BJUR'S NEW BATCH OF CDS
Ingram, Garcia, Cotton and ACT are being praised for their outstanding releases on BJUR. Check Them Out!

Review of Any Cotton's "Last Stand at the Havemeyer Ranch" review on E-music.

Review of the 4 CDs on "Something Else Reviews"

Review of Randy Ingram's "The Road Ahead": Boston Herald

Review of Rob Garcia's "Perennial" and Randy Ingram's "The Road Ahead" on Allaboutjazz

Review of Rob Garcia's "Perennial" and Randy Ingram's "The Road Ahead" on Hartford Courant

Review of ACT on Allabout jazz and Hartford Courant by Richard Kamins

10/20/2009
BROOKLYN JAZZ UNDERGROUND RECORDS
To Release New Recordings From:  Andy Cotton, Rob Garcia, Randy Ingram and ACT

Digital Release Date – November 10, In Stores – November 17

BJURecords CD Release Celebrations:
Tues., Nov 10 @ The Cornelia Street Cafe:  Randy Ingram with John Ellis (saxophones), Matt Clohesy (bass), Joechen Rueckert (drums)  

Wed., Nov 11 @ The Cornelia Street Cafe:  Rob Garcia 4 with Noah Preminger (tenor saxophone), Dan Tepfer (piano) and Drew Gress (bass)

Fri, Dec 11th @ Nublu:  Andy Cotton's "Dutch" with Yuval Lion (drums), Adam Klipple (keys), Kris Bauman (sax), Andy Cotton (bass)

Following the immensely successful 3rd Annual BJU Festival held at Smalls this past January, and the release of its second wave of recordings (from Arthur Kell, Daniel Kelly & Guilherme Monteiro), Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records is set to release the  third wave of new recordings on the artist run label: "Last Stand at The Havemeyer Ranch” from bassist/composer Andy Cotton, “Perennial”, from drummer/composer Rob Garcia, “The Road Ahead”, the debut recording from pianist/composer Randy Ingram, and the debut recording from ACT – featuring Ben Wendel, Harish Raghavan and Nate Wood.  These recordings will be released digitally on November 10, and in stores on November 17.

6/9/2009
Guilherme monteiro to appear live on WNYC's SOUNDCHECK with John Schaeffer.

Guitarist Guilherme monteiro will appear live with his quartet on WNYC's SOUNDCHECK on Thursday June 18th at 2PM E.T.

Don't miss it!

6/9/2009
All About Jazz New York features BJUR on their LABEL SPOTLIGHT

BJU Records
by Matthew Miller

With a name that conjures smoky clubs in cabforsaken neighborhoods, the approachably progressive ethnic and global appeal of Brooklyn Jazz Underground (BJU) might surprise the uninitiated.  The association, which has thrived on the practical notion of collective strength and shared PR, has also served as another example of the musical microcosm its namesake borough has become. ...... Read the full article HERE

6/2/2009
New BJUR CD reviews

The second batch of BJUR CDs is already catching serious media attention. Check out our PRESS page!

4/20/2009
BROOKLYN JAZZ UNDERGROUND RECORDS To Release New Recordings From Arthur Kell, Daniel Kelly + Guilherme Monteiro

Digital Release Date – May 12, In Stores – June 9

BJURecords Festival at the JAZZ GALLERY in NYC

Thurs June 18: Bernard, Emer, Beckham, Schuller, Will Bernard (gtr), Andrew Emer (b), Tom Beckham (v), George Schuller (d) 

Fri June 19: Alexis Cuadrado Cuarteto Ibérico, Alexis Cuadrado (b), George Colligan (p), Brad Shepik (gtr), Jordan Perlson (d, perc)

Sat June 20: Guilherme Monteiro Quartet, Guilherme Monteiro (gtr, )Jorge Continentino (ten s), Alexis Cuadrado (b), Anthony Pinciotti (d)

Thur June 25: Arthur Kell Quartet, Loren Stillman (al s), Brad Shepik (gtr), Arthur Kell (b), Mark Ferber (d)

Fri June 26: Daniel Kelly Trio, Daniel Kelly (p), Chris Tarry (b), Jordan Perlson (d)

Sat June 27: Anne Mette Iversen Quartet, Anne Mette Iversen (b), John Ellis (s), Danny Grissett (p), Quincy Davis (d)

Click here to download a full press release.

5/19/2008
Anne Mette Iversen is the NPR Download of the day

Anne Mette Iversen: Putting Strings to Swing
By Patrick Jarenwattananon
Hear the track "West" on NPR Music

5/16/2008
The Brookyn Eagle interviews BJURecords

Read this feature in the Brooklyn Eagle Newspaper
See our PRESS page for complete reviews.

