Jazz Articles about Brian Betz

August 2012: Brian Betz Quartet, Featuring Denis DiBlasio

by RJ Johnson
September 16, 2012

Brian Betz QuartetChris' Jazz CaféPhiladelphia, PAAugust 31, 2012Guitarist Brian Betz led his quartet through a set of standards at Chris' Jazz Café in Philadelphia. In a set comprised entirely of standards, the band used its divergent musical personalities to uncover new ground within a familiar framework.The set began with a fiery rundown of “Secret Love," a piece favored by jazz pioneers such as saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Baritone saxophonist Denis DiBlasio ...

Brian Betz: Dichotomy

by Nic Jones
April 24, 2006

This release reaches us courtesy of the label that put out the recent Tyrone Brown album Suite For John A. Williams, which was not far from greatness. There, however, any degree of overlap ends. This is a far more straight-ahead affair by an exceptionally cohesive quartet, and while there is much to admire, the singular quality that was palpable in the Brown is not in evidence here.

Betz's guitar shows no overt stylistic influence, though his slightly oblique feel for ...