Selected Press Quotes
"Every jazz musician who transcends passing music fashions has a 'signature sound.' Duke Ellington once told me, "a musician's sound is his soul." Trombonist Joel Yennior's Big City Circus is 'soul music' - beyond categories. This is a recording that will reverberate in listener's autobiographies long after the music stops."
- Nat Hentoff (NEA Jazz Master)
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“Joel Yennior is fluid and intelligent on the trombone...”
- Downbeat Magazine (4 Star Review of Ethiopiques, Vol. 20
Live in Addis)
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“…the eloquent trombonist Joel Yennior…”
- Ben Ratliff, The New York Times
Review of Ran Blake Group at Cobi’s Place, NYC,
February 17, 2005)
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“Trombonist Joel Yennior…revealed keen instincts that led [him] to underplay or hit hard at just the right moments.”
- Bob Blumenthal, The Boston Globe
(Review of Either/Orchestra live show at Cambridge VFW
Post, 2000)
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“Yennior plays with a confidence beyond his years. His tone is expressive and his flexibility is outstanding.”
- International Trombone Association Journal
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“There must be few trombonists around who could touch Yennior. His playing is a joy to listen to and he can get notes and gimmicks from the instrument that are surely all his own.”
- Mike Cook, Euro Club de Jazz.com
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“Trombonist Joel Yennior...is a master of creating an atmosphere with the trombone, something rarely seen since Curtis Fuller. In addition, he is a sensitive, intelligent improvisor.”
-Tomas Wortche, Jazz Podium Magazine (Germany),
October 2004
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"Joel Yennior's trombone brings both support and fluidity to the harmonies, and one can hear the influence of his work with Boston's Either/Orchestra in this ensemble."
- Jay Deshpande, All About Jazz (March 2008)
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"Yennior’s trombone stands equally by Garzone’s tenor..."
- Vangelis Aragiannis, Apopsy Magazine (Greece)
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“Jazz lovers will want to get intimate with Yennior’s smoky, glowing sounds on the trombone. His performance on this album [Gypsy Schaeffer, “Portamental”] is stellar, crafting a sound that is distinctly warm with a rich, hazy halo at the edges. That attractive sound is paired with a nimble, flexible control of the horn that produces exciting and creative solos.”
- Ward Miller, International Trombone Association Journal,
July 2007
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“The standout performance I hear is from trombonist Joel Yennior. His buttery tone fits right in with a Grachan Moncur-type performance from his Blue Note dates. On his solos and reading of the line, Yennior shows a clear melodic bent despite any free jazz implications that the individual song might feature.”
- Michael Gladstone, All About Jazz (Gypsy Schaeffer CD,
March 2004)
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“[The] pairing of saxophonist George Garzone and trombonist Joel Yennior is inspired. Yennior plays smooth trombone. He articulates each note with a round sound, letting his lip do the work for certain runs.”
- David Dupont, Cadence Magazine
(Review of Alejandro Cimadoro Quintet, “The Princess and the Moonlight,” October 2005)
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“Who is a revelation is phenomenal trombonist Joel Yennior, of luxurious sound, marked vibrato, and irresistible and overflowing mighty swing.”
- Thomas Werner, Diario La Republica (Uruguay)
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“Trombonist Joel Yennior’s “Lovesick Thoughts”…deserves to be a classic.”
- Jon Garelick, The Boston Phoenix (July 2007)
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“Yennior, best known for his time in Boston’s Either/Orchestra, plays with an eye for melody that constantly steers his solos away from the abrasive; the rhythm is pure hard bop, but inventive.”
- Chris Sheridan, Jazz Review Magazine (UK)
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“Younger talents include Joel Yennior, whose field-hollering tone suggests he once stumbled across and old Rod Levitt EP.”
- Kevin Whitehead, Chicago Reader
(Review of Either/Orchestra, “More Beautiful than Death,”
April 19, 2002)
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“[On the Either/Orchestra recordng of “Yezemed Yebaed”] trombonist Joel Yennior hums while he plays, creating a sound that is cool and stunning.”
- Karl Stark, The Philadelphia Inquirer (November 3, 2002)
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“…an ardent, virtuoso solo from trombonist Joel Yennior."
- Jon Garelick, The Boston Phoenix (Review of
Either/Orchestra performance with John Tchicai at
Boston’s ICA, February 10, 2003)
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“Trombonist Joel Yennior shines on “Yezamed Yebaed…”
- David Adler, All About Jazz-New York
(February 2003 Review of Either/Orchestra “Afro Cubism”)
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“Trombonist Joel Yennior lays down a smoking solo…”
- Mark Corroto, All About Jazz
(Review of Either/Orchestra “Afro-Cubism,” September
2002)
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“…a nice a cappella face-off between baritone mainstay Charlie Kohlhase and trombonist Joel Yennior.”
- Michael Jackson, Downbeat Magazine
(Review of Either/Orchestra “Neo Modernism,” February 2004)
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"Among the many highlights on this recording is the track "Somewhat Frevo" which features wonderfully crafted solos, each evidencing the unique personality of the improvisor, specifically pianist Nando Michelin, trombonist Joel Yennior, and saxophonist Jacam Manricks."
- Dan Bilawsky, Jazz Improv NY (August 2008)