Barry Velleman : Opinion
" ... a 100th percentile pianist; one in a million. The superior wordsmith, tunesmith, and solosmith . . . scary good." - Jon Weber (New York-based pianist, composer, music educator, and host of NPR Piano Jazz)
"I consider Barry one of my main influences in jazz music. I've known and played with him for almost 35 years now, and I've gained immeasurably from my contact with him. Just check him out - he is one of the heavies! His breadth of knowledge from bebop to modern, harmonic acuity, inventiveness, humor, and swing makes him a true hidden treasure of the music." - Brian Lynch (Grammy-award winning trumpet player, composer, and jazz educator)
" A cat who knows any tune in any key, and plays great!" - Ed Fiorenza (Boston-based tenor sax master)
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"His interlude on "Pent-Up House" as one example, turns up the heat and smokes in all directions at once." - Jim Santelli, LA Jazz Scene
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"Barry is an architect. Barry is an intergalactic musical traveler. He has been there, done that, done there, been that. Barry can turn an uninterested, boisterous mob into a congregation of hungry listeners, accepting his phrases and inventions eagerly, like baby birds." - Steve Peplin (Milwaukee-based guitarist and composer)
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"A careful listen to the way Velleman builds a solo reveals that his improvisations are conceived, in part, before he even starts, his melodic stories stacking detail upon detail for a final climax. . ." - Don Williamson, jazzreview.com
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"The piano work of Barry Velleman is pure magic, filled with great solo work and stylings." - Lee Prosser, jazzreview.com
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"Barry is a musical genius. I'm not just saying that. Many others have said the same. He is always listening and supporting, which makes him so much fun to play with. You could almost play anything with Barry and he will make it sound right, literally. This quality allows you to play with an incredible sense of freedom; it allows you to take risks and go in directions you might not normally go in, rhythmically or harmonically." - Jamie Breiwick (Milwaukee-based trumpet player, composer, and jazz educator)