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The Evolution Suite Quotes & Reviews

Pianist Richard Sussman is among the most ambitious composers on the jazz scene today.

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Much of his wide acclaim - both artistically and professionally—owes to his creative process, which is rooted in tradition yet amenable to new trends and sounds. His latest project, the epic Evolution Suite, exemplifies this creative outlook with dignity and self-assurance. The strength of this unit is its ability to draw lyricism from a variety of stylistic sources, be they straightahead jazz, classical, pop, or free-jazz. And though on occasion those strands can be examined in isolation—the album reaches its highest points when all merge together, which happens with mesmerizing frequency on this engaging album. Richard Sussman’s The Evolution Suite” envisions what the future of chamber jazz might look like. Four Stars! ✮✮✮✮

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Brian Zimmerman, Downbeat

A breath-taking, non stop thrill ride, this is cutting edge yet accessible… a must for those who can set aside an uninterrupted hour to get their minds blown.

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The Evolution Suite is a breath taking ride through the theory to find out what would have happened if Leonard Bernstein collaborated with George Russell. A non stop thrill ride, this is cutting edge yet accessible boundary pushing music that will convert the curious and leave them disappointed when they try to make new and further discoveries on their own with out this as a guide. Not just for eggheads, this is a must for those who can set aside an uninterrupted hour to get their minds blown. Well done.

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Chris Spector, The Midwest Record

Sussman has created a cohesive work displaying his mastery of composition and improvisation, filled with diverse rhythms and themes, splendid dynamics, and also very beautiful moments, often supplied by Sussman himself on piano. The effect of this is thrilling.

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Richard Sussman’s The Evolution Suite for jazz quintet, string quartet, and electronics is an immensely pleasing and effective genre-crossing work, leaping beyond the labels of jazz, classical and other. It seamlessly incorporates elements of surprising electronics that never seem anything but essential to the whole. The old arguments about “what is jazz?” don’t matter here because Sussman is eminently capable in his bold but nuanced explorations, succeeding in erasing those distinctions. Sussman has created a cohesive work displaying his mastery of composition and knowledge of improvisation, filled with diverse rhythms and themes, splendid dynamics, and also very beautiful moments, often supplied by Sussman himself on piano. The effect of this, wafting through the fascinating electronic elements, pulsating punctuation of violins, and backed by a spectacular rhythm section, is thrilling.

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Laurel Gross, NYC Jazz Record

There are no boundaries here… and a wonderful cohesion and focus as it deftly pushes aside labels and genres.

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Arranger/conductor Gunther Schuller coined, in 1957, the term "Third Stream," to describe a musical synthesis of jazz and classical music. Pianist/composer Richard Sussman takes that Third Stream idea a step further with The Evolution Suite, by combining jazz, classical, and electronics. Call it the "Fourth Stream," if labels are of any import. There are no boundaries here. There is an appealing cerebral quality to this work, and a wonderful cohesion and focus as it deftly pushes aside labels and genres.

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Dan McClenaghan, AllAboutJazz.com

Thank you so much for sharing the Evolution Suite video with me. You have a really broad sound palette. The playing is both gorgeous and exciting and I really dig what you are doing with the electronics. Bravo!

Jeffrey Zeigler, cellist (formerly w Kronos Qt)

The Evolution Suite was an amazing and very impressive work! BRAVO & CONGRATULATIONS!

Rufus Reid

Continuum Quotes & Reviews

Sussman’s excellent composing and playing is the driving force at the center of Continuum. All of this great music, reflective but unburdened with mistyeyed sentimentality and played by some of the best in the business, is what makes Continuum an excellent album.

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By reuniting with some of the players who appeared on his 1978 debut Free Fall and presenting a diverse roster of new tunes, Sussman underscores how true musicality is never diminished by the passage of time. Sussman’s excellent composing and playing is the driving force at the center of Continuum. Whether weaving a tender meditation like “The Wayfarer”, comping with Richmond and drummer Jeff Williams, doubling up wonderfully on piano and synthesizer, or building a solo whose intricacy seems to reflect his kinetic energy, Sussman mines countless riches from the keyboard. All of this great music, reflective but unburdened with mistyeyed sentimentality and played by some of the best in the business, is what makes Continuum an excellent album.

