Press Acclaim >

Montreal Gazette
“This recording, a stunning first by an ensemble of classically trained musicians - pianist Matt Herskowitz and drummer David Rozenblatt - has it all and then some. Forms usually associated with contemporary classical cohabit with the funky, bluesy, Latin and Brazilian. Wild improv contrasts with moments of silence in 12 pieces that range from the wildly dazzling opener - Concerto en Fou - to a tragically simple reading of Under Your White Starry Heaven by Abraham Brudno, a Holocaust survivor, with bassist Mat Fieldes. Trumpeter Lew Soloff brightly kicks off If I Were a Rich Man, from Fiddler on the Roof, leading into a Cuban montuno - a tribute to the harmony of disparate traditions in the hands of inspired master musicians.”
- 5 stars out of 5

WholeNote Discoveries (thewholenote.com)
“Fasten your seat belts and check your minimum height requirement, because Forget Me Not by the Montreal-based Herskowitz Rozenblatt Project is about to take listeners on a frenzied roller coaster ride of idiomatic twists and turns that could leave even the most experienced jazz aficionados light-headed.

Pianist Matt Herskowitz and drummer David Rozenblatt waste little time showcasing compositional audacity and technical proficiency with Concerto en Fou, an up-tempo number bordering on the avant-garde and atonal. Chords, melodies and even standards, yes that's right, standards make their way on the album project with two versions of Brazil along with The Days of Wine and Roses, which Herskowitz calls our 'gateau fromage' in the CD's liner notes. Forget Me Not also ventures into the exotic with Amr Bi Ismak, a beautiful Arabian number by Lebanese composer/instrumentalist Marcel Khalife. Herskowitz and Rozenblatt also draw upon their own cultural backgrounds with a Latin-esque interpretation of If I Were A Rich Man and Under Your White Starry Heaven, which Herskowitz first performed in Paris with Yiddish singer Theresa Tova.

Bass player Mat Fieldes completes the trio formats and trumpet veteran Lew Soloff makes guest appearances. "Forget Me Not" by the Herskowitz Rozenblatt project is many things: fast, furious, impressionistic, funky, Latin, moody, ethnic, and.... impressive.”

The Montreal Mirror
“NYC pianist Herskowitz (a Montreal fixture in recent years) and drummer Rozenblatt need not fret. This effort is anything but forgettable. The principles of jazz underlie explorations of neo-classical, world music and pop ideas, assembled and exploded in a sly, even playful manner (Terry Gilliam fans should note the two versions of Ary Barroso's "Brazil"). The dynamic, capricious "Concerto en Fou" and propulsive title track (featuring Rémy Sealey's tasteful scratching and a vocal line aped most capably by Lew Soloff's trumpet) start things with a bang, but even the most placid moments crackle with quiet energy.” - 8/10

La Scena Musicale, Quebec
“The word that stands out for this disc of pianist Matt Herskowitz, recorded in Montreal with his trio, the Herskowitz Rozenblatt Project, is… unpredictable. This graduate of the great music institutions, whose career has already been punctuated with many impressive accomplishments, dives headlong into all musical styles. This dynamic is most fully exploited in his Concerto en fou, which bridges the big leap between classical and jazz. Likewise, Forget Me Not, with its piano ostinato behind the screaming trumpet of special guest Lew Soloff makes for a track of true bravura. Even if this unchained eclecticism can in the long run become tiring for the listener, Herskowitz demonstrates with two of his ballads (an Arab theme, filtered through his own personal style, and Four Women, immortalized by Nina Simone) that virtuosity is not always necessary. Despite this small reservation, it will be interesting to closely follow the evolution of this acrobat of the keyboard, who left the Big Apple to make Québec his home.

La Presse, Montréal
“Montreal Virtuoso
A Montrealer since 1999, Matt Herskowitz must henceforth be considered among the essentials of the Montreal music scene. On this island, very few pianists achieve the mastery of this graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Juilliard: dexterity, speed, attack, percussive sense, range of styles, harmonic mastery and incontestable international caliber. Herskowitz forms a superb acoustic power trio with his colleague David Rozenblatt, an excellent drummer, and bassist Mat Fieldes, joined sporadically by trumpeter Lew Soloff and DJ Rémy Sealey.” - 31/2 stars out of 4

Winnipeg Free Press
“This is a tasty first album by the classically trained pianist Matt Herskowitz and drummer David Rozenblatt and its mix of contemporary classical, jazz, funk, blues and Latin music is refreshing and energetic. Trumpeter Lew Soloff is a bright addition to this Quebec trio that includes bassist Mat Fieldes. The horn player is great on the title track (which includes turntablist Rémy Sealey), and he works If I Were a Rich Man into a Cuban montuno.
The dozen tunes only include one standard, The Days of Wine and Roses, while Concerto en Fou, the opener, is a blazing tune by Herskowitz. This is a good, non-standard jazz disc and a band worth keeping an ear on.”

Journal de Montréal
“Mastering equally well the classical and jazz genres, pianist Matt Herskowitz offers an eclectic and fairly inspired disc. A formidable technician whose influences include Mal Waldron, Herbie Hancock and probably Aki Takase, he displays it all in twelve tracks, at times a bit disorganized. In the company of American trumpeter Lew Soloff, who appears as special guest performer, we explore a super-charged universe, not always relaxing, and which demands an attentive ear.”

Naples Daily News
“The Herskowitz Rozenblatt Project’s incredible jazz performance transformed the normally staid audience into a roaring group who might well have been basketball fans at a Final Four game.”

Kreiszeitung Syke, Germany “A truly devilish threesome”
A bit of Chopin, a helping of the Orient through Marcel Khalife’s compositions, and lots and lots of jazzy single-mindedness. With this mix the Herskowitz Rozenblatt Project electrified its audience in Bremenhaven’s Fischereihafen Theatre at this year’s Musikfest Bremen.

Matt Herskowitz, David Rozenblatt and Mat Fieldes - all musicians in Kristjan Järvi’s Absolute Ensemble- conjure up a dense, almost intimate atmosphere in the small theatre. Using just a handful of spotlights, all attention is focused on the protagonists. Driven by a passionate love for the music, the listeners, who in this setting can see everything from up close, are taken for a ride with the devil by the 3 jazzmen. They immerse themselves in their own compositions, as well as versions of Dave Brubeck and Nina Simone originals.

The solos by pianist Matt Herskowitz, drummer David Rozenblatt and bass-player Mat Fieldes make the air vibrate. Out of what seem to be mere improvisations, all of a sudden, a highly concentrated entity flows together that takes both musicians and audience on a journey into the realms of ecstasy. Especially Herskowitz repeatedly steps beyond the boundaries of his keyboard. He plays standing up, swings back and forth and lets the entire instrument speak, not just the keys.

Blues and funk mix with swing and classic. They surprise with breaks that are as abrupt as they are intentional, and let the notes softly linger, only to let them reclaim their full swing in an almost magnetic fashion. The concert constantly changes speed, much to the delight of not just the musicians.
As their special guest, the three introduce trumpet player Lew Soloff. The expectations may be high, but this New Yorker, charmingly introduced as the ‘Incomparable’, does not disappoint. He inserts wonderfully pointed highlights into the funky creations.

Translated from original in German by Roel Meijer.