5th June 2015: Zhenya Strigalev’s show at Smalls, June 11th 2015, is NY Time Out’s critic’s pick and album ‘Robin Goodie’ receives 4.5* from Downbeat Magazine and 4* from Jazzwise and The Jazz Mann amongst it’s latest round of reviews.
If Smiling Organizm’s debut album introduced the world to Strigalev’s highly personal musical vision, then Robin Goodie finds the band stepping up a gear, increasingly comfortable as a unit, growing to become more than the sum of its considerably talented parts. Matching quirky humour with serious musical intent, delicate melodic hooks with heavyweight rhythmic muscle, this is a band and an album that leaves a vivid impression.
Zhenya will be back for two dates in London later this month. Before that, next week, he will be in NY and his show at Smalls Jazz Club has been selected as critic’s pick in NY’s TimeOut Magazine. (All show dates)
Recent release Robin Goodie continues to gather glowing reviews from the music press. Here are the highlights:
“At the root of it all is Strigalev, whose compositions are so strong that they live up to the talents of the musical titans who join him on this CD. This could be the kind of jazz album that has something for everyone, not out of some sense of catering to the crowd, but because the mood it creates is so universally appealing.”
4.5 Stars, Downbeat Magazine (scroll down to see feature)
“Alto saxist Zhenya Strigalev juices up retro-minded postbop with cutting-edge grooves and madcap intensity on his excellent latest, Robin Goodie.”
TimeOut, NY (scroll down to see listing)
“It can be fast and furious, tender and emotional and a whole lot of fun too, for the listener as well as the musicians. How many jazz recordings can you say that about these days?”
4 Stars + feature, Jazzwise Magazine (scroll down to see feature)
“Expands upon the promise exhibited by the first Smiling Organizm record. An album that is once again bursting with ideas.”
4 Stars, The Jazz Mann (full review)
“Everything is exuberantly, madly creative… All six musicians play with verve and power, the horn section parts being particularly fruity, and the album doesn’t really have any low points, just lots of surprises all the way to the end.”
The Jazz Breakfast (full review)
“This is no stretch limousine of glossy, forgettable soft jazz, but rather an impassioned outpouring of the sax man’s quirky, raw, yet ultimately tuneful creations as composer and instrumentalist…. Crank it up.”
AP Reviews (full review)
“Countless shades and colors, and new ones open up with each listening. Intoxicating!”
Jazz Thing Magazine
“Together with his Smiling Organizm Group consisting of American musicians, some of even Blue Note fame, the exceptional musicians embark on a journey through the depths of jazz expressiveness and combines them with unpolished harmonies and quirky guitar runnings, creating a unique sound world of electronic effects, distorted noise and hectic swing styles. No simple feat, but exceedingly tasty!”
In Music
“Sometimes a CD seems to fall straight from the sky… Strigalev has generated a veritable personal style while surfing through the entire history of jazz… The only certainty is that this music has humor and is highly musical.”
Stereo
“Smiling Organizm is one of the most interesting formations in recent years.”
Boblinger Bote