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Terrell Holmes, New York City Jazz Record

With Continuum you know you're not only in good hands but ready for an adventure into artistic originality and vibrancy with heady depth. This isn't just music, it's therapy for the thinking jazz fan.

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Sussman's a pianist and synth player and I always really dug his horn charts. He rarely takes the foreground, but, man, the guy knows how to surround himself and then some… and, well, one never knows quite what to expect. That was what made Free Fall such a well acclaimed slab back in the day, and Sussman's done nothing but mature since then. You know you're not only in good hands but ready for an adventure into artistic originality and vibrancy with heady depth. Good long cuts, too. This isn't just music, it's therapy for the thinking jazz fan.

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Mark S Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

What I love about Continuum is how it sifts contemporary execution with a sighing '70s feel. This is tight jazz with a heart. Sample Meridian, which will take your breath away. And catch Randy Brecker on every track. His horn sounds sensational.

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Continuum (Origin) opens with a strong Hank Mobley-esque original by pianist Sussman called Spare Change. From there, the moods change almost by the track. All are composed by Sussman, except for two - Alone Together and Theme for Ernie. What I love about this album is how it sifts contemporary execution with a sighing '70s feel. This is tight jazz with a heart. Sample Meridian, which will take your breath away. And catch Randy Brecker on every track. His horn sounds sensational.

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Marc Meyers, Weekend Wax Bits

Continuum lingers with desirous, impassioned and intrepid melodies, essential in this body of music played with a transcendent eloquence.

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Known for his proficiency as a musician, Richard Sussman is revered among his peers as an accomplished pianist, composer and arranger. On “Continuum,” Richard surrounds himself with some of the most talented musicians around which include Randy Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, Mike Richmond, Jeff Williams, and a guest appearance by guitarist Mike Stern. This project lingers with desirous, impassioned and intrepid melodies, which are essential in this body of music played with a transcendent eloquence.

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Rob Young, Urban Flux Media

Just listened to Continuum .... Man, just beautiful. Great tunes, great playing. And I LOVE the synth textures - they definitely add a nice thing to the vibe of the CD. And I really dug the solo piece too. Loved the whole recording.

Joe Locke

Live at Sweet Rhythm Quotes & Reviews

Given the stature of the performers, it comes as no surprise that the playing is magnificent. The leader’s own well-constructed solos reflect his solid status as a composer.

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In 1979 pianist-composer Richard Sussman released Free Fall , an LP that became something of an underground Post-Bop classic. To celebrate Free Fall’s CD release in 2003, Sussman reconstituted most of the original group for a two-night gig at New York’s Sweet Rhythm. Sussman’s imaginative compositions include the Hard-Bop swinger “Waiting”; the sprightly, dance-like “Mary’s Song”; the blazing, exotic “Tiahuanaco”; the modal “Lady of the Lake”; and the short jagged head “Free Fall”, a jumping off point for some rather uninhibited improvisatory explorations. Given the stature of the performers, it comes as no surprise that the playing is magnificent. The leader’s own well-constructed solos reflect his solid status as a composer.

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David Franklin, Cadence

Live at Sweet Rhythm is outstanding, memorable jazz. Richard Sussman's arrangements deliver driving and involving music, making the most of the harmonic possibilities of the small group form. The group playing is tight, alive to the great possibilities in this music, perhaps now receiving the recognition that it deserves.

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Back in 1978 Richard Sussman led a quintet that produced the much-admired album Free Fall. Twenty-five years later the group reformed at Sweet Rhythm for this live performance. The result is outstanding, memorable jazz. Jerry Bergonzi and Tom Harrell inspire with the depth of their inventiveness. Richard Sussman's arrangements deliver driving and involving music, making the most of the harmonic possibilities of the small group form. The group playing is tight, alive to the great possibilities in this music, perhaps now receiving the recognition that it deserves.

