“Free flowing, inspired, high revving, hugely evocative, elegantly layered, wonderfully lithe and sinewy, elegiac musing, rampant lyricism, opulent ensemble harmonies, a mix of longing and nostalgia, compositional sophistication…his finest album.” SMH The Outsider 10/12/2022
“Cody has demonstrated an uncanny knack for drawing back the veil on what we wilfully overlook; colonisation, alienation, belonging and dislocation. And he does so while offering us hope and sublimely beautiful music.” – John Fenton, jazzlocal31 New Zealand
“A piano style that is enthusiastic, luminous, that breathes, with an incisive attack, a left hand in support with very distinctive chords, and a singing right hand…beautiful melodies and arrangements… a very rich ensemble sound”. – Serge Baudot, Evasion, France
“Infectious… excellent improvisations that stand out…a stellar line-up…One of the album’s highlights is the title track, a thoughtful and ruminative ballad which lingers in one’s imagination”. Eric Myers – The Australian
“ The Outsider is rich in numerous music traditions, from African to Middle Eastern along with jazz and blues … a vibrant, musically diverse experience” – City Hub
The more ambitious the project the more Chris Cody rises in stature…
rhythmically shape-shifting…creative… thrilling” 4 stars Sydney Morning Herald
Enthralling tribute to French explorer…startlingly effective music”– Sydney Morning Herald
“Absolutely fascinating music and story” – Philip Adams, ABC Radio
“A beautiful and original suite of music “ – Andrew Ford, The Music Show, ABC Radio
“Joyous and up-tempo…beautifully meditative…sublime…wonderful…a thrilling musical voyage” – Loudmouth Magazine
“One of the hottest tickets of Autumn”- Spectrum, SMH
“4 stars: fascinating…an exotic soundscape…exceedingly gifted” The Australian, April 11 2020
“It’s as if new instruments are being devised by the minute…simply absorb the enthralling music … the melodic richness is realised with ever-changing textures… even more notable is the coherence and thoughtfulness of the composing as we journey across this new musical world.” John Shand, SMH
“Evocative, mature, and captivating…One of the overwhelming sensations Cody has managed to convey through the compositions and performances is that of human emotion”. Loudmouth magazine
Five Stars:“a vibrant and exciting musical odyssey … excellent compositions … meticulously performed” Barry O’Sullivan, Fine Music Magazine
“Heart and soul has audience enthralled”. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
“A remarkable pianist” Jazz Hot, France
And some more:
Jazz Hot France:
A piano style that enthuses, is luminous and breathes… a singing right hand… a masterpiece…very inspired…a fine and solid quartet and especially a remarkable pianist
The Australian
Cody works with flair and sensitivity… This is an album of talented performers playing varied compositions, adding an unusual jazz piano style that’s incorporates interesting classical ideas and flourishes.
John Clare, Loudmouth magazine
solid pleasure…a very solid and satisfying disc…a fast, happily frantic dance…top flight musicians…the piano suggests both abandon and contemplation…his playing is often funky with a modern boogie or shuffle feeling to it… a very beautiful re-working of Satie’s Gnossienne No. 3
John Fenton NZ :
You can feel the ebb and flow of the city’s life running through his fingertips as he plays
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia :
You feel a particular cosmopolitanism seeping through the music: jazz colliding with European sensibilities and France colliding with African ones. Cody is an equally sophisticated composer and pianist who likes to create mood-based pieces and solos in which a touch of ambiguity or mystery compounds the interest. Tenor saxophonist Karl Laskowski highlights the ambiguous elements with his dry sound and fine sense for weighting a solo, so evident on the pretty Pop It. Bassist Brendan Clarke and drummer James Waples play with a restraint that deepens the music’s shadows (rather than adding garish colour), and this helps Cody to generate a striking luminosity from the piano’s upper register. The cross-cultural rendition of I Love Paris is especially vivid, both musically and as a depiction of the City of Light as it now is.
Piano Magazine, France:
A very beautiful album. The pianist’s compositions reflect the diversity of his tone: a touch both firm and singing, a deliberately rapid phrasing, but that never loses sight of the melody, a taste for full fleshed harmonies sometimes close to gospel … what gives a particular flavour to this disc is for a large part the interaction between the piano of Cody and the eminently vocal trombone of Glenn Ferris…an album that as it unfolds tenderly and majestically, seduces you to the charm of an inspired interpretation of which the atmosphere will haunt you a long time. Magical!
