Review by Laurence Donohue-Greene, All About Jazz: NewYork, April 2005:

Though Morton Feldman's (1926-87) early concerts were commonly shared with such experimental classical composers as John Cage and Earle Brown, Feldman would also go hear jazz at the Five Spot and Jazz Gallery. Much of Feldman's spaciously composed works for solo instruments and small groups actually provide a foundation for fascinating jazz renditions and it's a wonder that his name isn't heard more in the more avant-garde, contemporary-classical inspired or European jazz circles.

The work of the late great New York-born composer has given birth to this overdue compilation tribute disc. And though what is heard herein was not composed by him, there are convincing original jazz pieces written as homage to and inspired by Feldman utilizing his exquisite harmonies and resonating use of space. Mike Wofford's "Quietsville" exploits the sonic textures so common in Feldman's compositions. The trio of piano, bass (Rob Thorsen) and drums (Joe LaBarbera) work individually without crisscrossing or competing. Ken Vandermark's "Hbf series for Morton Feldman" is, in essence, five miniatures (ranging from half a minute to a minute and 40 seconds) by the Vandermark 5. The textures and clarity of the leader and Dave Rempis' various softly played reeds with brass effects, solid bass and lightly played drums (performed primarily on brushes or light mallets) brings to mind a classic jazz score to some black and white French '50s film. For 11 minutes, Robert Carl's "Duke Meets Mort" ever-so subtly takes six chords from Ellington's "Mood Indigo" and in a cyclic meditation processes them through a Feldman-like filter utilizing the spirit and stamp of both great composers while gently taking the ever-so familiar into an altogether new reality performed by the Vienna Saxophone Quartet.

Feldman's works could be notoriously long (up to 5 hours!), so Rova saxophonist Larry Ochs' 27-minute "Tracers (for Anthony Braxton and Morton Feldman)" is, by comparison, a walk in the park. The reed octet of Jon Raskin, Vinny Golia, Glenn Spearman, Dave Barrett, Tim Berne, Steve Adams and Bruce Ackley hauntingly threads a continuous flow of interweaving undercurrent drone as if a string section inspired by Feldman's orchestral tendencies. And perhaps one of the most unique tracks is pianist Daniel Goyone's gently stretched two-and-a-half minute Cuban guajira theme, "For Morton Feldman" for piano and vibes/percussion (Thierry Bonneaux), one of the few consistently rhythmic instances on the CD to which you can't help but tap your foot.

Last month, the S.E.M. Ensemble performed Feldman's "The Turfan Fragments" at Zankel Hall and though a not-so "jazzy" rendition, the potential for Feldman's works to be taken into a "jazz" context is evident. Feldman's publisher (Universal Edition) just announced the forthcoming publication of the composer's hitherto unpublished and unperformed 1984 arrangement of Kurt Weill's "Alabama Song" for jazz ensemble. "Fascinating how the Feldman jazz connection is unfolding!" Chris Villars (this compilation's producer) recently said. It's about time.

Review by Downtown Music Gallery, New York City:

Eight homages and/or pieces dedicated to Morton Feldman by Ken Vandermark, Mike Wofford, Ernesto Klar, Robert Carl, Larry Ochs, Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer, Daniel Goyone, and Charles Waters from (Gold Sparkle & Little Huey CM Orchestra) [who brought this obscure release to us!]. Produced and designed by British artist named Chris Villars.

