Reviews

“[Kyle is] a brave, harmonic, and spatial improviser…exceedingly versatile, a wonderful initiator and responder. [He has] the remarkable ability to play a ballad as if [his] life depended on it. [He] views the piano as an orchestra full of surprises…if he were a painter, we would marvel at his blending of ‘abstract’ and ‘representational’...[His music is] emotional and intellectual…joyous in its creativity.”

—Michael Steinman, All About Jazz

“He plays in his own way and does not come off like a Red Garland spring chicken, but rather takes advantage of everything that could be considered the domain of contemporary pianists, and does it with such discretion.”

–Vittorio Lo Conte, All About Jazz

“Very mature playing with a real lyrical flavor. The trio sounds great together, tight when it needs to be and loose and wide open in between. The tunes make for a coherent whole; a cycle of sorts. The solos are strong and the moods are compelling. Great stuff; This band needs to be heard!!!”

—Frank Carlberg, (regarding Sinistral, with Greg Loughman)

“The music is just fantastic. It puts me in a place that I love being in. It's intimate, it's harmonically rich; it's got everything. I love the sound of the group...it's so modern. I just loved it.”

—Jerry Bergonzi (regarding Sinistral, with Greg Loughman)

“[Kyle] is one of the most intelligent, perceptive and skilled musicians I have ever come across. Also his attitude and demeanor are a joy to be around … and you cannot do better.”

—Bob Brookmeyer

“Aho proves a perfect partner, playful and knowing, bringing classical and jazz skills to bear without self-consciousness… .”

—John Sharpe, All About Jazz

“Kyle is the consummate performer, and catalyst for a worthy group performance. I have noticed that as a performer his selfless attitude contributes greatly to the group effort, which is key to the jazz experience. As a soloist, he is extremely inventive, and musical. He has an uncompromised depth to his improvisations, which I greatly admire.”

—Jeff Rupert, Director of Jazz Studies at The University of Central Florida

“RITUALS is a uniquely designed and executed album that will take you on a beautiful journey, where all expected and anticipated pathways and images will show you another side, leaving you no choice but to return and dive again.”

Vardan Ovsepian, “FreshSoundNewTalent” Artist

“The pieces in RITUALS are full of beauty and mystery. Just as the liner note says, a perfect balance between clarity and ambiguity--the expected and the unexpected, the dissonant creating a greater arc of meaning. I love the cover art, the rigor and range of Margaret Aho's words, that my translation of Mahadeviyakka joins Kafka, Symeon, Whitman, Vallejo... I love this visit to Kyle Aho's world. I live in one similarly ranging, and Aho's music reflects that range wonderfully."

—Jane Hirshfield, poet, essayist, and translator