[photo by Kostia Smolyaninov]
"Roby's command of his horn is impressive and unique: He does not resemble Bechet, Coltrane, Lacy or anyone but himself.... He has a brilliant tone, super-fast fingers, excellent intonation and an engaging musical imagination that extends into his instruments' high register naturally, with no strain." - Howard Mandel, NYC, 2012
"There is the electricity of surprise in Piket’s long lines, with their quick spikes and turns, but there is also the predestination of structure." - Downbeat, USA
"Piket offers, in undeniable abundance, seasoning, keen musical intelligence and a vibrant style evolving into a high form of artistry. - Hartford Courant, USA
"Mark Tokar is a key figure in the ukrainian jazz scene" - allaboutjazz.com, USA
"Tokar's larger-than-life tone and impeccable intonation is front-and-center ... " - John Vincent Barron, Jazzreview.com, USA
"I've praised the qualities of both Kugel and Tokar before ... Both men are extremely precise instrumentalists with a shared musical vision of sculpting jazz into a more universal musical language." - Stef Gijssels, Freejazz-stef, Belgium
"Percussionist Klaus Kugel is a commanding force behind the drum set. He creates layers of tension drawn out from intuitive listening. There is a constant emotional swelling underlying every fill and cymbal crash." - John Barron, Jazzreview.com, USA
"These three discs... show Kugel as a drummer whose nearly boundless energy and imagination cannot be confined by neat categories." - Ed Hazel, Signal To Noise, USA