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Press Reviews for "Power Play""Saxophonist Ralph Bowen's Power Play is a solid and straightahead album that juxtaposes fearless up-tempo playing with pensive introspection. Bowen, who has chops galore, displays his mastery of tenor, alto, and soprano throughout."
"Ralph Bowen is an assured saxophonist and versatile composer who clearly enjoys spontaneous conversation with his mates. In short, Power Play is an unpretentious delight." "Power Play, with its mixture of driving, thought-provoking material and gentler journeys, demonstrates that power manifests itself in different ways, and remains ever-present within the work of saxophonist Ralph Bowen.
"Bowen's sound and solo phrases never disappoint the listener. As he stretches out deep into the choruses, you can hear his ever-present stellar technique. At times he seemingly pays homage to Coltrane and the "sheets of sound" approach."
"Power Play is a disc of hard-driving, intense, full-throttle, straight-ahead jazz."
"With the addition of fast-rising pianist Orrin Evans, and due to the fact that all the tracks on Power Play were written by Ralph - with the exception of "My One and Only Love" - Power Play was eagerly anticipated by Bowen fans."
"If you play, this is a clinic in the kind of things you could be doing, and maybe should be doing. Bowen's sense of melody is stunning, and yet completely unpredictable. He alternates effortlessly between scales and modes, shows off some wickedly blistering speed in places yet only when he really has to drive a point home. The closest comparison is probably Joshua Redman, but Bowen's attack is lighter and more crystalline, and that contrasts, sometimes mightily, with the intensity of the tunes."
 Reviews for "Due Reverence""The combination of competently-crafted tunes from Bowen (director of jazz ensembles at Rutgers), played by this outstanding group, will hopefully help Due Reverence draw more attention to the saxophonist's work."- John Patten, All About Jazz Read More... "Bowen's superb articulation is par excellent and his facility is superb."
"Backed by a hard-hitting quintet (trumpeter Sean Jones, guitarist Adam Rogers, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Antonio Sanchez), Bowen proves he's near the top of the tenor sax heap."
"Simply stated, the saxophonist packs a mighty punch while underscoring his virtuosity with fluency and an authoritative tone. And he gets to the point, whether dishing out hyper-mode bop phrasings or easing the listener into a peppery ballad with soul-stirring intonations"
"Rather than an album with multiple short to moderate songs, Due Reverence simplifies things with only five tracks, each running more than six minutes. That not only allows plenty of freedom for the soloists, but also a heavy dose of interplay among the group."
"Overall, this is very fine mainstream jazz and is highly recommended."
"Due Reverence is a gem of an album from beginning to end. All five compositions by its protagonist, tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen, deserve high praise for outstanding invention and impeccable execution. These are erudite compositions, delving not just into musical characters, but more than anything else, empathizing with them, emoting with them by taking turns on a trapeze of highs and lows with swooping changes in tone and manner. And best of all there is incredible rhythmic invention in each of the musical elegies—from a walking and trotting swing to a challenging shuffle-skip-and-fly rhythm executed in a most unfettered way."
"This is a nice confident jazz album filled with compelling solos and well versed ensemble playing."
"While this is definitely Ralph Bowen's show, his choice of musical comrades makes this music positively shine. Like Tom Harrell, Bowen started with "real" melodies, not riffs, and the music has great flow."
"Bowen's saxophone playing here is both sensuous and assured with a mature big-toned timbre."
"The tenor saxophone dynamo Ralph Bowen builds his solid new CD around compositions written for core musical mentors. Here, Bowen winningly employs his warm, penetrating sound and moving improv style deeply influenced by John Coltrane."
"Saxophonist/Rutgers Jazz Studies Associate Professor Bowen composed a smart album of complex originality, pushing the band (Adam Rogers-guitar, Sean Jones-trumpet, John Patitucci-bass, Antonio Sanchez-drums) to swing a little harder with each track." "...saxophonist Ralph Bowen, a truly bad-ass player who has appeared on over 60 recordings as a sideman and leader. Due Reverence, his second release on Posi-Tone, is prime example of his continued voice as a musician and leader."
 Reviews for "Dedicated"
"The music is straight ahead post bop played with flare and precision."
"Everything here is a gem, showcasing Bowen's muscular tenor and strong credentials as a composer and improviser." "His playing has exceptional fluidity without the slightest degradation of tone. It is filled with inventiveness and free from cliche" 94/100 "...is a vehicle for Bowen to show his tenor prowess."
"...this recording is a real swinging tour-de-force. Aside from the fact that these are some of my favorite players, both Ralph's playing and compositional skills really shine here. His playing is truly virtuosic and the writing is supremely interesting, swinging and never "heady"." "Ralph Bowen's best quality as a tenor player is said to be his "casual perfectionism." Maybe that's true, but there's nothing casual about Dedicated, a collection of musical shout-outs to the mentors that helped shape Bowen's sound and career"
"Meanwhile, the tenor explores upper and lower reaches of its range, at times at a fiery pace," "The well-matched timbre of the group's sound reveals that the time and care put into this project paid off. Bowen has a mastery of his instrument not unlike Michael Brecker, cites John Coltrane as his main influence, but plays with more nuance and reserve than either. He travels through the music and chooses to become part of the fiber of the group-sound, except on "E.R.," which is a solo piece that let's him weave his own song, from long drawn out tones to 32nd-note runs, syncopated triplets and reflection."
"Dedicated is a consistently enjoyable demonstration of Bowen's skills as both a saxophonist and a composer." |
