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Gary Morgan and PanAmericana! Press
Montreal Bistro, Toronto ...then there will undoubtedly come a day when Gary Morgan is widely recognized as one of the brightest big band composer/arrangers in the business...they blew the roof off the joint for two sets...Morgan's charts work from a surprisingly varied and subtle palette... — JD Considine, Toronto Globe & MailFULL REVIEW Lula Lounge, Toronto ...The project was a clear demonstration of the caliber of Toronto musicians as well as the quality of Gary Morgan's imaginative and masterful arrangements and strong musical direction... — Laura Fernandez, The Live Music ReportFULL REVIEW Live at Birdland ...Morgan marshalled 20 musicians into forceful, expressive and densely layered musical entity... — Jazz Times MagazineFULL REVIEW ...Gary Morgan is an unusually gifted composer and arranger...a terrific mix, full of surprising textures and harmonies...PanAmericana! is one of the best bands around, both innovative and respectful of tradition... — Dr. Judith Schlesinger, AllAboutJazz.comFULL REVIEW ...His writing is fresh, personal, sonically meticulous, and more than anything, written by a great musician for great musicians...Within merely a measure, he can shift from densely folkloric, polyrhythmic Afro-Cuban or Brazilian textures to transparent and elusively shifting timbres reminiscent of the French Impressionists, Bartók, Neo-Classic Stravinsky, and of course, the more pensive side of Stan Kenton and Gil Evans... — Richard BoukasFULL REVIEW Felicidade ...Pan Americana!'s style reflects Morgan's diverse influences, with high-energy songwriting and a heavy dose of Brazilian music... — David Weiss, Mix MagazineFULL REVIEW Anatomy of a Recording Session -- Gary Morgan & PanAmericana! at Legacy Studios |
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...NYC-based composer, arranger and bassist Gary Morgan's PanAmericana! boasts percolating Afro-Cuban to Brazilian rhythms, zesty melodies, engaging ensemble writing, and ear-grabbing improvisations... — Zan Stewart, Newark Star LedgerFULL REVIEW ...Gary Morgan belongs to the select group of artists who truly understand the universal essence of music... — Jovino Santos NetoFULL REVIEW ...Gary Morgan's orchestrations are an absolute feast. He thrives on the diverse rhythms of Latin America and the Caribbean and his arrangements are clever and energetic... — Terrell Kent Holmes, All About JazzFULL REVIEW ...Morgan and his group reveal of world of possibilities inherent in Brazilian big band jazz on Felicidade, driven by Morgan's fine tuned orchestration skills and smart repertoire. Morgan's ability to extract less common sounds from the ensemble and then place them in primary roles sets his group apart from most big bands... — Chip Boaz, The Latin Jazz CornerFULL REVIEW ...On Felicidade (CAP), arranger Gary Morgan deploys a kaleidoscope of orchestral strategies and a veritable cornucopia of tones and timbres, instrumental combinations and colors with his PanAmericana big band... — George Kanzler, Hot House MagazineFULL REVIEW ...The album is an outstanding collection of mostly Brazilian jazz that leans toward samba and other dance rhythms, but some of the pieces show other Latin influences, including Cuban… takes advantage of the percussion-dominated, full orchestral sound that only a Latin big band can generate... — Big Jeez, Blogcritics MagazineFULL REVIEW ...The marquee for Gary Morgan & Pan Americana! should read, "Electrifying big band Latin jazz." "Felicidade" (Consolidated Artists Productions), the 20-piece group's second album, is a tour de force of bold writing and playing... — Owen Cordle, Raleigh North Carolina News & ObserverFULL REVIEW ..."Felicidade," which means happiness, certainly provides a tremendous dose of musical joy here whether one is a fan of Latin/Brazilian music or not. Morgan's charts are robust full of fire while the explosive PanAmericana orchestra makes the music glow all over. With out question, this is one of the finest Latin jazz albums to be released this year blending the best of Latin/Brazilian music and big band jazz making for a winning combination... — Ed Blanco, EJazzNewsFULL REVIEW ..."This is not your father's big band." While this band certainly takes certain musical cues from the traditional big band language, as do a large majority of modern big bands, they are looking to infuse the language of modern South American music into a large group setting. One listen to this CD and you'll agree that they are well on their way to achieving their goal.... — Dan Bilowsky, Jazz Improv MagazineFULL REVIEW |