Web Site and Magazine Reviews:
Jazz Chicago.net (November 2006)
.....Tenor sax man, Temmerman displays some nice
songwriting ability: His songs fit right in with the covers, but it is his
playing style that is most unique. Playing smoothly and confidently in control,
Temmerman mostly plays on the beat or slightly behind it - giving the music a
relaxed feel. This approach is unusual and welcome in an era when most players
try to speed ahead of the beat and cram as many notes into a phrase as they
can....All and all, an enjoyable exercise with good song choices and playing
that is a welcome addition to any jazz collection.
Chicago Jazz magazine (May/June 2003)
...John flexes his composing muscle on this CD and I did smile
at his "Time After Time" quote in "Come To The Table" while
trading measures with the drums. I could recommend this CD for its pleasantly
understated approach, especially to the funkier and fusion-y material, which can
easily be overdone. All the musicians get plenty of room to stretch out and show
what they can do, and with 12 generous songs, you're definitely getting your
money's worth.
WWW.ejazznews.com
In general, the group creates an emotive story of life in real
time with their music.
All Music Guide
One of the exciting things about Grover Washington, Jr.'s live
concerts was his ability to play electric jazz-funk one minute and straightahead
jazz the next. Jazz-funk and pop-jazz dominated most of the late saxman's studio
albums, but on stage, everything from "Mr. Magic" to Oliver Nelson's
"Stolen Moments" was fair game. A similar outlook prevails on The
Power of Two, which finds Chicago tenor man John Temmerman fluctuating between
straightahead jazz and not-so-straightahead jazz. Temmerman's big tone is
reminiscent of Dexter Gordon, but while Gordon generally stuck to bop (except
for the occasional modal tune), Temmerman is obviously comfortable with
straightahead post-bop as well as jazz-funk. Parts of The Power of Two exist in
a modal Joe Henderson/John Coltrane/Yusef Lateef world; other parts are closer
to the sort of groove-oriented jazz-funk that one associates with Washington,
Wilton Felder and Ronnie Laws. And Temmerman, to his credit, is expressive in
both areas....Temmerman is good at what he does, and The Power of Two is an
enjoyable demonstration of his versatility.
Link
to full review on this site
Jazzreview.com:
January 13 2002:
....This unit has been together for several years and it shows. The band is
very, very tight! The Power Of Two explores funk, fusion and
mainstream jazz including several Temmerman originals including my
personal favorite, the contemplative Plan B. The leader’s
powerful tenor is enhanced by Neal Alger’s energetic and imaginative
guitar work. Hashimoto and Jones sound as if they have been playing
together forever. Just listen to them on Slick Color. Wonderful
interaction!
Visit the Jazz Obsession website for audio samples. You’ll enjoy this
fine quartet.
Link
to full review on this site
MakeAStar.com, January 31, 2002, reviewing the Secondary
Ignorance cut
we were entered in their "star-search" contest and
made it to the semifinals!
...This
was a joy to listen to.....tight arrangement, great changes,
solid musicianship and solo's, fun bridge sections.
....Solid
musicianship across-the-board, from the rhythm section to the
solo passages. It sounds like this song has been performed and
performed by this unit.
Allaboutjazz.com
March 14, 2002
...John's talent on saxophone is filled with harmonic depth
and incredible range, reminiscent of the imminent Dexter Gordon. His solos are
rich and soulful. He penned half of the songs and the arrangements are all
stellar. It would be a real treat to see this band perform live. Native Chicago
music fans will no longer be a able to keep this little known secret from
spreading. It deserves to be exposed. This is feel good music that grooves and
will make you smile. Highly recommended.
Link
to full review on this site
Thejazzsite.net
March 18, 2002
This is a band that has
been together for some time, their interplay has not been something produced for
this album but born out of endless live sessions I'll wager. The tracks cook
from start to finish and the solos, particularly by John on Tenor and
guitarist Neal Alger, are reminiscent of the late night jazz club scene
when the crowd have been warmed up and had a few drinks and are ready to party.
The rhythm section have a Ron Carter and Tony Williams feel.
Link to full review on
this site
Here and There E-zine (will be published next
issue) May 7, 2002
A beautiful lush sounding jazz group from Skokie,Illinois has
really put out a smooth album. Starting with Miles Davis's "All
Blues",JT takes you on a wide array of different styles.The band is simply
smoking and you get the feel they have played together all of thier lives. John
plays tenor sax,Neal Alger is on guitars,Rusty Jones on drums and the awesome
Steve Hashimoto is on the electric bass. John wrote 6 of the 12 songs that
encompass this 67 minute voyage. A nice cover of Costa Del Sol from the video
game "Final Fantasy VII" is another highlight. This is worth picking
up....
Jazz Institute of Chicago, July 2002 (Marshall Vente)
John Temmerman plays the tenor sax with a big sound, studies
with Mark Colby and has a love for jazz that is best expressed by his website
domain name. Well-known Chicago musicians join Temmerman here: guitarist Neal
Alger, electric bassist Steve Hashimoto and drummer for all occasions, Rusty
Jones. The program is very original, diverse and modern. The only standards
included are All Blues and Nice and Easy. The core of the
repertoire is Temmerman's fine compositions that include much of the melodic,
harmonic and rhythm advances of the last thirty years. There is a taste of
bebop, blues, rock, Latin and straight-ahead jazz. Temmerman and his quartet
play well throughout and no one misses a note. Check out one of the new voices
on the Chicago scene.-MV