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Ken Watkins, 100 Greatest Jazz Albums

Live at Sweet Rhythm is a celebration in every sense of the word. The performance is so rich and well balanced and soulful.... the feeling of what happens when jazz musicians really interact among themselves and to the response of a gathered group of music lovers is obvious - electric.... a magnificent tribute to jazz by some of the finest musicians you will ever encounter.

Grady Harp, Amazon.com

Sussman is a first rate composer, and the new release features a stellar lineup of first-magnitude players led by Tom Harrell and Boston-based tenor titan Jerry Bergonzi.

Tom Greenland, All About Jazz

This is music without peer.

C. Michael Bailey, AllAboutJazz.com

Free Fall Quotes & Reviews

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What makes Free Fall so memorable is the totality of its gifts—its compositions, its solos, the precocious fluidity of its musicians, the aptness of its instrumental sections, its thematic implicit mystery, its timelessness. Free Fall is a classic in the sense of its individuality and its effect upon the generation of musicians who followed. Free Fall, fortunately, is available once again for re-appreciation and for filling in the holes left by the glancing over of Sussman during discussions of influential jazz composers of the 1970s.

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Don Williamson, 52nd St Jazz.com

Free Fall is unquestionably a lost classic of jazz and Richard Sussman is unquestionably one of jazz music's top composers, his pieces here all displaying a fierce individuality and rare beauty.

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Free Fall is unquestionably a lost classic of jazz and Richard Sussman is unquestionably one of jazz music's top composers, his pieces here all displaying a fierce individuality and rare beauty. That something like "Lady of the Lake" or the title track was being recorded in 1978, when most jazz releases featured electric instruments and disco was still high on the pop charts, is difficult to believe. Certainly this album had a profound impact on the generation of musicians who would try to bring jazz back to where it was before Miles Davis recorded In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew at the close of the 1960s. The late 1970s were supposed to have been a period of little real development in jazz music, but Free Fall demonstrates that there was a lot going on in at least some quarters.

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Marshall Bowden, Jazzitude.com

The re-release of a classic... Richard Sussman produced a truly great document, long overdue for re-release.

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The re-release of a classic... Formerly released on Inner City records in 1979, Richard Sussman's Post Bop masterpiece Free Fall languished for several years before being revived by Jamey Aebersold and Double Time Jazz Records. This maiden voyage smacks of subtle brilliance. Sussman was savvy enough to bring on board a young Tom Harrell, virile Jerry Bergonzi, and a cerebral Larry Schneider. Sussman, who supplies an intelligent and empathetic piano, penned all of the pieces. Richard Sussman produced a truly great document, long overdue for re-release.

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C. Michael Bailey. All AboutJazz.com

Repeated listenings of Free Fall make clear that Richard Sussman has already arrived. This is a contemporary acoustic band playing in a time-honored jazz format. Four Stars! ✮✮✮✮

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Repeated listenings of Free Fall make clear that Richard Sussman has already arrived. As a pianist, his sure technique is put into the service of a flair for well-wrought melody and firmly structured solos; moreover, all the tunes are his, and as a composer he has already stamped them with his interest in dark, deep, and even mysterious themes. As a bandleader, he has assembled here a quintet that could take its place on any stage in the land. This is a contemporary acoustic band playing in a time-honored jazz format.
Four Stars! ✮✮✮✮

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Neal Tesser, Downbeat

Free Fall is a great recording - original, interesting music... I still hear some of these tunes in my head today.

Bob Mintzer

Burning! Even though it was recorded years ago it still sounds fresh today. This is a terrific record... Slammin'!!!

Mike Stern

Free Fall was one of the seminal jazz recordings of the 1970s. It was a huge record for me, and I've turned on the younger generation to this amazing music.

Brian Lynch