First off, from ‘Ritmos del Mundo,’ in translation by Margaret Swithenby:
“The guitarist Jon Lundbom has released ‘Accomplish Jazz’: five tracks in which there’s jazz – very good jazz – and with which he has made a big leap forward in relation to his earlier recordings. What’s noticeable is the self-confidence with which both he and his fellow musicians manipulate the elements that make up their musical language. Lundbom knows, and knows very well, the history of jazz and knows his instrument, he has great technique, but what’s more important is that he doesn’t become enslaved by it. On the contrary, he introduces elements that are alien to that whole tradition, which give the music a healthy speck of nastiness, with a tone that is at moments dirty, which is reminiscent of the sound of rock or rhythm-and-blues, and not of bona fide jazz.”
And then, from shanleyonmusic:
“Lundbom is an intriguing composer and an even more idiosyncratic guitar player, writing songs that have wonderfully odd melodic quirks and playing solos with a tone that wouldn’t be out of place in country music. Good country music. …[Lundbom’s] crisp execution is spellbinding. …Since it came out in December, it’s still eligible to wind up on 2010 year end lists, where it clearly belongs.”
