"Michael Dessen is, according to a frequent employer, the
contrabass virtuoso Mark Dresser, 'a black-belt trombonist.'
.... Dessen's music is so fresh and innovative that there are
few precedents with which to compare it. He does not use
chords and harmony in any traditional sense, yet there was a
deep harmonic connection between the trombone and bass
for every note and idea transmitted.... Despite the extended
length of the suite, the audience was hardly given the chance
for its attention to waver�"Dessen's music was too full of
information for that to be possible.... Once sure it was over,
the enthusiastic audience erupted with supportive whistles,
shouts and sustained applause. A stunning example of
creative, adventurous music, utterly devoid of cliché,
stretching even the frontiers of free jazz beyond recognition."
- All About Jazz, Robert Bush
"A trombonist with strong roots in the acoustic tradition and a
fondness for cutting edge electronic experimentation, Michael
Dessen
straddles the line
between the avant garde and the accessible better than
most.... Dessen's
diverse approach towards composition encapsulates a range
of moods and
textures.... Incorporating a range of dynamics that veer from
pneumatic funk
to pointillist discourse, Between Shadow and Space is a
compelling set that
reveals additional layers with each listen."
- All About Jazz,
Troy Collins
"On the title track... Dessen shows his skill at wringing a
voluptuous and
mournful tune from his trombone; he’s clearly capable of
playing some fine
music with the power out. But on five out of seven tracks, he
doubles on
computer, mostly using it to broaden his tonal and textural
palette.... Records
like this show how jazz can grow in the 21st century without
losing its
essential interactive and rhythmic characters."
- Dusted, Bill
Meyer
"Dessen's improvisations are unhurried but very exacting,
seemingly behind
the beat and teasing the tempo.... The introduction of
electronics does attune
one's ears differently... Tordini's introduction to “Anthesis,”
with its plucked
glisses and slippery finger-work, seems fleshed out by
phantom digital
blurts, Dessen's near-swagger hitting a puckered phrase
that's altered, and
Sorey's cymbal wash taking on the blur of samples. It's a
quality of
orchestration, but not by means one traditionally thinks about
�" altering
one's way of hearing the instruments themselves, so that one
almost pre-
hears them. Suffice it to say Michael Dessen is doing a lot
with a little."
- All About Jazz , Clifford Allen
"The trombonist has a great sense of music, very lyrical and
structurally
complex while giving the appearance of lightness and
openness.... The great
thing about [Between Shadow and Space] is not only the
unbelievable
precision and skills of the three musicians, but also the
interesting
compositional power of all tracks.... An excellent [trio] debut:
fresh, creative
and open."
- Free Jazz blog, Stef Gijssels
"Dessen, hailing from the West Coast, is a fine probing player
as a leader,
composer and conceptualist... While time can be spent
lauding his technical
facility or the group's heady interplay, more attention should
be given to the
pieces' underlying architecture. Dessen's liner notes give
explicative heft to
the music�"the material draws its inspiration from sources
artistic, poetic and
musical�"but they can be enjoyed as cerebral musings with
more than a
touch of heart, art for more than art's sake."
- All About Jazz,
Andrey Henkin
"Lineal features trombonist Michael Dessen in an accessible
session -
accessible to readers who follow
the mainstream as well as to those who prefer the leading
edge.... Musically,
Dessen gives the
trombone a good workout, demonstrating its flexibility as well
as its lyrical
qualities. He communicates
with a rich tone and fluent animation... Recommended, Lineal
provides many
surprises through a
program with wide appeal."
- Cadence Magazine (Jim Santella)
"The music of Cosmologic is initiated by individual members
and then
doggedly worked and reworked
until its internal logics are available for genuinely creative
improvisation....
More than impressive."
- The Wire (Brian Morton )
"[Lineal is] some terrific music, mostly hard-hitting and
groove-based but
quite varied..."
- Exclaim (Nate Dorward)
"The eight tracks on Lineal are intricate affairs, packed with
detail and
referencing a wide range of
traditions and developments in contemporary jazz. In fact,
they're so packed
with detail that listening
to the whole album in one go is quite a challenge, but a highly
enjoyable
one."
- Paris Transatlantic (Dan Warburton)
"III (by Cosmologic) doesn't so much stand as a document of
the history of
jazz as a brochure for the
infinite varieties of modern improvisation.... Incredibly
rewarding... Sure, it
takes a little work but, for
every cerebral exercise the listener is required to work
through, there's a
funky-as-all-hell payoff."
- One Final Note (Daniel Spicer)
"Just like the name of the album, Lineal, the musical outburst
of ingenious
creativity is straight, to the
point, and not in any way watered down by dispensable
shenanigans... The
music is clean and almost
maiden-like in its truth, while never being ensnared by
common places or
naïve imitation."
- Tokafi (Fred Wheeler)
"Dessen thrusts himself into the music with vigor, and plays
with a growling,
nervy style..."
- Cadence Magazine (Frank Rubolino)
"Dessen is a clean, ultramodern soloist whose execution,
while far from
gutbucket, doesn't preclude
emotion."
- Jazz Weekly (Ken Waxman)
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