Home    Gigs    Music   Praise

Some kind words from satisfied JNS customers

I must admit that if I were trapped on a desert island and only allowed 30 discs, yours would be one without a doubt. It is one of my favorites in my 300+ collection. You guys melt together with perfection. the bassist is Jaco in another body. And you have taken Synth to another level. I almost have to be alone when I hear it because it sends me into another place...

...the album is f'n great. With all of the new directions that music is going in these days you guys are covering some ground in a very interesting way. What a great combo of jazz/space/funk/fantasy. You guys have a distinctive, original sound and I have played your disc for people who were freaked out by it. I will try to catch you at the Tap Bar this month. From one guitarist to another- you guys combine melody, rhythm, and harmony in a truly tasteful way. Keep it up!

Hey Joel, My friend Andy was visiting New York recently and caught you at the Knitting Factory. He bought your "One" CD at the show and recommended that I borrow it. I am really impressed. Tight and original, with expert playing throughout. Thanks. I'm going to order a CD. Feel free to put me on a mailing list if you're going to be touring anytime in the future.

Joel, I love your album. No shitten'. You have succeeded in combining the   groove thing with catchy melodies (there are some nice "tunes" on there) and  explore the improv realm all at once. Thats a hard balance to do without simply adding one of those attributes in a token way. You should be proud of this project.

I played it through once and felt the same as when I heard you live.....the music is original, thoughtful, highly workmanlike, and yes, there are some beautiful melodies there! I have never heard effects used in such a musical way. They are not simply thrown on top of the music, but an integral part of your conception of sound. More later...and many, many thanks!

The cd is FANTASTIC. Congratulations!

[This CD is] very hip, but in a way that doesn't have to STRAIN for hipness like some cutting edge players do -- the originality is just naturally overflowing, so there's no need to strain for it, and there's a nice humorous ironic level that's always there...

I heard "Lunch in the Park" on the radio and had to find out who the band was and how I could hear them.     --a woman whose name I forget who came to a recent show in Dayton or Columbus, OH

Misc.

"Provocative yet 'feel-good,' sophisticated yet primitive, dynamic yet static, and just plain sexy!"

                                                                                                                                              --Jane Becker, East Coast Programs Coordinator, Girl Scouts of America

"These guys really make me feel young again."

                                                                                                                                                       --Paul Bubeck, CEO, Bubeck Home Furnishings and Designs, Spokane, WA

"They rock, they roll, they jazz-it-up and knock me down; they groove me hard then leave me for dead; they beat me about the head and neck and then they say hurtful things about people in my family; they once tried to rob me and often threaten to kill me if I don't go to their shows. SEE THIS BAND!!!

                                                                           --Ted Koppel, News Anchorman

"The mother of all New York downtown jazz-funk groups."

                                                             --Saddam Hussein, ruthless dictator

"Oooh, I just want to squeeze all 4 of them 'til they burst!"

                                                                                          --Richard Simmons, weight-loss expert

"If these guys were construction workers, they'd be building skyscrapers each time they got together."
                                                                  

                                                            -- Dick Spicovhich, D.D.S.

"They do for beats two and four what the inventor of the rack did for pain."

                                                                --Leve Bashmikvyov

"As we enter jazz's second century of life, it is reasonable to hope for a new paradigm-setting group that paves the way for the music's further evolution. Such a group should produce strikingly original compositions that push the limits of group improvisation, rhythm, tonality and timbre. The group's members should have a mastery of their instruments unmatched by all who have preceded them. They should be handsome and in good physical and psychological health. Their breath should be impeccable, and their demeanors charming yet provocative. Ideally at least one of them should be quite skilled at attracting members of the opposite sex, and two or three should have a widely diversified investment portfolio. Unfortunately, the Joel Newton Situation meets none of these criteria (with the possible exception of their second November gig where all members had a pleasant mintiness to their breath). JNS represents all that is rotten, vulgar, fetid, offensive and immoral about jazz. They are my favorite band."

                                                                                                                                        --Maxwell Veers, executive producer, the Jenny Jones Show

"Twice I've seen God. The first was in a near death experience. The second was at a Joel Newton Situation Show. God was sitting in the third row, reading a comic book."         

                                                                                                                 --Joyce Newberry, Police Blotter Editor, The Hanover Every Other Daily

"If monkeys could play musical instruments, well that'd be somethin' special. For now, go see JNS."

                                                                                                                                                                                                    --Denver Herald Tribune Daily, section D, late edition only.

"...my eyes popped out, my hair stood on end, my knees shook, I felt like my bladder would explode...and that was just while watching the band set up."