NICK MACLEAN QUARTET

“Nick Maclean's new quartet recording "Convergence", featuring my main man Brownman Ali, is simply Jazz of the highest order!  The quartet is in such deep sync!  Nick shows his Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans influences, but he's clearly his own man, while my former student trumpeter Brownman Ali's rich tone and exploratory lines are reminiscent of Freddie Hubbard on all those famous Herbie recordings, but with a more modern slant. Jacob Wutzke drives and swings the band mightily from the drum chair, and the muscular sound of bassist Ben Duff is the heartbeat of the band. In short, it's a full co-operative circle of modern jazz!  Definitely check this one out!”

- Randy Brecker, multi-Grammy winning trumpet legend (New York City, USA)

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“I’ve known Nick Maclean since 2013. I first met him when he was a young student at Humber College’s music program, where I had the pleasure of mentoring him for a short time.  I remember him as a gifted, sensitive, and earnest young musician. I’ve enjoyed watching (and hearing) Nick’s artistry unfold and progress since then. Upon listening to his new release “Convergence” I hear a musician with a  strongly developing and compelling vision as  both a pianist and composer. He’s doing what so few accomplish in this day and age—he’s finding his own voice. This album is largely a tribute to one of my (and many others’) favourite artists of all time, Herbie Hancock. Nick embodies all of the aspects of contemporary piano playing that I love: deep groove, rhythmic and harmonic spontaneity, a broad timbral usage of what the piano is capable of, and his playing shows that he values the musical traditions that came before him. To me, he’s embodying the same spirit that Herbie’s music has always exemplified.  His compositions are compelling and well constructed vehicles for him and his band mates to shine, and his reimagining of Herbie’s  classic compositions Dolphin Dance, Eye of the Hurricane, and Butterfly beautifully tribute the master while also creating a unique and personal statement exploring new avenues for exploration. I’m a fan of Nick Maclean’s work and am grateful to hear his work carrying on the flame of this beloved art form into the 21st century”

- Adrean Farrugia, Juno award-winning pianist (Halifax, Canada)

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“Nick Maclean, a 32-year-old pianist, formed this quartet partly in homage to Herbie Hancock’s 1960s group for Blue Note... I can only hope that this quartet will make further recordings as a unit. They are splendid and complement each other in a way that is rare in today’s jazz world.”

- Lynn Rene Bayley, The Art Music Lounge (Cincinnati, USA)

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“A quartet that explores the immeasurable mysteries of eternal jazz.  Their resolutely modern playing is full of appeal”

- Couleurs Jazz Radio (Paris, France)

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“Young Toronto-based pianist Nick Maclean and his quartet offer his second sensational album with the impressive “Convergence” delivering a host of new original material that’s exciting, explosive and infectious. With a little help from Trinidad-born, New York schooled trumpeter Brownman Ali, the pianist and band craft a highly entertaining session of blistering jazz. The eleven-track album, while highlighting seven Maclean originals, also feature brand new reads of three Herbie Hancock classic. Also featured here are well-placed bass lines from Ben Duff as well as the pounding drums of Jacob Wutzke and several other special guests augmenting the foursome on several tracks. “Convergence” reveals Maclean’s talents as a composer as well as his chops on the piano making the case for one of the young lions of jazz today.”

- Edward Blanco, AllAboutJazz.com and WDNA, 88.9FM (Miami, USA)

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““CONVERGENCE,” from the Nick Maclean Quartet featuring trumpeter Brownman Ali, is indeed a convergence – of four distinct talents coming together to make a whole work of accomplished sound. Each listen brings a fresh and deeper appreciation of what’s really going on here. Ali’s warm solos, in particular, not only hit the right notes, they tell a story.”

- Rich Tozier, Jazz Tonight - Maine Public Radio (Bangor, USA)

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“I was a great fan of Herbie Hancock’s 60’s music. Nick Maclean Quartet is very solid. « Convergence » is one of the best Canadian albums of 2023 and should have chances to get a Juno.”