Although only two of these tracks are unreleased (those by Tickmayer & Waters), chances are that the only tracks you might have heard previously are those by Vandermark (from' Acoustic Machine') and Larry Ochs' extended eight sax version of the Rova Sax Quartet. I know of Mike Wofford from his session work in LA, Ernesto Klar from his superb CD on Fresh Sound and Steven Tickmayer from his CDs on ReR. What's interesting is that Morton Feldman was often an extreme minimalist, using a great deal of space between his notes, while jazz is often more dense and often deals with the swing factor. Mike Wofford's piano trio does a splendid job of stripping things down to a Bill Evans-like spaciousness. The Vandermark 5 also do a fine job stretching those notes out with somber, suspenseful elegance. Ernesto Klar's "enTroPia" comes closest to the unique language and condensed sound that Feldman worked with. Robert Carl's "Duke Meets Mort" is performed by the Vienna Sax Quartet and here Carl takes six chords from Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" and reinterprets in a Feldman-esque way, stretching the notes out in a haunting, contemplative way. Larry Ochs "Tracers" is dedicated to Feldman and Anthony Braxton and is performed by the Rova Sax Quartet with four other saxists added (Tim Berne, Glenn Spearman, Steve Adams, Vinny Golia & Dave Barrett). This epic length piece is collection of drones that shift and slowly change texture(s) as it evolves. The first unreleased track is Stevan K. Tickmayer's "Boogie for Morton Feldman", for a chamber sextet (reeds, trombone, viola, cello, bass & drums), which deals with a slow moving mass that evolves as the bass line starts walking and the trombone player and cellist take inspired solo. Daniel Goyone's "For Morton Feldman" is a slow, more lyrical and somber work for a trio of piano, vibes/marimba and flutes. The other unreleased piece is Charles Waters' "After/Feldman" for clarinet, trumpet, trombone & tuba and also comes close to Feldman's spacious aesthetic of shimmering notes and short drones.

Review by Susan Lancaster, Why Patterns? Feldman discussion list, 28th March 2005:

[...] I bought this CD - and it's wonderful! A revelation to me as a non-jazz enthusiast! I think every Feldman enthusiast should get a copy: It's a fascinating historical document of how Feldman has influenced all these great musicians and more than that - it's such great music!

It starts with Mike Wofford's lovely meditation on a Feldmanesque theme and runs into Ken Vandermark's five short pieces evoking Webern (for me at least) - five beautiful Webernesque jazz miniatures! Then comes Ernesto Klar's raucous piece in which a Feldman-like repetitive pattern descends into chaos and back again. Robert Carl's piece which follows is ravishingly beautiful. Then comes the 27 minute piece by Larry Ochs for 8 saxophones. I like this very much. Ochs' notes helped me to get the sectional structure of the piece and I find it gets more Feldman-like and more beautiful as it goes on. Above all the sheer musicality of these guys' extended improvisations is amazing! After this things lighten up with Stevan Tickmayer's "Boogie for Feldman". This seems to take Piano Piece 1952 and turn it into a jazz "walking bass" (jazz lovers will no doubt correct me!) over which some great improvisations are made. Next is Daniel Goyone's 3 minute tribute: It's the nearest thing I've heard to a Feldman "pop song"! I'm sure if released as a single it would do well!! Charles Waters' "After/Feldman" ends the disk perfectly, with a slowly building progression of chords that end with that sad poignancy Feldman so often evokes.

Wow! It's a great experience listening to all this! I recommend it to everyone. There are notes by all the composers, a general intro and photos of Feldman in the booklet, though its design is a bit blank in the Chris Villars style of art! Buy it for the music anyway - it's great!

Review from Cadence Magazine May 2005:

A compilation of various artists and approaches to the work of a pre-eminent contemporary minimalist composer, MORTON FELDMAN JAZZ TRIBUTES (Villars Edition 1) contains numerous variations on the man's work. Mostly tribute pieces, they generally fall into the category of advanced chamber Jazz. Delicate percussive tones predominate in Mike Wofford's "Quietsville" while subtle but engaging acoustic chamber work is found in Robert Carl's "Duke Meets Mort" and Charles Waters' "After/Feldman." On the album's half-hour centerpiece, "Tracers," Larry Ochs' augmented ROVA saxophone octet delivers a surprisingly subtle but continuously evolving meditation on timbre and counterpoint. There are more aggressive pieces, such as Ensemble Tickmayer Formatio's "Boogie For Morton Feldman" and the Klaresque Ensemble's "enTroPia," which build from delicate chamber sonorities to more aggressive Free Jazz cadences. For the most part this is a sedate affair, best exemplified by the Vandermark 5's previously released set of miniatures, the "Hbf Series for Morton Feldman 1-5". An interesting compilation of pieces, it is intriguing to imagine what other gems a series of these concept albums could turn up.