Reviews
"Trombonist Dave McMurdo's band was in superb shape at the suppertime concert, even though he'd left his quintet charts at home. With trumpeter Mike Malone, guitarist Reg Schwager, bassist Pat Collins and drummer Kevin Dempsey, they demonstrated that they're jazz thoroughbreds on songbook standards."
- The Toronto Star - June 27, 2002 - Geoff Chapman - Jazz Critic
"Trombonist Dave McMurdo and his four fellow Canadian Musicians put on a great show on 2 and 3 July, 2001 at the Dewan Philharmonic Petronas house in the world famous 'Twin Towers' Kuala Lumpur City Centre."
- JazzBreak.com - August 5, 2001 - Robert Leembrugen
"Saturday night's headliners - the Dave McMurdo Quintet - were a wonderful contrast to MacDonald. McMurdo wowed the sold-out crowd with his sensitive trombone renderings of old standards like 'Alone Together' and his own compositions like '99 Ways'. Trumpeter Mike Malone was superb and the rhythm section of Reg Schwager on guitar, Pat Collins on bass and Kevin Dempsey on drums, all soloists and composers on their own, left the audience breathless."
- Pender Harbour News - September 2000 - Nancy MacLarty
THE DAVE MCMURDO QUINTET - 99 Ways (MS)
"The trombonist’s fine group is heard live at the Montreal Bistro on seven extended tracks record in April. Three bandsmen contribute songs, two each by McMurdo and guitarist Reg Schwager, one from trumpeter Mike Malone. The rhythm battery of Pat Collins and Kevin Dempsey supply a steady pulse.
Tunes are all subtle dynamics with crafted charts, as they show on the opening standard 'I Love You,' where the cool McMurdo bone and Malone flugelhorn, blend brilliantly which they also do on the reflective Moon & June in Mexico, the perky 'East of Spadina' and the chipper anthem 'Alone together'. McMurdo revels in the small group setting and here the brass pain are eloquent covering and anticipating each other’s lines on 'To the Traveller'. Players frequently pair off effectively during tunes. It’s class all the way, notably on the excellent 14 minute title track."
- The Toronto Star - November 18, 2000 - Jazz Reviews - Geoff Chapman
DAVE McMURDO QUINTET - 99 Ways - McMurdo Sound MS 101
"Finally a CD which doesn’t have a particular claim to either strings or saxes but can stand very well on its own merit, thank you. This is a small group offshoot of trombonist McMurdo’s highly successful Canadian big band and it features the excellent trumpeter Mike Malone, along with another fine guitarist (yes, strings after all) Reg Schwager, who contributes arrangements and a couple of originals. Pat Collins is on bass and Kevin Dempsey drums. 'To the Traveller' is a bittersweet blues with excellent trombone and flugelhorn and you can count the ways in the title track and also surmise what sort of ways they are - jaunty trumpet, sober trombone, skittish guitar, calm bass. These are top-class musicians in good form. The session was recorded by Schwager at the Montreal Bistro which - you guessed wrong - is in Toronto. The ambiance helps make it a solid post-bop performance."
- CODA Magazine - Sept/Oct. 2001