- Denys Lelièvre, CKRL (Quebec City, Canada)

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“A young lion piano man you can't argue with, it doesn't take any thought to do a tribute to Herbie Hancock set but it does take being an old soul to it like he was there when things older than him were created. A well deserved award winner in many jazz and music circles, Maclean leads his crew into the untamed wilds of really doing right rather than just showing up. A smoking set that sounds and feels like the real thing, this forward into the past set -- where most of the songs are originals -- is a first class doozy. Killer stuff throughout.”
- Chris Spector, The Midwest Record (Illinois, USA)

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“From Canada comes this updated soul jazz in the vein of the Blue Note acid jazz compilations. Fresh and youthfully joyful reworkings of three Herbie Hancock standards lead the disc off before we settle into several of pianist Maclean's own compositions. Key to the sound is the gloriously expressive trumpeter Brownman Ali, who contributes one of his own tunes here, the funky "Madness of Nero", as well as producing.”
- Hobart Taylor, KUCI 88.9FM (California, USA)

“Maclean's foursome delivers jazz between the two poles of thoughtful introspection and powerhouse conveyance, taking influences from Herbie Hancock's primordial 1960's Blue Note era recordings featuring Freddie Hubbard, while simultaneously paying apt tribute to some of the greatest improvisers in jazz history.”
- Memphis Marty, The Jazz Music Blog (Australia)

“Rites Of Ascension ... here’s a hot CD by a Canadian-based jazz group playing four pieces by Herbie Hancock mixed in with a plethora of original tunes by the leader [Nick Maclean] and trumpeter Brownman Ali, clearly one of the more arresting and individual players I’ve heard in a long time... this band is like a tonic; they wake you up and put some pep in your step!  An outstanding album, one that should put the Maclean Quartet firmly on the musical map. No two ways about it, the Nick Maclean Quartet has staked out its claim in the jazz world and intends to stick around.”
- Lynn Rene Bayley, The Art Music Lounge (Cincinnati, USA)

“This twenty-something Toronto based pianist will be largely unknown to Australian audiences, but with albums like this along with his other project ‘Snaggle’ likened to Snarky Puppy, Maclean’s trajectory can only be upward. Personal expression and fun are the hallmarks of Nick Maclean’s music and both are in abundance here. The overly familiar ‘Cantaloupe Island’ opens the album but Maclean’s arrangement uses chromatic colours to put his stamp on the Hancock hit. Trumpeter Brownman Ali, with his crystalline tone, controlled vibrato and precise facility tips his hat to Hubbard while accelerating ‘Driftin’ into double time. Samples of Hancock voicing wisdom are used to colour some Maclean original’s which allow the album to ascend from a platform of the past into the music of tomorrow. The highlight is the contribution from Ali ‘Madness of Nero’ which seems to encompass all the stylistic elements of the album into one piece including samples from philosopher Christopher Hitchens.”
- Peter Wockner, Jazz and Beyond (Australia)

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“Pianist Nick Maclean delivers a tribute to Herbie Hancock’s 60s Blue Note with a collection of interpretations and originals. His team of Brownman Ali/tp, Jesse Dietschi/b and Tyler Goertzen/dr is up for the task, with Ali tapping into his inner Freddie Hubbard  on sleek reads of 'One Finger Snap' and 'Cantaloupe Island'  while he skates over Goertzen’s brushes with aplomb on 'Tell Me A Bedtime Story.' Maclean’s own compositions are quite strong, flowing on the ballad 'Feral Serenity' and Brownman gets  the team into a funky mood on his own 'Madness of Nero.' Dietschi does some nice work on 'Goldberg Machine' and the team develops infectious grooves as on 'Elasticity of Time and Space.'  Respectful, but not deferential.”

- George W Harris, Jazz Weekly (California, USA)

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“Rites of Ascention [...] is a tribute to Herbie Hancock’s elemental 1960s Blue Note era recordings, and a daring original musical statement on its own. ... These four musicians [...] have a great synergy and drive, and some serious chops. Their renditions of Hancock’s four classics are full of energy and forward momentum while managing to retain the unhurried character of the earlier compositions.  Maclean’s creative mind and aesthetics are obvious in every aspect of this album, his piano solos both lyrical and invigorating, supported by a stellar rhythm section. The album features fiercely strong trumpet solos from Brownman Ali, indicative of Freddie Hubbard’s style at times and distinctively unique.”

- Ivana Popovic, The WholeNote (Toronto, Canada)

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“Nick’s mighty mellow keyboards lead this dynamic quartet, through a series of high-energy originals and re-imagined Hancock tunes in an album that just demands to be in your long-term collection… if you’re like me, though, you’ll be pushing this out to your player & listening to it every time you take a cruise… folks, if you ain’t snappin’ all five of those digits along with the heavy rhythm on this one, you are NOT the “jazz fan” you claim to be... Ali’s trumpet just SHINES [and] it was an easy pick for personal favorite of the eleven songs offered up -- Brownman’s original, “Madness Of Nero“, the longest cut on the album, gives each player a chance to show their significant chops… it’s certainly the best trumpet-led piece I’ve heard in 2017.  I give Nick & the rest of the quartet a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.98 for this thrilling jazz adventure.”

- Dick Metcalf, Improvijazzation Nation (Washington, USA)

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