Thinking Out Loud Press Quotes:
“the raw energy and often dark mood of the songs from “Thinking Out Loud” make it one of the more compelling releases this year. It is both dark and hopefully melodic while modern with traditional instrumentation. “Thinking Out Loud” keeps the listerener on edge and at the edge of their seat until the end … anticipating more from this rising star” -Keren Frieske, jazzreview.com “the playing is crisp, clear, and emotionally intriguing … these guys not only know how to play and manipulate their instruments they know to make them and the songs intellectually and aurally stirring. Fantastic stuff that’s incredibly played and subtle in its nature” -First Coast News, Jacksonville, FL “Thinking Out Loud raises the bar for energized, collaborative and highly listenable trio music. Each tuned-in musician contributes highly relevant ideas challenging and complimenting the group. The Trey Wright Trio is an intensely attentive, selfless mix of musicians completely connected to what is going on around them” -Bruce Pulvar, Jazzreview.com “mellow, thoughtful and instrumentally rich. Wright’s interpretation of the dense layers of Yorke’s moody electronic composition is intriguing … a stand out track.” -Ashley Buzzy, Flagpole magazine “Wright’s playing serves to accentuate the rich harmonic ambiance of the compositions. It is sparse and floating, at times almost minimalist, but tastefully captivating. After experiencing the beautiful sensory world on Thinking Out Loud, the listener is left wanting more” -Mike Reynolds, Muzikreciews.com “killer jazz album. Each player in the trio is clearly a master of his instrument. The solos are lyrical and contribute to the conversation within the songs. Beautiful, gripping, intense .. .they nailed it.” -Evan Kepner, No Treble “His style might be influenced by past greats, but is hard to exactly pin down, as he freely discourses on original themes that exude a certain warmth and charm that already brand him an individual. There is a fluid ease to Wright’s playing, where nothing is demanding or forced, yet the urgency in the music is deep within, but never overstated, bold or obvious. Here, musicality trumps flash and bling, an aspect of modern-day electric guitar playing others could take a lesson from.” -Michael G. Nastos, All About Jazz “unhurried guitar jazz, with beautiful compositions and empathetic, thoroughly democratic interplay by the trio. The emphasis … is on creating melodic, atmospheric soundscapes.” -Kai Horsthemke, South Africa |
Where I’m Calling From Press Quotes:
“Blessed with a true gift of tuneful composition, Wright fills Where I'm Calling From with strong hooks that will stay with you for a long time. Furthermore, he knows how to arrange and build a track to tell a story, merging music and drama into a seductive mix that maintains a strong grip on your attention. With its mainstream accessibility and distinctive sound world, Wright's music is truly original.” - All About Jazz.com “Atlanta guitarist Trey Wright is quickly becoming one of the most interesting guitarists on the scene today … the music is edgy, energetic, and will keep you glued to your speakers throughout. Though it is easy to group Wright in with more modern players like Kurt Rosenwinkel Adam Rogers, and Ben Ponder … his sound and writing put him in a category all his own” -Just Jazz Guitar magazine “Trey Wright has an excellent grasp of just what makes jazz music seductive, eerie, and narcotically blissful” -Southeastern Performer “dramatic, precise … versatile, talented performer and composer” -Flagpole Magazine, Athens, GA “Beautifully written and played … guitar work is strong and assured” -Taxi “I enjoyed the cd very much and i will be programming all tracks onto various shows on the internet station "George Jazz" of which I am the program director. Trey's playing is very assured and he is supported by some excellent musicians.” -Mark Robinson, George FM, New Zealand "A very good album that I’ve already started playing tracks from on air. The only problem is, there are SO MANY really good tracks that it is hard to choose which ones to play. Well done!” - Harold Ellison "The Jazz Cafe" TripleU-FM Nowra, New South Wales “Satisfying, thoughtful small group jazz. Trey's laidback style is quite individual. Nice arrangements and good originals!” -Richard Good, Radio One 91 FM (new Zealand) “You need to have this CD in your collection, because no collection is complete without this essential one. Very very good!” - Gi Dussault, Upper Room Radio Show “What a great sound you have, I have played several of your tracks to date and plan to schedule more in future programs. Keep up the good work and please keep me up to date with your progress.” -Michael Criddle OzRadio, Triple H-FM, New Zealand “Interesting album with many twists within. Great work, Loved 'Track 4' "Reflections". We have added it to our lists.” - Graham J Barclay, Soundwave FM, New Zealand " Trey's knowledge of the guitar is very