What reviewers say about Equal Interest: Equal Interest (OmniTone 12001)

• "Rarely has the phrase 'sum of its parts' applied so accurately to an all-star jazz gathering... the range delivered by Equal Interest is stunning ...equally beautiful, hearty and fragile, all at once. " —Peter Margasak, JazzTimes (July/August 2000)
• "Take three distinctive, acclaimed composer/ improviser/bandleaders
  with multifaceted musical personalities , let their imaginations run wild and you've got Equal Interest.  Whether floating pastel melodies atop Asian-flavored modes or tossing taut thematic motives around with aplomb, they create a unique perspective on improvisational chamber music with a World Music feel." —Art Lange, Pulse! (June 2000)
• "Overall, this is one of the most poetically conceived, wide-ranging and thoroughly integrated recordings of American avant-garde jazz that I have heard in quite some time..."  —Michael Tucker, Jazz Journal International (February 2001)
  
• "[Equal Interest] journey's around the globe without ever lapsing into one-world clichés...  They embroider Indian and Turkish folk, chamber music and down-home blues forms into colorful sound portraits that are framed by their jazz roots."
  —Bill Meyer, Magnet
• 1/2 " ...never less than extraordinary .  This is music you can hear breathing...music that defies categorization beyond the beauty and humanity that suffuse all of it." —James Hale, Down Beat (May 2000)
• "...[an] engaging hour of music ....  Perhaps the most striking aspect of the disc is the serene spirituality ...  Spirituality and jazz enjoy a long and fruitful relationship (including John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, Pharoah Sanders' Karma, and the Sacred Concerts of Duke Ellington, to name a few examples), and Equal Interest adds another rewarding chapter to this important aspect of jazz's tradition." 
  —Gene Hyde, Memphis Flyer (3 April 2000)
• "There is little 'avant-garde' jazz here, although it has its place among a world of musical trio stylings —blues, folk, classical, Armenian, either alone or in smoothly-blended combinations .....Soft, enchanting, completely different , Equal Interest is novel and compelling ."
  —Jules Epstein, Philadelphia Tribune (27 March 2000)
• "From three avant-garde firebrands like Joseph Jarman, Myra Melford, and Leroy Jenkins, you'd expect explosiveness, but much of the best music here is remarkably gentle and flowing . Jarman's "Poem Song" reveals his interest in Eastern cultures in a sweet, tender way. Nice stuff."
  —S D Feeney, FACE Magazine (28 March 2000)
• "Superb debut on this fine new label...   Each of Equal Interest's members are soloists, bandleaders and composers in their own realms, so each brings many years of experience into their distinctive sound .  Each piece here combines a variety of genres or strains into a well woven tapestry ." 
  —Bruce Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
    
• "The trio can easily cavort through jutting improvisations that seem to always highlight microtonal gaps in the air between their instruments....  The trio shines on 'Apricots from Eden,' a traditional Armenian song with a doleful, undulating melody over which Jenkins soars.   Melford proves a fine harmonium player, just as Jarman reminds again how ably he can pick up Turkish hand drums, chimes, and a Vietnamese oboe and make beautiful, surprising music." —Andrew Bartlett, Amazon
• "...this eponymous debut from Equal Interest keeps a surprisingly meditative mood throughout .  Difficult free music gestures are skillfully submerged in airy themes and folkish melodies , unison passages , and regular pulses .  And even when one of the three musicians takes a solo into outer space, the other two temper the sound with defiantly sweet and calming accompaniment."
  —Aaron Steinberg, Cleveland Scene (27 April 2000)
• "Quite a triumvirate ... sharp, challenging and exceptional music ....  Equal Interest are [sic] enriched by the world's folk melodies and the capabilities of group improv, and they in turn enrich us."
  —Mark Keresman, Waterfront Week (10 February 2000)
• "...an all-inclusive merging of styles."  —Scott Hreha, Signal to Noise (May/June 2000)
• "...a testament to [Myra Melford's] artistry."
  —Fred Jung, JazzWeekly.com
• "[A] graceful, adventurous and good humoured chamber group."
  —Julian Cowley, Wire Magazine
• "'Equal Interest' segna il debutto di questo 'supertrio' di New York, ma con profonde radici a Chicago, in grado di fondere ed amalgamare perfettamente elementi jazz, blues, classici e folk.  I tre musicisti, non hanno bisogno di presentazioni.  I trascorsi chicagoani (Braxton, Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Shepp, Theardgill) parlano per loro. La musica che ne scaturisce attraversa passato, presente, e futuro del jazz."
  —MoonLight Records
• Interview with Myra Melford by Bill Smith about Equal Interest on JazzReview.com.