Awakening
The Corey Christiansen Quartet
"Corey Cristiansen is the kind of jazz player I like: One who is steeped in the tradition of the great bebop and post bop musicians, but is also very conscious of infusing into it a new and modern style. The language he speaks is not of the 40s and 50s, but very much of our time. And it swings like a runaway train! Great CD........"
- Carl Verheyen
"Corey Christiansen is one of the best kept secrets in jazz. His playing embodies the true spirit of jazz - swinging, the blues and rhythm, and it celebrates life. Every time we play together he constantly surprises me with his creativity. And he's also a great composer."
-Donald Brown, Professor of Jazz Studies, University of Tennessee (former pianist for Art Blakey)
"This is a really inventive CD! Played with grace and a strong sense of tradition, Corey has a definitive sense of adventure and wild improvisations in his playing. He goes for it all in this terrific outing. One question - How come he hasn't made dozens of CDs before?"
-Jack Wilkins
"Corey Christiansen is among the most exciting guitarists to arrive on the music scene in years. His appearances at the Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Café have drawn accolades from audiences from audiences and critics, alike. Possessing a mature and individual musical voice, Corey plays with the confidence of a veteran and the freshness of a newcomer. As this new album so aptly demonstrates, Corey Christiansen is a major talent!"
-Randall Kremer, Smithsonian Jazz Café
"Corey Christiansen's CD 'Awakening' is one of the heaviest debut offerings I've heard in a long time. He's an impressive technician, but clearly plays from the gut, measuring out equal amounts of precision and emotion. Although he shows a clear command of the mainstream jazz idiom, it is his flair for adventuresome composition (both spontaneous and written) that really marks him as a distinct voice on the guitar, and one to be watched in the future!"
-Jim Fisch, 20th Century Guitar Magazine
Corey Christiansens’s first foray as a headlining artist offers many standard as well as original tunes. Including "Beatrice", "Darn That Dream", "Alone Together", "All the Things You Are", and five others featuring the great talents of Danny Gottlieb (drums), Mark Neuenschandwer (bass), and pianist Per Danielsson. A great jazz album to add to any collection.
