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"Self-assured mastery is one thing. But most of all Steve inspires us with his energetic drive and his connection
to Gospel and Blues: a totally enjoyable experience, not just for jazz fans!"
Der Spiegel
"On the piano he tells little stories which reveal their message to every listener - immediately. This ability
makes him absolutely remarkable as a newcomer."
Kieler Nachrichten
"[Steve Klink] is one of those magicians who can wake up the tradition and bring it to life with just 10 fingers
and 88 keys; who can make old sound new and new sound old without disturbing the irreversible one-dimensionality
of time and events. Even more than swing, blues, bebop and boogie, in his playing there is the pure joy of story-
telling. And he's got a lot to tell..."
Tip Berlin
"Klink is not a barn-burner who wants to discover something groundbreaking. He deals with the history of jazz
consequently, especially the classic piano trio. He lives in his elegant chord playing as much as soul-dipped
trills or capricious single notes. He can harmonize with a deep-blooded, melancholy touch but can also totally
swing: he lets the piano sing like a vocalist would sing"
Weser Kurier
While others celebrate intricate finger exercises, Steve Klink just plays piano...
The man has the blues and swing. But he also has some rock 'n' roll. He doesn't brag about it, he lets it out
discretely. And that is exactly the point that makes the music of Steve Klink so interesting for me: where
others might show off tricky chord changes and complicated phrases, Steve Klink simply writes simple songs."
Radio Kultur SFB Ulf Drechsel
"As soon as he lays his hands on the keys, the party begins. If you don't feel like snapping your fingers to
the music, you've probably got the wrong brain surgeon. Best groove in Germany"
RTV TV supplement
"the young piano player digs into the keys with such powerful joy that the sparks start to fly"
KulturSPIEGEL
"One would love to be able to play the piano like Steve Klink: virtuosic, but with a light and cool touch through
complicated changes of harmony and fast tempos. This guy must have a thing with the jazz-ladies! Full of vitality,
groove and humor: kinda sexy."
Die Woche
"Soft, softer swing. The Iowa-born Steve Klink doesn't just let his piano resound: he tells miniature stories.
Steve Klink, his star will continue to shine brightly."
Max
"Steve Klink takes us on a musical adventure and just like Newman he can make us laugh or he can bring tears to our
eyes"
HotVision
"Like his role-model before him Klink proves himself to be a master of reduction to the bare essentials, to a certain
mood! with a sparkling touch and rolling embellishments of brilliant playing, stylistically between Ramsey Lewis and
Oscar Peterson."
Klassik Heute
"Steve Klink's good taste is based on musical craftsmanship. And he delivers that exactly with perfection and ease."
Kölner Stadtanzeiger
"Steve Klink is an incredible pianist"
Musicoutlook
"Unbelievable sensitivity!"
WAZ Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung
"What kind of fantastic musician is Steve Klink? Indescribable!
Music Outlook
"Steve Klink - the feel good piano player"
RTVSupplement
"Klink's playing is technically superb and supple, round and nuanced."
Frankfurter Rundschau Magazin
"Klink plays extremely funky; he successfully combines powerful drive, a sparkling attack and a clear sound - a fine
reminiscence of Wynton Kelly, Bobby Timmons, Elmo Hope and the other Heroes of Hard bop piano playing."
JazzThing
"Klink understands and celebrates the art of the piano trio in the tradition of Wyton Kelly or Souljazz �a la Bobby Timmons"
JazzThetik
"[Steve Klink] is an excellent piano player who combines technical brilliance with emotion - in his best moments Klink
swings like the young Oscar Peterson."
Stereoplay
"[Steve Klink] lays down a relaxed groove, but with an edge..."
Fritz
"That really sounds good... swing is his thing!"
Hamburger Abendblatt
"With this piano-playing cosmopolitan we find a good dose of determination, diligence and thoroughness combined
with an overdose of talent."
Jazzthing
"Steve Klink takes us back to something of real value in music. When this young piano player from Iowa sits down
at the piano and lets go, he's unstoppable..."
Aktivissimo
"Swing can sound old and dusty. But it's totally different with the American pianist Steve Klink. His virtuosic
keyboard-playing sounds relaxed on the one hand, stunningly bright on the other..."
Live in Concert
"That sounds good! Personally I'd like it even more "klinkier", but it is unmistakeable: on the piano the young
Steve Klink breathes the great, old spirit of the jazz tradition; he breathes deeply and stays relaxed. Notable
for a newcomer..."
Jazzredaktion Hessischer Rundfunk
"Insiders will soon know about Steve Klink, outsiders will have heard about him. This fact alone differentiates
him from about 99% of all the other young jazz musicians, who can never get beyond a purist jazz audience. Steve
Klink has realized what it's all about for the young generation today; to not be crushed by the supposed Jazz
Press: to position himself and to make himself noticed. Either you like it or you don't. There won't be and
shouldn't be anything in between. Keep it up!"
