18th January 2019: Press round up for In Common: Walter Smith III, Matthew Stevens, Joel Ross, Harish Raghavan and Marcus Gilmore includes ★★★★1/2 from DownBeat Magazine, ★★★★ from All About Jazz and The Jazz Mann and features from France Musique Radio and Canada’s ICI Musique
Walter Smith III – tenor saxophone
Matthew Stevens – guitar
Joel Ross – vibraphone
Harish Raghavan – double bass
Marcus Gilmore – drums
“In Common conveys the shape and feel of traditional jazz while remaining harmonically untethered and melodically free… The best of both worlds.”
★★★★½ DownBeat Magazine
DownBeat Feature: Here
“An excellent debut for the quintet and a follow-up should be eagerly anticipated.”
★★★★ All About Jazz (full review)
“An album with a clean and pure quality to it… A treat to be so simply satisfying.”
Nextbop (full review)
“Striking improvisations from original compositional foundations… The success of In Common’s informal collaboration is in creating a work that is unmistakably alive and instinctive.”
Drumhead Magazine
“An inventive workout for a classy, likeminded and broadminded outfit.”
Jazzwise Magazine
“Subtle, cool and laid back… Gentle explorations executed without bravura but with no lack of technique.”
Bebop Spoken Here (full review)
“On ‘ACE’, Stevens’ ultra-minimal, rock-steady guitar work, over Gilmore and Raghavan’s slowly thwacking beat, allow Smith and Ross to take beautifully expressive solos and also respond to each other in an extremely empathetic and collaborative manner.”
Stereogum (full review)
“A most pleasing listen.”
Citizen Jazz (full review)
“The hyperfluency among these players is never exploited for flash, or mistaken for the main point. It’s simply a means to more lyrical ends, and folded into a model of interplay that suits the name of the band.”
WGBO
“Rich conversations and dialogues.”
Jazz Weekly (full review)
“An unaffected and dynamic recording of succinct, in-the-moment canvases that exhibit an engaging contemporary style.”
Jazziz (full review)
“The part composed, part improvised statements of “In Common” speak succinctly and elegantly... The music is full of excellent ideas and some frequently wonderful playing.”
★★★★ The Jazz Mann (full review)
“Matthew Stevens alternates between giving the greatest backing on the guitar and taking the lead without running out too far ahead seemingly from moment to moment. Walter Smith III ties all of this together on the saxophone, providing sweetness that makes this album sing.”
Nextbop (full review)
“Impressive improvisations from their original compositions… that moment when spontaneity and technical mastery merge into a singular soundscape is captured convincingly in the eponymous album of “In Common”.”
France Musique (website)
“A journey into a rich and intelligent musical universe.”
ICI Musique (Website)
