Dave Hartl: Reviews

"Solid, hard-driving jazz fusion. Throughout the Gaijin CD Foreign Growth, available from Hartl, his playing is consistently well-rendered and lively. A definite hit for fusion fans."
-"Discoveries" column, June 1993

(3 1/2 starts out of 4)

This devastating little CD was rehearsed at Chris' Cafe on Sansom Street and recorded at University of the Arts, where all but the quartet's drummer impart jazz lore to youth. Pianist Dave Hartl shows a knack for writing compelling tunes and fomenting percussive solos, while saxophonist Ron Kerber gives a bright and hip cast to his leads. His solo on "Scrupulectomy'' is sprinkled with dying fireballs -- tones that fade downward -- just one of many winning touches.
Bassist Craig Thomas and drummer Mark Graham provide plenty of firepower for this hard-charging recording, which strives for the edge and gets there.

The musical community of our wide broadcast area can be justifiably proud of their heavy concentration of emerging jazz talent...Added to the fact that each of these practicing musicians are among the best on our jazz scene as performers, they are members of that specially talented group that, through their teaching and encouragement, bring entire new generations of professionals into the art form....a great new album ("Straight, a Head").

I am almost certain that the name of David Hartl doesn't say anything to the jazz fans in Armenia. Too bad for them! "Thinking man's jazz" is how well-known jazz critic John Zech described the music performed by Dave Hartl's jazz quartet. Indeed, the music of this quartet makes you think about every note and every bar. Beautiful acoustic sound on the last album, "Straight, a Head", along with high-level technique puts this album and naturally the quartet itself in the category of best achievements in contemporary jazz music.