| “It takes a musician’s true artistic love and commitment to the art to really peer through his or her music to find this type of end. A brilliant, structured, and well-conceived album.” |
| -- JazzReview.com |
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“The public felt it. It was bewitching. Someone could even think that the audience was hypnotized – smiles glued to happy faces and head nodding with rhythms of African American melodies.”
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| -- "Youth" (Yaroslavl, Russia) |
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“A ear opening set creative music fans are sure to dig.”
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| -- Midwest Record |
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"A great, high-octane session featuring the incredible Keith Javors on piano." (Chicago Jazz Festival)
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| -- JazzChicago.net |
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| “Javors' updating of the jazz idiom doesn't reek of a desperate attempt at commercialization, but an honest effort to bridge the gap between old and new...will keep the listener off-balance nicely with its sense of musical freedom, while marking Javors as an artist with a colorful palette of sound.” |
| -- JazzChicago.net |
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“Jazz pianist, (and one of my favorites) Keith Javors succeeds in his endeavor to create an emotionally filled memorial...He has a distinct propensity to bring a variance of color to his music, and so he does with his exceptional sojourn into his artistic and expressive journey of solid and viable piano jazz.”
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| -- Cabaret Exchange |
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"Javors is a hard-working pianist: behind a grand piano he shows very solid preparation, huge knowledge of harmony and wide jazz erudition...At the end the Russian-American ensemble was awarded with a hot applause by the audience."
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| -- Jazz ru |
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“The go-to man who seizes the moment, while at the same time opening the doors of perception, not only for himself to explore, but also for the other musicians, who quickly latch on to the openings he has created.”
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| -- Shadoplay/AllAboutJazz |
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| "Not since Kenny Garrett's Standard of Language and Terence Blanchard's Bounce has there been a post bop album this exciting. Mo' City Jungle is not for the faint-at-heart; this is vital, energized music that is captivating from start to finish." |
| -- AllAboutJazz.com |
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| "Javors distinguishes himself as a bandleader intent on collective envelope-pushing...It's full steam ahead for this potent sextet." |
| -- Jazz Times (Bill Milkowski) |
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| "There's a freshness here like Spring after an extremely severe winter. Keith Javors is a singular individual who has made the entire world his resource area and now speaks with his own individual voice…a creative force with an urgent message that cannot be denied." |
| -- Bunky Green |
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| "The degree of hard work, patience, study, blood, sweat and tears necessary to produce a band of this quality is phenomenal." |
| -- Jazz Now |
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| "Javors' compositional imagination goes beyond the hard bop references of that first track. Among his other strengths, perhaps Javors' concern for the people he meets and his well-wishing for the world community at large characterizes his work. His music has much to say, and the time spent in enjoying it is well worth the investment." |
| -- JazzReview.com |
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| "Another guiding light is conductor Dr. Keith Javors. "Through his ears" comes the discipline, tightness of section work and, above all, the dynamic shadings heard on both these CDs." |
| -- Jazz Education Guide, presented by Jazz Times |
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| "It is a wonderful song so I can see why the musicians are drawn to it and play such wonderful solos on it. That's the truest test of a good jazz tune." |
| -- Dave Brubeck |
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| "Javors deserves a big pay raise for guiding and inspiring this 19-piece band to excellence. This band is simply a knockout." |
| -- Jazz Times |
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| "Javors gives the lie to the trite statement that those who can't, teach. The young professor leads a piping hot quintet from his piano chair. Like a latter-day Blakey outfit, the listener is witness to searing solo cascading over searing solo as if emerging molten from the depths of an active volcano." |
| -- Ejazznews.com |
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| "Well worth checking into, his tunes cover a canvas of varied territories and energies interpreted by a tight unity in timefeel and mutual alertness in improvisation. Javors satisfies an appetite for the musically punctuated with surprising twists and turns." |
| -- Jazz Education Journal (IAJE) |
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| "A charismatic and deeply talented man." |
| -- Florida Times Union |
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| "An elegant, charming album that shines both in its carefully crafted compositions as well as top-notch performance…An atmospheric spirit that can compete with the most rare of imported, red wines. A must-have for followers of Kenny Garrett and Mulgrew Miller." |
| -- CDBaby.com |
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| "Javors displays his considerable talents as a potent pianist, a creative composer, and an inspired improviser, in addition to the leadership ability he clearly displays as the person in charge of this fiery, hard hitting ensemble." |
| -- Russ Musto (Village Voice) |
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| "The performances range from melancholy and contemplative to swinging and bluesy to exuberant and burning." |
| -- Jazz Times |
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| "Keith Javors played tastefully all night." |
| -- The Dallas Morning News (1995 show w/ Gerry Mulligan) |
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| "The quartet doesn't stray far from ghosts of the Motor City sound. Javors knows what it takes to craft a listenable album…doesn't override with aimless strokes." |
| -- Bloomington Independent |
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| "The ensemble never misses a cue or misreads a note, enabling Keith Javors to score a bulls-eye on his second album as director. When all is said and written, university-level ensembles simply don't get much better than this, and I have no Second Thoughts about recommending the album to anyone who appreciates a well-endowed contemporary big band." |
| -- AllAboutJazz.com |
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| "Does the state also have to produce what is probably one of the best jazz ensembles in the country? Directed by Dr. Keith Javors, the ensemble perhaps comes closest all-around to matching a professional big band for polish, power and dynamic shading...The kids play the heck out of it all." |
| -- DownBeat |
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| "One of the best teachers in the country…the guy to take it to the next level." |
| -- Bunky Green |
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| "Readily an object of commendation, the ensemble justifies its winning recognition. Laudable performances reflect sustained effective efforts by Director Javors." |
| -- Jazz Educators Journal |
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| "There is serious management behind this college band…a hard working ensemble that cares, and it shows." |
| -- Jazz Now |
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| "Yes, that's the band readily nailing everything from Ellington to Mingus, Michael Brecker to Oliver Nelson, Herbie Hancock to Pat Metheny? How director Keith Javors is able to maintain such high standards in the face of sweeping personnel changes is beyond me." |
| -- AllAboutJazz.com |
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