Jeff Baumeister is a Philadelphia based pianist and composer. His 2005 quartet recording
'Useful Music' has been described as abstract impressionism.
As a pianist, his style is often linked
to Bobo Stenson, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley and Bill Evans. He is a regular contributor
to DownBeat magazine and teaches Jazz Studies at Bucks County Community College in Newtown Pa. Jeff
can be heard throughout the Philadelphia area performing with various groups and is currently working
on compositions for his next recording.
Press Quotes
for full reviews see the discography page
“A prediction for the coming year (or two) - you will soon know the
name of local pianist, Jeff Baumeister”
- Ken Weiss, Philadelphia Correspondent, Cadence Magazine
Congratulations to you and your saxophonist! Your music is world-class.
- Mark C. Gridley (author of Jazz Styles: History And Analysis, Prentice Hall)
“Completely captivating and with a certain aesthetic connection to classic ECM piano recordings,
Useful Music has all the potential to be a classic in its own right. Baumeister’s writing,
while evoking its deceptively gentle veneer, is more structurally rich than its antecedents,
making it a completely modern take on an established aesthetic.
- John Kelman, All About Jazz.com
“The organic lucidity that animates each of Baumeister's composition
is the real treasure of Useful Music and a compelling reason to return to this album again
and again”
- Dimitry Ekshtut, Jazz Improv Magazine
“Useful Music is moody, detailed, and unique. The quartet weaves in
and out of changes with subtlety and grace on this spectacular set of originals. Highly recommended.”
- Andrew Ciccone, Sound of Market Street
“Baumeister is completely original, with a fresh take on free/avant
garde jazz that is challenging yet eminently listenable. An example of the terrific music coming
out of Philadelphia's thriving jazz scene. “
- Tony Rogers, Jazz CD Reviews.com
“This is my favorite sort of jazz approach,
really smart and burning.”
- John Anthony, audio engineer, Maja Audio Group
“While not recommended for short attention spans, the session is a
refined study of high - end improvisation - full of quiet but fiery interplay, cerebral and
engaging. Pianist Jeff Baumeister's new CD could just as easily be found amid the hushed discs
of the Munich- based ECM label.”
- Karl Stark, The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Improvised music that has the lyricism of the best composed music
of the last century - wonderfully mysterious - a beautiful, clear recorded sound, live and
personal.”
- David Demsey, saxophonist, Coordinator of Jazz Studies, William Paterson University
“Useful Music is an album that combines the cerebral to the hot playing
in colorful, modern and high aesthetics.”
- Vangelis Aragiannis, Jazz & Tzaz , Greece
“Exploratory yet rooted, oblique yet lyrical, dark but playful, all
rendered with synergetic group interplay.”
-Tom Lawton, pianist and composer, Dreambox Media
“I really enjoyed this cd! Great songs and great playing, Check it
out!”
-Uri Caine, pianist and composer, Winter and Winter
“There's a quiet intelligence to Jeff Baumeister's playing that often
brings Paul Bley to mind. In many ways this is the sort of piano session ECM releases by the
bucketful only with warmer, more upfront production. If you're as fond of smart, probing piano
music as I am, this is a fine example.”
-Jerome Wilson, Cadence Magazine
“Baumeister, Dan Capecchi, Greg Riley and Peter Paulsen executed every piece with boldness.
The abstractly painted soundscapes are a Stenson-like blending heritage with a touch of groovy
lyricism. They defy all, culminating in six masterpieces. As soon as your ears will get to this
album you will be impressed by Baumeister’s craft. Highly recommended! “
- Dr. Ana Isabel Ordonez, Jazz Review.com
