“[Big Five Chord] has a loose and swinging Mingus feel, nimble, yet with moments of left of center freedom… There’s an excellent balance of freedom and form here, with enough order to keep you focused yet a sufficient amount of playfulness to keep you guessing.”
Tom Hull, ‘Tom Hull – On the Web’ 11/14/16
The Best Jazz Albums of 2016
61. Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord: Play All the Notes
62. Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord: Make the Changes
Honorable Mention [listed alphabetically]
75. Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord: Bring Their ‘A’ Game
76. Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord: Make the Magic Happen
Karl Ackermann, ‘All About Jazz’ 09/12/16
★★★★
“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.”