Till Brönner
"...A well-versed, extremely positive artist, whose musical offering is very entertaining. His imagination and taste
protect him from drifting into the world of consumption. Most importantly: he swings like crazy!"
JAZZ PODIUM Gudrun Endress
"Steve Klink has talent. He swings refreshingly unidealistically in the style of Oscar Peterson, without copying him.
A little blues, a pinch of humor and the desire to entertain..."
Ralf Dombrowski (BR, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Hamburger Abendblatt, JazzThing)
Steve Klink's CD: Feels Like Home Press Highlights
"Simply superb!"
Image HiFi
"Fantastic"
KulturSpiegel
"[Feels Like Home]... is a cool, crazy, modern, sparkling, luminous record. It swings and jazzes and proves again
that deep inside we are all jazz-lovers. Caution! Extremely infectious! This record you will love to be infected
by and you will soon be infecting others. Enjoy it. Let go. Catch it..."
Musicoutlook
"...Mr. Klink has thoroughly suceeded and I would really like to thank him personally. This record has everything:
enthusiasm, spirit, passion, melancholy and a love of simple but ever-changing melody."
****** (six of six stars)
InMusic
Feels Like Home:
**** (four of four stars)
FonoForum
"...And how this record works!...Klink lets Oscar Peterson and Randy Newman give each other a fine toast at the bar..."
Die Welt
"Feels Like Home... is the name of the most beautiful homage to Randy Newman...following in Newman's footsteps
Klink shows himself to be a master of reduction to the bare essentials, to a special mood...pianistically this
expresses itself with a crystal-clear attack and rolling embellishments of brilliant playing, stylistically between
Ramsey Lewis and Oscar Peterson..."
Klassik Heute
"To bring it to the point: 'Feels Like Home' shows an exquisite piano talent with great potential."
Stereoplay
"...14 classic Newman songs radiate a relaxed jazz atmosphere, supported only by bass and drums. The
concept of reduction is right on. For great music doesn't always require great extravagance."
**** (four stars)
For Him Magazine
"That Steve Klink has found a fresh way to play Randy Newman's material, makes this recording almost perfect."
Der Schallplattenmann sagt
"A great recording, also sound-wise"
**** (four of five stars)
Audio
"[Feels Like Home]...These interpretations bring a stimulating, new perspective to the refined, solid and
succinct compositions of Randy Newman."
Frankfurter Rundschau Magazine
"Clearly stated:...Klink lets Newman's blues-drenched harmonies, his daringly sluggish tempos and his best
piano phrases sing with an unbelievable sound."
Die Woche
"Steve Klink takes us on a musical adventure and just like Newman he can make us laugh or he can bring tears
to our eyes..."
HotVision
"A total success!"
Venus
Can this work? [jazz versions of Randy Newman songs]. It totally works... because [Steve Klink] has a great
feeling for Randy Newman's pure musical world."
musicoutlook
"A quiet, very deeply felt album."
Kurier am Sonntag (Bremen)
Remarkable what a strongly developed sense for space and time the trio had on that studio day: every nuance
can be finely heard. Klink's sensitive work lets the compositions of the great Newman shine in a completely
new light."
Scala
"On Feels Like Home pianist Steve Klink has achieved something even more: he has managed to transform the
emotional and intellectual compositions of American songwriter Randy Newman to a jazz context, without the
songs' verbal element."
Interview with Rainer Gußrich
"What has come out of this unusual jazz project is an infectiously swinging record, relaxed, but presented
with a lot of humor. Without a doubt a great addition for your home's jazz collection."
***** (five of six stars)
InMusic
To conclude: Feels Like Home is a tribute album that should set the standard. Instead of merely repeating,
Steve Klink uses great imagination and innovation... interesting for everybody, not just jazz fans or Randy
Newman fans..."
Callasong
"Feels Like Home is a very romantic record with a good atmosphere; it swings in a relaxed way and in its
sparseness reaches the highest level of quality."
OWL am Sonntag (Bielefeld)
"Steve Klink has done it!"
Jazzthetik
"Steve Klink, the American piano player from the Midwest, understands the 'moods' of Newman and can convey
them to the jazz trio context."
Stereo
"... Because of Klink many jazz fans have paid more attention to Newman's repertoire..."
Jazzpodium
"A well-made album with a relaxed vibe..."
Westzeit.de
"A totally unobtrusive, very listenable jazz record between mainstream and a painted landscape of sound."
Hamburger Abendblatt
Steve Klink's CD: Blue Suit Press Highlights
"...the most remarkable debut album of the year..."
ULTIMO
"Klink showed us with his debut Blue Suit that he's got the swing, now we also know that he's totally
funky..."
Bluenightclub.de
"Best CD of the week...Best groove from Germany."
RTV TV supplement
[Blue Suit] "Totally recommended!"
Prinz Köln
"A great blues/gospel trio record in the groove of the 50's and 60's...today you can never hear it enough.
Catchy, groovy, hip. Timeless."
