NEWS!!!

The Eric Mintel Quartet, comprised of the pianist-leader, Nelson Hill on alto, soprano and flute, bassist Dave Antonow and drummer Dave Mohn, has been together for a few years, and it shows.  On this CD, a live radio broadcast from June 27, 2006, Mintel and his quartet put on a very musical and entertaining show.  It is obvious as soon as Mintel plays a chordal solo, that Dave Brubeck is one of his main influences.  Mintel does not explore polyrhythms or polytonality that extensively, so the influence is mostly felt in his chord voicings.  When Mintel plays single-note lines, he sounds more individual.  In any case, he swings hard throughout and pushes the other members of the quartet.  Nelson Hill has attractive tones on his instruments, recalling Phil Woods a little on alto (but not when he plays firey double time lines) and Zoot Sims on soprano.  With fine support offered by bassist Antonow and drummer Mohn, the group romps through a few originals plus "Take The 'A' Train" and "Gone With The Wind."  The newer material is complex enough to be memorable and accessible.  In addition, Mintel talks a little and is interviewed by Jackson Brady who hosts the Real Jazz show on XM radio.  Eric Mintel lives in Pennsylvania and his quartet often performs in the Washington DC area.  Hopefully they will appear in Los Angeles someday but in the meantime, Live @ XM (along with the group's other recordings) will have to suffice.  This spirited outing is available from www.ericmintelquartet.com
                                                                                    Scott Yanow

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Pianist Eric Mintel Charms Crowd

A Recent Article
By Jeff Rivers, Hartford Courant Staff Writer.

The Eric Mintel Quartet treated the audience at Cheney Hall in Manchester Saturday night to a flavorful mixture of holiday favorites and originals. Billed as “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the concert grabbed the audience right away with “Christmas is Coming” one of the tunes Vince Guaraldi wrote for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the 1965 television special. The quartet's energetic and accessible playing on that tune set the tone for the evening that ended with Dave Brubeck's ”Blue Rondo a la Turk” and a standing ovation. The four men ambled on stage wearing dark suits. Still, during their two sets, they played and interacted with each other with a sunny disposition on a crisp night, while some in the crowd came wearing clothing festooned with holiday scenes. Mintel, a lyrical pianist with a sometimes light but always sure touch, had many outstanding moments on stage as he wound his way through tunes such as “What is This Thing Called Love?” and Guaraldi's ”Christmas Time is Here,” which had some of the baby boomers in the audience swooning. Mintel's uncomplicated compositions such as ”Hartford” which he played in the capital city last summer, showcased the pianist's fluid playing and the solid work of his band mates. At the end of the show, Mintel said he hoped to return to the area next year to give another performance. The audience clapped and roared at the prospect.

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Philadelphia Inquirer, June 2007

Eric Mintel Quartet
Times Change
ericmintelquartet.com

If the opposite poles of the music are free jazz and smooth jazz, then pianist Eric Mintel rests securely in between. The Feasterville, Bucks County-based pianist pursues an audience but isn't formulaic about it. And his quartet sounds more welcoming than avant-garde.

The results are happy and accessible, if not especially emotional. Mintel has wrested a living from jazz by playing bright music, and it's taken him from a White House gig in 1998 to selling his CDs over the QVC network and performing on XM Satellite Radio's Real Jazz 70.

The set here nods to his mentor, Dave Brubeck, and to Marian McPartland, who hosted Mintel on her NPR radio show. The group's "Take Five" represents a reasonable blowout for saxophonist Nelson Hill and drummer Dave Mohn, while "Boogie Sugar" shows off some fine muscular soul.

The band takes on The Association's "Windy" with a big dab of innocence, and "Homecoming" is pretty sunny. The closing "Lullaby" proves to be a gusher of soft colors too saccharine for this jaded soul. But exuberant moments abound in the 73-minute set, including bassist Dave Antonow's solo on Brubeck's "Why Not?"

- K.S.

 

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