AJ Kluth: Press/Reviews

"I've been working on transcribing a few Potter solos so i know first hand that it is an insane task and very time consuming. I just received the book today and am excited to look through it and work on some of the solos...Thanks AJ for the great book."
- Steve Neff, Saxophonist/Educator www.neffmusic.com

I just wanted to reach out to you to say what a great book you've published "Chris Potter On Standards". Your ability to transcribe his solo's is simply jaw-dropping to me!
I am really going to enjoy working from the book. One of my favorites Potter solos is on "Migrations from his Traveling Mercies album. Have you transcribed it?
Thanks you and best always!

A polished saxophone tone over gritty distorted guitar and heavily metered grooves is the formula, if there is one, for Chris Potter's Underground. Saxophonist AJ Kluth's newest release shows, at times, many similarities to his elder in jazz. At Kluth's age, it's difficult to escape the influence of Potter, one of today's main tenor saxophone heroes. But at 29 years old, he has assembled a formidable ensemble capable of both being inspired by and setting itself apart from such trend-setting groups. Kluth only contributes three original compositions to the record, but they stand out as the most cohesive, best executed, and most attractive tunes of the lot, even over their arrangements of Chick Corea's uptempo "Litha" and Thom Yorke's "Atoms For Peace." Unison melody with guitar and saxophone is a trend in almost every piece. The melody of Ascher's composition "Sleeping" contains this technique, and although its melodic arch is beautiful and the repetition is entrancing, by track 8 the technique is dangerously close to becoming old hat.

Chicago-native AJ Kluth was educated at that city's DePaul University before freelancing around the Midwest and transcribing and self-publishing a book of Chris Potter solos. On Twice Now he leads a guitar anchored quintet through nine lengthy and provocative pieces, seven of which were composed by Kluth or guitarist Nick Ascher.

The simpatico between Kluth and Ascher extends from the pair's compositions to their respective performances. Although under Kluth's name, Twice Now is effectively a collaborative effort by the saxophonist and guitarist.

The relationship between the two, as well as with pianist Sean McCluskey, is defined on the Ascher composition "Red" that opens the disc. Over McCluskey's spare piano chording, Kluth and Ascher double on a devilishly complex melody line. While Kluth is more Michael Brecker than Wayne Shorter (or Sonny Rollins), Ascher is more John Abercrombie than John Scofield. These comparisons are loose at best as both artists have very characteristic sounds. Kluth sports a full-throated muscular tenor and sinewy soprano, while Ascher is distorted at the edges, giving his guitar a slight rock tone.

Kluth and Ascher achieve a delicate dance of counterpoint throughout the disc, easily heard on "A Time, Times, And Half Time" and "Wi Fi," the latter containing a lyrical solo by McCluskey on acoustic piano. "Quiet, Then Go" is a breezy Kluth ballad accentuating the stronger points of Kluth and Ascher's slower soloing. Chick Corea's "Litha" fits perfectly with the originals as a smart and edgy piece not fully smooth at the edges, providing just enough bite for pleasure.

Ascher's airy ballad "Sleeping" dovetails well into one of the more inspired covers in recent memory, Thom York's "Atoms For Peace."

"In recent years I've had the pleasure of witnessing A.J. Kluth as his overall musicianship and improvisations have matured. His saxophone playing exhibits a fresh voice, yet reflects an understanding of the jazz tradition. A.J. Kluth is a saxophonist with a song to sing."

(regarding AJ's playing on a remix of Gavin's song "In the Way" from the album "Deep Freeze") "AJ's instincts hit me on first listen. His classic tone is reminiscent of some of the greats. "

"Got your book this morning. I got to say, you did a freackin' great job on it. You are one meticulous dude!! I'm impressed!! Thank you so much for doing this and sharing with the rest of us mortals."
- Anibal Rojas - East Coast Saxophone/Woodwind Phenom

Hailing from the Chicago scene, saxophone player Aj Kluth and his band here take a turn through rounds of both composition and improvisation. The bulk of the pieces here (with the exception of a Chick Corea piece and a Thom Yorke number that's been converted to jazz) come from Kluth and/or his guitarist Nick Ascher. With a basic structure coming from the composed sets, the band then proceeds regularly to improvise heavily over the themes. The interesting note of the album is how thoroughly some of the improvisations go. Coliseum starts out as a basic nightclub riff but ends up in Weather Report territory. Yorke's "Atoms for Peace" starts out in a spacy form, but gets pulled further, into a Sun Ra mode. All the while, the band moves carefully around the numbers. Seán McCluskey's keys anchor many a composition, while Ascher's guitar alternately sits quietly as part of the rhythm section or wails like a John McLaughlin piece. There's a lot of groove here, a lot of fusion, a lot of surprising angles. Throughout though, there's an extremely solid core of fundamental musical skills on the part of the full quintet. They individually contribute worthwhile pieces, but when they work together it becomes more extraordinary.

The debut of another fine Chicago jazz artist, Kluth explores music which seamlessly blends jazz, folk, rock and classical into an accessible disc which is easy to like. With Nick Ascher, electric guitar; Seán McCluskey, piano and fender rhodes; Cory Biggerstaff, double bass and Stefan Czestochowski drums and cymbals; bandleader/tenor and soprano saxophonist AJ Kluth presents a set of compositions by his own pen and the band's guitarist Nick Ascher as well as Chick Corea's "Litha" and Thom Yorke's "Atoms for Peace."