rutnerpress

press = articles or snippets written by or about josh (or groups josh plays in)

scroll all the way to the bottom for some clippings...



Review of The Respect Sextet’s Sirius Respect CD release party at Le Poisson Rouge [excerpt]
allaboutjazz.com | May, 2009

     Running throughout [The Respect Sextet] is a strong sense of humor and joy. Saxophonist Rutner epitomizes this playfulness, although he’s also a serious improviser and composer. Rutner seldom cracks a smile on stage, even when he’s slamming a canvas tote bag full of percussion instruments on the floor or blowing the shofar—a Jewish horn that it is used for serious religious purposes, but is after all a large ram’s horn.



Cover story: Call of the Congas; Rochester's growing Latin music scene [excerpt]
City Newspaper | September, 2003

     Jazz saxophonist Josh Rutner falls into the gringo category. His jazz background, education (jazz degree from the Eastman School of Music), and talent make him a regular gun for hire in the local Latin scene. Known more for his work with the hyper-adventurous jazz combo Respect Sextet, the majority of Rutner's work these days is in Latin music thanks to [Tony] Padilla. “Rutner plays like a monster,” Padilla says. “He's a white guy playing like he eats rice and beans for a living.”



Cover story: Smokin' Signal; WGMC comes of age excerpt]
City Newspaper | August, 2002

     Perhaps the single most radical thing Crane has done since assuming his position is hand over a Friday daytime slot to Josh Rutner and Red Wierenga. (Show times tend to change, so check the station's website: wgmc.greeceny.org.) Both are Eastman School of Music students and excellent musicians who play in the Respect Sextet and the Dave Rivello Big Band.
     On the radio they turn into Abbott and Costello meet Stockhausen. They're genuinely funny the way only real people can be, and they are extremely knowledgeable about the music. Their taste is eclectic, to say the least. Reactions are predictable.
     “Josh and Red are very polarizing. There's a “please remove them today” camp and there's a “this is the hippest thing to happen to radio in this town in a long time” camp. The fact that they've created such passionate opinions means they're doing their job right. They sound like nothing else on jazz radio. To me, having three hours of that a week is like a shot of adrenalin for the station. They bring in some obscure stuff: Ken Vandermark, Watts Prophets. That kind of stuff would not be heard anywhere else and it would not be heard on this station, but it needs to be. They can do it intelligently enough to bring people along for the ride.”