– Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord –
Harder on the Outside (2019) with Justin Wood, alto and soprano saxophones; Bryan Murray, tenor and balto! saxophones; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Dan Monaghan, drums.
– “If only all freebop could be like this. A real snootful for the progressive jazzbo that isn’t hipper than thou” (Chris Spector, ‘Midwest Record’)
– “Avant-garde, experimental jazz at its best” (Dee Dee McNeil, ‘Musical Memoirs’)
– “Lundbom delivers cogent rock and irresistible jazz music [★★★★½]” (Mark Corotto, ‘All About Jazz’)
More reviews here
2016:EPs (2016) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; Balto Exclamationpoint, tenor and balto! saxophones; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Dan Monaghan, drums.
– “Odd and innovative, and compelling. Music that hits you in the gut” (Dan McClenaghan, ‘All About Jazz’)
– “A powerhouse of ideas and chops” (Paul Acquaro, ‘Free Jazz Blog’)
– “One of the most vital and sparkling groups working today” (Chris Robinson, ‘Outside-Inside-Out’)
More reviews here
Jeremiah (2015) with Jon Irabagon, soprano saxophone; Justin Wood, alto saxophone, flute; Bryan Murray, tenor and balto! saxophones; Sam Kulik, trombone; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Dan Monaghan, drums.
– “Crazy stuff that guarantees an amphetamine rush” (Chris Spector, ‘Midwest Record’)
– “Meticulously nuanced free jazz with a smoldering hard rock edge” (Brent Black, ‘Bop-N-Jazz’)
– “A raucous stream of energy characterized by knotty multilinear improvising” (Peter Margasak, ‘The Chicago Reader’)
– “An outstanding album, sure to be one of the year’s most memorable jazz releases” (Jon Davis, ‘Exposé’)
More reviews here
Liverevil (2013) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; Bryan Murray, tenor and balto! saxophones; Matt Kanelos, keyboard; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Dan Monaghan, drums.
– “Olympic-caliber guitar gymnastics [★★★★]” (Bob Gendron, ‘Downbeat’)
– “Left leaning, progressive jazz thats long left the wannabes in the dust… Wild stuff for left leaning ears that really know how to take it. Well done” (Mark Spector, ‘Midwest Record’)
– “The guitar leads are fresh and bold” (Tom Hull, ‘On the Web’)
– “The music rocks-out without leaning on jazz fusion as a crutch, and pushes past jazz tradition by plugging into deep grooves” (Mark Corotto, ‘All About Jazz’)
More reviews here
No New Tunes (2012) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; Bryan Murray, tenor and balto! saxophones; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Dan Monaghan, drums.
– “[Lundbom’s playing brings] new ideas to what jazz guitar can be” (Paul Acquaro, ‘Free Jazz Blog’)
– “[Lundbom] dismantles the guitar and rebuilds it into something completely brand new” (Erik Otis, ‘Sound Colour Vibration’)
– “Trying to pigeon hole the sound here is next to impossible… This is what some critics mean when they use the phrase ‘cutting edge’ to describe a release… Lundbom is simply amazing” (Brent Black, ‘@CriticalJazz’)
– “Big Five Chord, individually and collectively, is one of the most important around today. And their latest, ‘No New Tunes,’ is perhaps the strongest album yet” (Grego Appelgate Edwards, ‘Gappelgate Guitar and Bass Blog’)
More reviews here
Quavers! Quavers! Quavers! Quavers! (2011) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; Bryan Murray, tenor saxophone; Matt Kanelos, keyboard; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Danny Fischer, drums.
– “A tremendously fun album to listen to…a piece of pan-genre experimentalism that defies pigeon-holing” (Tim Niland, ‘All About Jazz’)
– “Lundbom’s intense phrasings and mind-altering solo spots can exude a semblance of systematic paranoia or command the ensemble like a diesel-powered automaton, wielding a mass of destruction through a heavily populated metropolis” (Glenn Astarita, ‘All About Jazz’)
– “Without limitations or shame…[Big Five Chord] play music that is as intense as it is hard to question. This disc…shows better than most that there are still new things to say in jazz” (Yahvé M. de la Cavada, ‘El Pais’)
More reviews here
Accomplish Jazz (2009) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; Bryan Murray, tenor saxophone; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Danny Fischer, drums.