much heard on all the tracks on this CD. The music will hold your attention and bring you back for more. Great job for all concerned on this project.” -Leon Reyes KVMR Radio 89.5 FM Nevada City/Sacramento Ca “many thanks for that great record!” -Robert Lochmann, Radio X, Franfurt “From the very first notes, one knows that we are entering into a great quality jazz album made up of beautiful original compositions by guitar player Trey Wright. The album only gets better through and through, every musician involved in the process is doing a great job. Definitely an album not to be missed” -Pascal Dorban, Radio ARA, Luxembourg “This is a top quality recording,extremely well written, arranged, and produced in addition to some first class Musicianship. It contains a good mix of tempos and styles, the playing is sharp and has at times a bleak feeling which becomes uplifting and creates pictures in the mind of how moods can change. This is an excellent portrayal of feelings and emotions with the positive aspects always dominant. Well done to all concerned with this production.” -John Reid, Keith Community Radio 102.8 FM, Keith, Banffshire, SCOTLAND “Great Album. Fantastic stuff for our Radio Station” -Alex Pijnen, BRTO Radio, The Netherlands All About Jazz CD review by Budd Koppman Trey Wright is another talented musician to add to the must-hear Athens/Atlanta circle of Dromedary and Kenosha Kid. Blessed with a true gift of tuneful composition, Wright fills Where I'm Calling From with strong hooks that will stay with you for a long time. Furthermore, he knows how to arrange and build a track to tell a story, merging music and drama into a seductive mix that maintains a strong grip on your attention. With its mainstream accessibility and distinctive sound world, Wright's music is truly original. His overall sound is a mix of folk music drone, mixolydian modal tunes that flirt between major and minor, and light, Latin-swaying tunes, all played with a jazz ethos, meaning that there is a palpable freeness. In tension with this freedom, the arrangements often eschew the “jazz solo” in exchange for an overall group sound that reflects the Oregon countryside which inspired them. The main group is a trio of the guitarist/leader, bassist Scott Smith and drummer Marlon Patton, who manage to create a sonic envelope that feels much bigger than what a trio could create. Spicing up the sound are guest appearances by tenor saxophonist E. J. Hughes, alto saxophonist Mace Hubbard, trombonist Kevin Hyde and bassist Carl Lindberg (on djembe). There must be something in the water in Georgia, because the three groups mentioned above share a main characteristic, while sounding quite different: technicality takes a back seat to musical and emotive expression. At the same time, there is the unmistakable feeling that any one of the band members could just rip off a line at any time. The lack of a sense of control permeating their music is most definitely a reason it is so attractive. Complexity and energy can be attractive in their own right, and the energy range of Where I'm Calling From is relatively narrow. Perhaps sensing this, Wright throws in “Garlic and Greens,” which, as a straight, swinging blues, might sound quite out of place, except that there is a country & western undertone to it all. Overall, though, Wright and his band have created an attractive release. By the time it's over, you just might hit that play button again. Just Jazz Guitar Magazine November 2006 Atlanta guitarist Trey Wright is quickly becoming one of the most interesting guitarists on the scene today. A longtime member of the modern jazz outfit, Squat, Wright’s debut album Where I’m Calling From, proves that he can also make great jazz as a leader as well as a sideman. The playing and writing on this album are more reminiscent of the east coast vibe of the late ‘90s and early 2000s than of what one would expect from a group residing in the American south. The music is edgy, energetic, and will keep you glued to your speakers throughout. Of particular note is the performance of E.J. Hughes on tenor sax. Hughes has the control to play a slow-moving gripping solo full of melodies and motives as well as turn out a burning, intense solo, and he knows exactly when to play the right notes with the right emotional context. The tunes were all written by Wright except for Nick Drake’s “River Man,” a tune often played by pianist Brad Mehldau, whom Wright cites as one of his biggest influences. Each tune sounds like a composition, not just a vehicle for blowing on. As well, the diversity of each tune allows the album to grow on the listener and not become stagnant or repetitive. I would highly recommend this album to any fan of jazz guitar, especially those who are into the more modern players like Kurt Rosenwinkel, Adam Rogers and Ben Monder. Though it is easy to group Wright in with these great guitarists, his sound and writing put him in a category of his own. Review by Matthew Warnock |