JIM SALTZMAN
Press
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"If anything, Saltzman's compositions are all about confronting hidden intentions with blatant honesty. Honesty must be the best policy, because Hidden Intentions is as honest as you're ever going to find. In an age where integrity usually runs second to marketability, Jim Saltzman takes the road less traveled. And that makes all the difference."
- J Hunter - All About Jazz
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“…tenor saxophonist Jim Saltzman let loose - using cries, fast-ripped phrases, leaping lines and more to tell his story.”
- Zan Stewart, The Star Ledger
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"Jim Saltzman, "Hidden Intentions" An infectious collection of original postmodern jazz from a quartet of great young players led by a saxophonist I had never heard of before. These guys play with passion and intensity."
- Steve Greenlee - THE BEST CDS OF 2007, Boston Globe
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"Jim Saltzman is another gifted, pyrotechnical tenor player out of the Coltrane-Brecker school, one who, based on the evidence of this striking debut recording and all-original program, bears close watching. When he backs off on his sound, he displays an appealing, warm middle register, but for the most part the emphasis here is on high-energy, intense playing. Saltzman shows impressive control of harmonics, occasionally employing multiphonics, and his command of the altissimo register would likely give some alto players an identity crisis. On soprano he gets a full, smooth sound, equal parts Steve Lacy and Bob Wilbur, while maintaining a Coltrane harmonic-melodic sensibility. His use of bansuri and Native American flutes is largely textural, making for an incongruous yet undeniably compelling mix when complemented by Fender Rhodes piano."
"…with a player as attentive to detail as Saltzman, what might initially seem like unfamiliar ground can suddenly appear more like home. Take the less-trodden path of the opening track ("Hidden Intentions") stay the course through "Going Home," and withhold judgment until the finale—"Once Faded, Now Focused" As Homer's Odysseus discovered, the greatest adventures are also homecomings.”
-Samuel Chell, All About Jazz
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“Jim Saltzman and crew have made a jazz album that taps into zones that are imaginative…The music is very personal. In this way, the album is like a giant quilt that is chiefly homespun and maps the wanderings of its creators. Hidden Intentions is innovative and has Saltzman and crew’s insignia embossed all over it.”
- Susan Frances, Jazz Review
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"... Jim Saltzman shows throughout Hidden Intentions that he is a force to be reckoned with. Recommended."
- Scott Yanow, All Music
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Testimonials
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“Jim Saltzman is a complete musician. As an accomplished performer, composer, and dedicated music educator with three degrees (BM, MM, DMA) from prestigious schools under his belt, he provides an impressive balance of discipline, craft, and creativity to his students. His sincerity and dedication enhance his effectiveness as a teacher.”
-Rich DeRosa, Professor, Jazz Composition and Arranging, UNT
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"Jim Saltzman is an innovative composer and consummate saxophonist. His compositions are rich with advanced harmonic innovations which combine the Brookmeyer/McNeely school of modern jazz with comtemporary classical techniques. As an improvisor, Jim brings great energy, passion and a high level of knowledge to any musical situation."
-Scott Reeves, Professor of Music, City College of New York, NYC freelance composer and trombonist
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"This new recording project may finally be the break-through for composer and saxophonist Jim Saltzman. It is a shame that he is not more widely recognized and appreciated. The overall sound might be described as muscular and full: individual contributions are both inventive and deliberate. There is hardly a wasted note or slight hesitation. This is creative jazz at it's best. Lunch for your ears!!"
-Tim Price, Saxophone Journal
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“Jim’s writing has profound intelligence and forward-thought, while also having historic depth. Besides having great skill with harmony and orchestration, he has a rich feeling for melody as well. An unusually fine combination of artistry.”
-Pete McGuinness
GRAMMY–nominated arranger/Associate Professor of Jazz Arranging at William Paterson University
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"In conjunction with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s exhibition The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s, Jim Saltzman (Manhattan School of Music) created rich online object pairings with music and text available at cooperhewitt.org. The exhibition (Cooper Hewitt, NYC: April 6–August 20, 2017)—welcoming nearly 170,000 visitors to its galleries—was made even more dynamic by Jim’s selections of works and music from the period (1918–1930). Thirty of the 400 objects were identified by a blue note that appeared on object labels, which indicated that there was further content to be found by looking that work up online. His clever selections and creative reasoning provided what felt like treasures of additional content for the museum-goers' post visit. Jim helped us promote the “jazz” in the Jazz Age with these object–music pairings prompting a total number of works to be “collected” with Cooper Hewitt’s Pen in the galleries 85,524 times! Although the physical exhibition closed and traveled to Cleveland Museum of Art (through January 14, 2018), a robust digital jazz history narrative remains thanks to Jim!"
—Pamela Horn, Director of Cross-Platform Publishing and Strategic Partnerships
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