Deborah Weisz: Reviews/Press

"Deborah Weisz has developed a personal voice as both trombonist and composer/arranger. Assisted here by an excellent group of musicians, she makes a powerful statement on the potential of modern small-group jazz. This is strong stuff that kept me engaged the whole time!"

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

This is the second recording by the Deborah Weisz quintet, and the comfort level these musicians have with one another is evident from the start. This set is comprised primarily of original pieces, most of which are somewhat contemporary in nature, and make use of a variety of textures within the band… One must credit the leader of this group because all of the musicians seem to be pulling in the same direction. The writing is strong and the performances are well worth a listen.

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

The title track (Grace), a requiem for her brother, touches on a range of emotions, anger, sadness, resignation, and ultimately acceptance and celebration of the life lived...the kind of piece where I feel in the end that I've been in touch with another human's emotions. Weisz supplements her own five compositions with five from other sources, including "Body and Soul"...present(ed) as a three-way conversation with Sterman, Ourio and herself, all slowly twisting the strands of the melody__it's a lovely, fresh take. The listener is left impressed by Weisz' work as a composer, trombonist, and bandleader.

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

The opening (track) “Grace” is a good example of the program.
It begins with fairly free interplay between Weisz and Sterman before becoming heated and swinging postbop with colorful solos...
This continually intriguing date is easily recommended.

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

Deborah Weisz dedicates “Grace,” which opens her album of the same name, to her brother Will, marking her struggle back into composition after his untimely death silenced her for a while....a programme of exceptional variety.... Weisz's late trombone mentor, Carl Fontana, a lovely man, would have been proud.

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt
...a smart ensemble effort that tacks just left of center, with conviction and cohesion. Compositionally, Weisz owns up to her main influence: the pianist Jim McNeely...but she also reaches for a groovy light avant-gardism subtly informed by Ornette Coleman and the AACM. It helps that Weisz has assembled a solid and sympathetic band...its core is the somewhat unusual sonic combination of trombone, saxophone (Andrew Sterman) and guitar (Sheryl Bailey);...still, it's Weisz who commands the spotlight; she's the engine behind this unassuming success.

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

Weisz's salty trombone playing is up the ‘expressive' end of the instrument's spectrum and she's leading a lively New York post-bop team here. Weisz herself likes both the band and her own playing to leave space to let things happen. Well worth seeking out.

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

Grace (for Will) by Deborah Weisz is a rewarding CD of mostly original music. Weisz’s trombone playing is superb. Her sound is rich and full, and her time feel is fluid and swinging.

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

Deborah Weisz makes a strong statement and underlines her credentials as a composer and trombone player on Grace, her second album. She defines different styles with a compact sense of accomplishment, an attribute that also owes its devolution to her fine band. This is a well-balanced and well-crafted record.

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

"Beginning with its reverent yet fun loving title cut, Grace (for Will), the new CD from trombonist Deborah Weisz' eclectic quintet, is a delight. Weisz has assembled a wonderfully intermeshing group of musicians to interpret newly composed music motivated by significant events and people in her life. Along with her communicative t-bone, two of NYC's most expressive and versatile musicians, guitarist Sheryl Bailey and bassist Nicki Parrott, aid in delivering a varied program of creative music that swings, bops and stretches boundaries in intriguing ways."

GRACE
CD Review/Excerpt

"Trombonist Deborah Weisz's second CD as a leader features her longtime quintet plus guest Olivier Ker Ourio, whose playing on his chromatic harmonica adds a great deal of color to the five selections on which he appears. This wide-ranging set includes some harmonically adventurous originals, a bit of hard bop, and an out-of-tempo 'Body and Soul.' The results are fresh, new, modern, and occasionally eccentric."