★★★★
“Lundbom and his Big Five Chord stand ideas on their head and break them down, reformulating the basic elements like a chemical reaction. Nothing is wasted or diluted on ‘Make the Changes.’ Edgy and stimulating, the music often plays on thin ice, doubling down and managing not to fall through. Perhaps the best thing that this group, and their EP collection (‘2016: EPs’), shares with its kindred label mates MOPDtK, is the ability to have enormous amounts of fun with liberating free playing while observing to just enough sanity to be accessible.”
Paul Acquaro, ‘Free Jazz Blog’ 09/03/16
★★★★
“[Big Five Chord] is a powerhouse of ideas and chops, and little of it goes to waste. ‘Play All the Notes’ begins with ‘Comedy Gold,’ a no nonsense free jazz explosion featuring an intense wrenching duet between Irabagon and Murray. …[The EP] features all the notes while straddling line between modern and free jazz. …[‘MacGuffin’] underscores [Lundbom’s] deft ability to balance inside and outside playing. …Over the course of the four EPs, the playing is immaculate, unstrained and accessible.”
Chris Spector, ‘Midwest Record’ 08/30/16
“Pretending to be normal jazz, it’s as left field as any MOPDTK set even if the soloists get to kick it out a little more. Off kilter but on the money throughout right from the start as ‘Salt Peanuts’ becomes, appropriately, ‘MacGuffin,’ jazz’s sense of adventure is alive and well here. Check it out.”
Mike Shanley, ‘Shanley On Music’ 07/13/16
“Lundbom doesn’t stop, churning out a new release practically every year. And why should he, since the 13-year old Big Five Chord…continues to do exciting things with the guitarist’s sometimes audacious compositions.”
Karl Ackermann, ‘All About Jazz’ 06/08/16
★★★★
“Full of precarious diversions that [go] beyond well-mapped terrain. The group approaches the unfamiliar with cleverness, misdirection, and at times, a full-frontal assault on the senses. …There’s been a tendency to describe Big Five Chord as if they were sometimes treading a line between something intangible and progressive jazz. But that underplays how the group distinguishes and supports the individualities of its members, maintaining unpredictability without losing concentration or musical playfulness. Whether Big Five Chord is executing a plaintive bluesy passage or scorching their eyebrows in a freefall, ‘Play All the Notes’ wastes nothing and gives in abundance.”
Jeff Simon, ‘The Buffalo News’ 06/04/16
★★★1/2 (out of four)
“Splendid music by one of the coolest and boldest jazz bands around… The asperity of Lunblom’s [sic] soloing is powerful but what makes the EP’s irresistible is the counterpoint of Irabagon and Exclamationpoint. If you want to know where the jazz vanguard lives and absolutely flourishes in current jazz, try these guys.”
Chris Spector, ‘Midwest Record’ 06/04/16
“A progressive sax date that sounds like it could have come directly from the loft jazz/free jazz years in New York… Lundbom knows what progressive ears are looking for and delivers straight with no chaser here.”
George W. Harris, ‘Jazz Weekly’ 05/05/16
“Lundbom brings together his Big Five Chord band for a pair of EPs that mix flexibility and swing… While the sound is loose, it’s never incoherent and disarrayed… [JL&BVC] walk the tightrope without a net, teetering but never falling on this white knuckler of joy.”
Grego Applegate Edwards, ‘Gapplegate Guitar & Bass Blog’ 04/04/16
“[‘Bring Their ‘A’ Game’] has the growl of the band in improvisational fullness. Jon plays some beautiful guitar as one expects, he IS one of a kind after all. …This is take-no-prisoners out bop and more. Make no mistake. Lundbom has the subtle leadership that gets everybody to give of things their considerable all, and Jon does the same. Can I just say ‘chuck everything and get it’? Well I will. …There is something important going on!”
Tim Niland, ‘Music and More’ 03/24/16
“A thrill ride featuring shimmering guitar and burning saxophones pushed forward by excellent rhythm. The album clocks in at twenty seven minutes and keeps you riveted throughout. This is an excellent group and the music that they play is both high energy, and emotionally engaging, which works well in these short compact bursts of music.”