5/15/2008
Alexis Cuadrado on NPR Music

Alexis Cuadrado: Jazz from the Underground
By Josh Jackson
Hear an interview and performance on NPR Music

5/12/2008
AllMusic reviews

"Night for Day", "Puzzles" and "Best of the West + Many Places" are reviewed in AllMusic guide online magazine, one of the most relevant music websites worldwide.

See our PRESS page for complete reviews.
Click HERE to visit AllMusic online.

5/1/2008
Allaboutjazz Reviews

"Puzzles" and "Best of the West + Many Places" are reviewed in the May edition of this prestigious jazz magazine.

See our PRESS page for complete reviews.
Click HERE to download a PDF of this review.
Click HERE to visit AllAboutJazz online.

5/1/2008
Jazz Improv NY magazine interviews Anne Mette iversen and Alexis Cuadrado

BJUR artists Anne Mette Iversen and Alexis Cuadrado tell about how BJUR came to be and how the company originated from the Brooklyn Jazz Underground collective.

See our PRESS page for complete reviews.
Click HERE to download a PDF of this review.
Click HERE to visit Jazz improv NY online.

4/11/2008
Anne Mette iversen on WNYC's "Soundcheck"

Anne Mette was invited a special guest in this edition of the popular WNYC show hosted by John Schaeffer. Click HERE to listen to this broascast.

4/10/2008
BJUR releses reviewed by Hartford Courant

Richard Kamins reviews Puzzles, Best of the west + Many Places, and Night For Day.

See our PRESS page for complete reviews.

Clich HERE to download a PDF of this review

3/26/2008
Reviews of BJUR releases

CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher of Midwest Record reviews Puzzles, Best of the west + Many Places, and Night For Day.
See our PRESS page for complete reviews

3/10/2008
Official Launch of BJUR!

For Immediate Release:

Members of the The Brooklyn Jazz Underground Announce
The Launch of BROOKLYN JAZZ UNDERGROUND RECORDS

BJURecords Kicks Off With Its First Three Releases From Alexis Cuadrado, Anne Mette Iversen and Bernard Emer Lackner Ferber – Available on April 22

“This Spring, members of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground, Alexis Cuadrado, Anne Mette Iversen and Benny Lackner will launch Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records (BJURecords) with three new recordings of all original music.  This new label, a sister company to the 10 member Brooklyn Jazz Underground collective, has grown out of the entrepreneurial, do-it-yourself spirit that gave birth to the BJU in January of 2007.  With the launch of BJURecords these artists not only continue to be at the forefront of a creative boom that is currently emanating from Brooklyn, but they now engage in releasing their music internationally, starting with new recordings from bassist/composer Alexis Cuadrado, bassist/composer Anne Mette Iversen and Bernard Emer Lackner Ferber, a new ensemble featuring BJU member, pianist/composer Benny Lackner, guitarist Will Bernard, bassist Andrew Emer and drummer Mark Ferber.

BJURecords Artists: CD Release Celebrations/Performances

Friday, May 23 @ The Jazz Gallery (www.jazzgallery.org):
ALEXIS CUADRADO PUZZLES QUARTET – CD Release Celebration for Puzzles
Alexis Cuadrado (bass), Loren Stillman (alto sax), Brad Shepik (guitar), Mark Ferber (drums)

Saturday, May 24 @ The Jazz Gallery (www.jazzgallery.org):
ANNE METTE IVERSEN QUARTET
Anne Mette Iversen (bass), John Ellis (saxophones), Danny Grissett (piano), Otis Brown III (drums)
& AMI QUARTET & 4CORNERS (strings)
CD Release Celebration for the double disc release –  Best of the West/Many Places

Saturday, JUNE 14 @ Smalls (www.smallsjazzclub.com):
BERNARD EMER LACKNER FERBER – CD Release Celebration for Night For Day

"Consider this the opening shot in the latest revolution to hit New York's improv scene.” – Time Out New York

“Think of it as a mix-tape, a calling card from artists who operate in a small world but like to think big.” – JazzTimes (on the BJU Compilation, Vol. 1)

“Brooklyn jazz is happening and those who venture across the bridge will be delighted by the hard-edged ethnically-flavored jazz that they find on the other side.  Two great places to start exploring the new artist collective known as ‘The Brooklyn Jazz Underground’ are Sign of the Times and This is My House, the latest from keyboardist Benny Lackner and bassist Anne Mette Iversen respectively.” – All About Jazz New York

“The Brooklyn Jazz Underground is a coalition of artists united by aesthetics as well as geography.” – The New York Times