“Fringe-jazz warrior…Lundbom has no problem finding space for the supplementary talent on a band already bursting at the seams with talent. …’Jeremiah’ is the ‘jazziest’ Big Five Chord album yet but none of the Big Five Chord edge gets diminished in the process. The adventures continue with the same vigor and ingenuity as before.”
Tim Niland, ‘Music and More’ 02/03/15
“Lundbom is a fascinating figure on the modern jazz scene, releasing subversive and fascinating music. His memorable compositions and the generous amount of solo time allotted to his accompanists make for music that is strong and vibrant throughout. …a tremendously fun and exciting album to listen to, where Lundbom continually challenges the listener and the band, getting great results in the process.”
Chris Spector, ‘Midwest Record’ 01/31/15
“Sounding like an Actuel record that was never released, the gang appropriates 60s free jazz the same way a bunch of white boys have taken over the blues these days. Crazy stuff that guarantees an amphetamine rush.”
Ken Waxman, ‘New York City Jazz Record’ February 2015 & ‘Jazz Word’ 02/06/15
“[Lundbom] creates hard-swinging tunes with a sardonic edge. …There’s style besides snark on show here, Lundbom’s arrangements providing the sophisticated fillip to themes, which, on the surface, would appear to be little more than exercises in rock and raunch. …Big Five Chord’s music allows you to think while having a raucous good time.”
Delarue, ‘Lucid Culture’ 01/29/15
“As the title [‘Jeremiah’] implies, the album is an instrumental jeremiad, more or less. The bustling energy and keenly focused improvisation of Lundbom’s previous live album, Liverevil, take a backseat here to disquiet, anger and cynicism. …The horn charts throughout the album have an unselfconscious, understated poignancy and bittersweet beauty. …Who is the audience for this? People who like edgy sounds, and jazz with a vernacular that relies less on tunesmithing than creating and maintaining mood. This isn’t an album to lull you to sleep or dull your hangover but it sure as hell will make you feel something.”
Zlatan Dimitrijevic, ‘Jazzin.rs’ 12/31/14
One of thirteen on “The Best of 2014”!!!
Grego Applegate Edwards, ‘Gapplegate Guitar and Bass Blog’ 02/02/14
BEST ALBUM OF 2014, “WILD CARD” CATEGORY!!!!
“[Big Five Chord] really benefits from the longer cuts and a sympathetic audience…Lundbom is a guitarist who takes it out in his very own way. There is a full press of note-fullness, a way of patterning in extended chromatic territory that is quite original, and a soulful delivery. In many ways he has arrived, but then so has this band.”
Tom Hull, ‘Tom Hull – On the Web’ 12/20/13
BEST JAZZ ALBUMS OF 2014 – #21!!!
“Nearly everything runs past ten minutes, stomping and sliding with two saxophones… The guitar leads are fresh and bold, and Irabagon is nothing short of sublime on ‘North Star.'” A-
Stu Kremsky, ‘Mr. Stu’s Record Room’ 10/02/14
“[JL&BVC] tear it up for a clearly partisan audience at Brooklyn Fire Proof on their dynamite double disc set ‘Liverevil.’ The band’s cheerfully over-the-top sound and restless creativity are fully on display. …The discs are liberally sprinkled with cogent and powerful solos by both hornmen and by Lundbom. …’Liverevil’ is a provocative and lively portrait of a band hard at work and having a great time doing it. Recommended.”
Esteban Arizpe Castañeda, ‘El Intruso’ 05/31/14
In translation by Kelley Smilkstein…
“Lundbom belongs to that category of guitarists that distinguishes itself from the rest by a search much more concerned about expressing ones own voice than in demonstrating versatility. This quality, unfortunately much less common than it should be, means that everything he plays on his instrument has meaning and allows his sound at all times to have the conviction and honesty of someone who appears to be fulfilling a personal desire through his music. The fresh style that characterizes him as a guitarist is reflected with similar clarity in his role as composer, making it appear that labels that are supposedly applicable to the styles presented (those being in broad strokes jazz, rock or fusion) are relegated against a resolve with which he expresses compositionally those that he likes and that identify him in musical terms. And, by the way, these ideas have found a natural and ideal way to be manifested in his band…Big Five Chord, with ‘Liverevil,’ reaches its peak in its evolution as a band and ratifies the talent and true creativity of its leader. Highly recommended.”
Read the full article (in Spanish)
Read the full article (in translation)