Coolibri
"Steve Klink's CD debut Blue Suit in trio with bassist Henning Gailing and Drummer Gregory Hutchinson is more
than an authoritative beginning of a talented newcomer. Recorded in October 1997, this recording shows indirectly,
in a convincing way, that the common denominator of musical quality is based on the fun each member has on his
own instrument. The jazz tradition begins to live again, with passion..."
Ralf Dombrowski
"On Blue Suit...Klink plays piano in a wonderful, sparkling, swinging way. Totally unpretentious, simply beautiful."
Express Köln
"From melancholic to euphoric, always a warm piano sound...with exhilaration and humor...a totally successful and
sparkling album..."
Klangwelt
"[Klink] packed everything into his first CD that makes the blood start to boil: blues, folk, gospel, funk. A pure
joy to listen to."
KulturSPIEGEL
"When you hear the record Blue Suit you can understand why a lot of experts predict a brilliant career for this jazz
piano player"
Hamburger Abendblatt
"[On Blue Suit] jazz does not stand up to its negative reputation: it is not intellectual at all, instead it's groovy"
Live in Concert
"Especially a CD like Blue Suit has this fine, easy sense of swing from the good old days of jazz, a sense that usually
gets completely lost in the heady, brainy productions of today. It doesn't bother Klink if someone wants to complain
about his style being too popularistic. Whoever can be musically so convincing and still find the pulse of the people
will someday determine the future trend of music himself."
JazzThing
"Vitality and the joy of playing provide the foundation of this swinging trio production..."
Jazz Podium
Steve Klink's CD: Places to come from, Places to go Press Highlights
"His new record Places to come from, Places to go proves that Steve Klink is a man of the extraordinary..."
Jazzpodium Interview
"You must hear this record, to experience it and to tell others about it. Steve Klink interprets 15 songs
of Joni Mitchell and enhances them with a new point of view, with new horizons and new charm. That's it.
Buy it, feel good about it and enjoy. With no regrets."
Music Outlook
"...A real work of the heart..."
Jazzthing
"Fantastic!"
Venus
"Klink creates unbelievably convincing new versions of these songs. He does this boldly emphasizing an
Afro-American sensibility. He plays the blues, he swings and does the gospel thing, be it on piano,
Hammond B-3 or Fender Rhodes: remarkably effective."
Märkische Allgemeine
"A completely successful album..."
Jazzthetik
"Gripping, melodic, modern...a predominantly swinging portrait in jazz."
Hörzu
"...[He] establishes the songs in a new context. And so they shine in a typical Klink sound, swingy,
bluesy, romantic and, newly, completely funky...With Places to come from, Places to go Steve Klink stays
loyal to his philosophy: no over-intellectual experiments, the music has to groove...finger-snapping good.
Whether swing or blues it sounds beautifully harmonic and does you good..."
Bluenightclub.de
"...[Klink] uncovers surprising new aspects of songs like "Ray's Dad's Cadillac", "Big Yellow Taxi", or Joni Mitchell's
most covered song "Both Sides Now"...With a sensitive touch and empathy on the one hand, and a funky conciseness and
soulful groove on the other..."
Jazzpodium
"Touching in a very honest way."
Fono Forum
"Fifteen harmonious miniatures were created at these three sessions in Köln, Iowa City and Slovenj Gradec; this music
will bring delight to many more than just the fans of Joni Mitchell."
Rondomagazin.de
"A CD that unearths the possibilities that hide in the great compositions of Joni Mitchell."
InMusic
Tuey Connell's CD: Under the Influence Press Highlights
"On his new CD "Under The Influence," Tuey Connell displays a versatility that transcends his singing...The band
supporting [Tuey Connell's] effort is top-notch, featuring Steve Klink on piano, bassist Henning Gailing, Marcus
Rieck on drums and Geof Bradfield on tenor sax... Klink, Gailing, Rieck and Bradfield each lends his distinct
voice during solos, yet meshes flawlwessly as a unit, playing with confidence and crispness."
All About Jazz
"... one thing that Connell has done very well is choose an outstanding backing band. That band is the Steve Klink
Trio, with Steve Klink on piano, Henning Gailing on bass and Marcus Rieck on drums. Each is an outstanding musician
in his own right, and they play exceptionally well together, giving Connell very solid support..."
JazzReview.com
"Backed by the masterful Steve Klink Trio."
Singer Magazine
"His most recent release, Under The Influence, features his adventurous banjo and guitar solos as well as lush
lead vocals backed by a fine group that includes pianist Steve Klink, bassist Henning Gailing, tenor saxophonist
Geof Bradfield and drummer Marcus Rieck."
Nashville City Paper
"The Steve Klink Trio backs Connell with an expertise of styles from straight-ahead to folk-blues jazz. When you
add three Connell originals in new-standard style with smart arrangements by Connell, Klink and Bradfield, you
have an album that thankfully goes beyond the same-old/same-old".
(3.5 of 4 stars)
Kansas City Star
"...The trio of the pianist Steve Klink and saxophonist Geof Bradfield supremely satisfies..."
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