10th January 2014: Whirlwind Festival Review in Jazzwise + Ottawa Citizen Reviews for Aruán Ortiz & Michael Janisch Quintet, Euan Burton and Mark McKnight

A recent issue of Jazzwise Magazine has published a rave review of the Whirlwind Festival, held at Kings Place last October. Several gigs from the three day festival are praised including the album launch gigs of Ollie Howell, Rachael Cohen, Andre Canniere plus performances by Phil Robson’s IMS Quintet, Alex Garnett, Partikel, Gareth Lockrane’s Grooveyard, Mike Gibbs and the Aruán Ortiz/Michael Janisch Quintet featuring Greg Osby. The full review can be read below.

Also in today, we have several glowing reviews from the Ottawa Citizen. The review covers three Whirlwind albums including Banned in London by the Aruán Ortiz and Michael Janish Quintet, Do or Die by Mark McKnight and Occurrences by Euan Burton. Banned in London is hailed as a “gathering of potent players who let loose with edgy, extroverted playing” and the playing is described as “a tremendous mix of force, imagination and sophistication”. The review goes on to praise Mark McKnight’s WWR debut saying “If you’re going to title your disc Do Or Die, your music had better have some compelling urgency going for it. Happily, the sophomore disc from the young, Belfast-raised, Berklee College of Music-educated guitarist Mark McKnight lives up to the promise of its name.” Finally, Euan Burton’s Occurences “shows a lot of flair when it comes to composing both driving contemporary tunes and pretty, lyrical material” and “offers a fine program of engrossing and appealing music.”