★★★★★
If Wayne Krantz seemed to be embracing vocals on Krantz Carlock Lefebvre (Abstract Logix, 2009), where he sang on a third of the tracks, then the transition seemed complete on Howie 61 (Abstract Logix, 2012), where he sang on eight of the ten tracks, with the guitar?at least as an improvisational tool?taking a back seat to more melodic concepts...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2015-01-21
★★★★★
Wayne Krantz has made a concept album, though not in the sense of a tightly-wound narrative spooled around an extended song-cycle. No, the eight tracks that make up Good Piranha/Bad Piranha are really four tracks that are, in fact, eight. That is the concept. For the mostly instrumental set, Krantz took a foursome of songs and played them each twice, using a different drummer and bassist for the first four than for the second, with vocalist Gabriela Anders reprising her cameo role on both...
- www.jambands.com
2014-12-03
★★★★★
No doubt "Howie," the detached boomer of this ironic album's title track, drives the cool vintage Jaguar on its cover. The stylish song correlates to the arresting image. Style, too, informs many of the metaphors in the vocal numbers master guitarist Wayne Krantz sprinkles over his 10th album. Howie 61 also is homage to "Highway 61 Revisited," a Bob Dylan tune from 1965 that remains startling (best version: Johnny Winter's on Second Winter)...
- jazztimes.com
2012-10-11
★★★★★
It's rarely been the norm to talk about guitarist Wayne Krantz's singing, as the focus of his music has long been instrumental. That began to change with the sizzling Krantz, Carlock, Lefebvre (Abstract Logix, 2009), where Krantz sang on a third of the tracks. On Howie 61 Krantz sings on eight of the ten numbers. The notable evolution in Krantz' songwriting?which fuses composition and improvisation?is also heard in his increasingly melodic guitar playing...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2012-05-31
★★★★★
Guitarist Wayne Krantz is one of the great non-conformists. An improviser who avoids stylistic limitations and cliche like the plague, his music draws from diverse elements and welds them sonically to create something quite personal. Krantz has turned his back on recording studios for the last 15 years, choosing instead to release live shows through his own Website...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2010-08-20
★★★★★
The American guitarist Wayne Krantz is a real one-off. He sounds somewhere between John Scofield and Bill Frisell at times, and he has toured in the legacy version of Steely Dan, which has had an audible impact on his playing. But Krantz is also an unflinching adventurer who dislikes repeating himself or imitating others, and possibly dislikes the music industry even more...
- www.guardian.co.uk
2010-04-02
★★★★★
When it comes to fusion guitarists, Wayne Krantz and Leni Stern are like night and day. Krantz is essentially a hard, muscular player, while Stern favors a lyrical, subtle approach influenced by Pat Metheny. Nonetheless, the two were often paired in the 1980s and 1990s (which, in the 1960s or 1970s, would have been like having Chet Baker co-lead a two-trumpet group with Freddie Hubbard or uniting Phil Woods and Paul Desmond in a two-alto front line)...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
This is a group effort that finds Krantz in the company of young stars Lincoln Goines and Zach Danziger. This became a regular band for Krantz, who later put out a live recording with the same personnel. The tunes are all played with passion by all, and feature Krantz' penchant for extended and at times self-indulgent solos. Like most good jazz players, Krantz explores new territories and takes chances when he's playing...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
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