– “An incredibly impressive third release from a deliriously talented group” (Dave Wayne, ‘JazzReview.com’)
– “Will challenge the listener to think differently about the instrument and the genre…a genre defying, barrier pushing album.” (Dr. Matt Warnock, ‘Guitar International’)
More reviews here
All the Pretty Ponies (2005) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; Bryan Murray, tenor saxophone; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Andrew Bain, drums.
– “Fans of New York City’s wily downtown scene should welcome this outing with open arms” (Glen Astarita, ‘All About Jazz’)
– “Hardbop + Zeppelin + Schoenburg” (Dave Madden, ‘SLUG’)
More reviews here
Big Five Chord (2003) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; Dominic Lalli (Big Gigantic), tenor saxophone; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Justin Walke, drums.
– “Lundbom and his associates convince that fusion can mean something appetizing in the 21st Century” (Jay Collins, ‘One Final Note’)
– “Lundbom invests his debut recording with an abundance of energy and youthful fearlessness for investigating the possibilities of sonic exploration” (Bill Donaldson, ‘Cadence’)
More reviews here
– Other –
Beats by Balto! Vol. 2 (2021) with Jon Irabagon, sopranino, soprano, mezzo-soprano, balto!, and tenor saxophones; alto clarinet; Bryan Murray, soprano, alto, c-melody, and tenor saxophones; Matt Kanelos, keyboards; Moppa Elliott, bass; Nick Millevoi, guitar; Richard Mikel, bass; Sam Kulik, trombone; beats by Balto Exclamationpoint.
– “Free jazz skronk is not what gets people onto the dancefloor, but maybe it’s time has come.” (‘Shanley on Music’)
– “A funky, wild, and adventurous collection of music with virtuosic improvisation and revelous glee, ‘Beats by Balto! Vol. 2’ is sure to please adventurous music lovers throughout Planet Earth and beyond.” (‘Republic of Jazz’)
More reviews here
Beats by Balto! Vol. 1 (2019) with Jon Irabagon, alto, mezzo soprano, and slide saxophones; Bryan Murray, tenor, alto, soprano, and balto! saxophones; beats by Balto Exclamationpoint.
– “Complex but fun to listen to…a very cool sound that is fresh and invigorating, with strong peals of sharp saxophone set against a buoyant backdrop…an album of real value” (Tim Niland, ‘Music and More’)
More reviews here
Jon Lundbom Quartet “Live at Monks” (2018) with Russell Haight, tenor saxophone; Sam Pankey, bass; Jeff Olson, drums.
– “[The Quartet] turn[s] in stellar ensemble passages and white hot solos that would be sure to attract any progressive jazz or rock fan who might have the good fortune to hear this music.” (Tim Niland, ‘Music and More’)
More reviews here
– Bryan & the Haggards –
Merles Just Want to Have Fun (2013) with Eugene Chadbourne, guitar and vocals; Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone etc; Bryan Murray, tenor saxophone etc; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Danny Fischer, drums.
– “Saxophonist Bryan Murray’s wonderful quintet cast an outside-jazz eye on Bakersfield country legend Merle Haggard, and their bodacious results do justice to both camps. The Hag’s heartbreaking melodies become fodder for genre-slipping arrangements that take the long way home…The band is recording with Chadbourne, who splays country, rock, and bluegrass with feckless hyperactive humor” (Richard Gehr, ‘The Village Voice’)
Still Alive and Kicking Down the Walls (2011) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone etc; Bryan Murray, tenor saxophone etc; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Danny Fischer, drums.
– “Bryan and the Haggards expertly bridge the worlds of two genres rarely seen together” (Steve Greenlee, ‘The Boston Globe’)
– “A daring punk-jazz ensemble…what you’d imagine dancing to at David Lynch’s wedding reception” (Bill Milkowski, ‘Jazz Times’)
Pretend It’s the End of the World (2010) with Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone; Bryan Murray, tenor saxophone; Moppa Elliott (Mostly Other People do the Killing), bass; Danny Fischer, drums.
– “Biggest Surprise Jazz Album of the Year” (Boston Globe)
– “Top 10 jazz albums of 2010″ (Wire Magazine)
– “Satisfying as both a commentary on Mr. Haggard’s music and a dispatch from the current jazz frontier” (Nate Chinen, ‘The New York Times’)