Professional Reviews compiled by Artists Recording Collective (ARC)
5
By Artists Recording Collective
2008 GRAMMY AWARD ENTRY IN TWO CATEGORIES! - ARC
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"Her best to date, and a highly recommended recording, it seems Tonooka is still tapping potential while refining her search techniques on this very satisfying and enjoyable effort. "
- Michael G. Nastos, **** 4 STARS - All Music Guide
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"Tonooka's music is beautifully conceived and enthralling; a constant joy that will hopefully be followed up more often. "
- Jerry D'Souza, All About Jazz
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"... she plays with a mature and entirely personal style that makes her a contender for the ranks of today's jazz piano elite."
- Jeff Dayton-Johnson, ALL ABOUT JAZZ
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"Her compositions are like the fourth player in the room; they veer into unusual patterns and give everyone something challenging. Tonooka tames them, though, making them sound flowing and of one piece."
- Karl Stark, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
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"****"....every single track on the date has something special about it and its really worth trying to get a copy on the internet. UNRESERVEDLY RECOMMENDED"
- Tony Hall****4 STARS, jazzwise magazine
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"...her assets are speed, power, and harmonic and rhythmic ingenuity, the track "Quantum Question" proves that at her best she can knock you down and run you over."
- Thomas Conrad, Jazz TImes
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"Sumi creates a kaleidoscope of timbres & textures in her delivery, as well as a true jazz idiom sensibility with her impressionistic style. She also brings an 'original' voice to piano jazz with her obvious paranormal pianistic skills, thus complementing the art of jazz piano in general. Bravo Sumi!"
- George W Carroll, The Musicians' Ombudsman (eJazzNews)
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"Tonooka has been applauded for being a force of nature on the piano by aficionados of her work, and she still is with the compositions on Long Ago Today. The way her piano rings communicate with the bass pulls and delicate drum shuffles is inviting. " - Susan Frances , JAZZ REVIEW
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"All originals, except for one Cole Porter tune. State of the art postbop, hard for me to nail down, but I'm impressed with how the pieces build and move. B+(***) "
- Tom Hull, Jazz Consumer Guide
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"She teams with Rufus Reid on bass, who she has played with since her debut in 1986, and Bob Braye, who passed away shortly after this recording, but it’s Tonooka’s command of the keyboard that keeps this interesting throughout. The same can be said of her compositions. "
- Kyle O'Brien, Jazz Society of Oregon
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"Tonooka is also flexible enough to engage in three-way dialogue if that's the way a performance unfolds. Nothing outre - just an exceptional player doing her thing well.(****)"
- RAY COMISKEY, THE IRISH TIMES