JazzHot, France:
Some of the best musicians of the moment for an exhilarating disc … a feast of melody. .an inspiration never at fault…a facility for improvisation that leaves you stunned … an absolute mastery…everyone expresses himself marvellously on the compositions of Cody who is an excellent pianist…another example of a jazz that knows the evolution towards the avant garde but stays anchored on lasting values, and privileges feeling, beauty and melody.
Rhythms, Australia:
Cody’s music is highly evocative and spacious. The one non-original is an arrangement of Waltzing Matilda that invests it with a surprising combination of darkness and dignity.
Jasmine Crittenden, Drum Media:
Chris Cody is a beautiful pianist and lyrical composer.
Jazz Magazine, France:
Australian pianist Chris Cody, a sensitive interpreter with a perfect technique and composer of all the pieces, is surrounded by a Coalition that proves its cohesion and efficiency… A marvellous climate, between subtle arrangements and vast spaces of improvisation…there are good examples of this spontaneous creation where each musician exploits the possibilities of his instrument to the extreme. The leader unfurls his lyricism, nostalgic ballads, and atmospheric pieces of contrasted colours… the richness of this album lies in its diversity. It is likely to gather wide support.
Jazzman, France:
This recording should suffice to be persuaded that as a composer Chris Cody doesn’t lack ideas. He is equally an attentive leader: he serves the ensemble before thinking of himself… he provides a welcome break from hegemonic pianists.
JazzAround, Belgium:
A superlatif quartet. Chris Cody demonstrates an innate sense of rhythm and melodic lyricism. Superbly driven by the rhythm section of Lacy, he makes marvellous use of the velvety tone of Glenn Ferris who is magnificently showcased by the very original writing of the Australian pianist.
Télérama, France:
Very luminous jazz!
Figaroscope, France:
This is jazz that takes off for the heights.
Paris Voice, France:
Chris Cody Coalition features some of the finest jazz musicians in Europe.
AMG Steven Loewy, USA:
This superb recording finds Australian post-bop pianist Chris Cody leading an all-star quartet, including trombonist Glenn Ferris, drummer John Betsch, and bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel, with percussionist Epizo Bangoura sitting in on a couple of numbers. The pianist’s sparse voicing and simple melodies belie an underlying turmoil and unreleased tension that bring out the best in his sidemen. The tunes possess a dark side, with the title piece, as an example, indulging in a mysterious, noir-ish bent, quiet yet unsettling. Although Cody never lets it explode, the rhythm section seems to always pursue the unexpected, with Avenel, in particular, keeping the listener on his toes. Although this is Cody’s set, and he shows himself to be an excellent composer and a fine improviser, the most impressive work comes from Glenn Ferris, and his fans will not want to pass this one up, as it features some of his best soloing on disc. As the only horn, Ferris takes center stage, gurgling and purring, with notes cascading like horn-like bubbles from a water-pipe. Whether muted or open, the trombonist captures the moment with a thrilling, low-key ambience that fits the understated qualities of Cody’s compositions without compromising their vitality. When the group enters the twisted realm of the all-too-short “Kill the Pig,” with its back-and-forth swirling motion, there is a sense of bravura that soon dissipates. By the end of the album, you know you’ve heard something precious, delicate and often fragile, but very valuable. A minor gem.
Improjazz , France:
A measure of sweet melancholy infuses the whole disc, in the spirit of the traditional theme Waltzing Matilda that closes it. Ironic, mischievous, a little bitter, the leader plays it almost free, as if the anger expresses itself at the end, there where we least expect it. Chris Cody is a powerful pianist, gifted with a great clarity of delivery, of a veritable eloquence that he screens rigorously with a doubt coming from free and modern improvisation. His pieces are very composed: construction and deconstruction are equally combined. The disc is organised around the duo/duel between the velvety blowing of a trombone in long stretched ribbons and the rigorous pacing of the piano. The drums and the double bass support the principal couple with an appreciable discretion and a great sense of musical space.
Rouge, France:
A new pianist has arrived and already our ears turn towards him. He draws landscapes, plays off his obvious many influences to lead the listener towards dreams of other worlds known and unknown… there is with him something of the Indian in his will to affirm himself facing the world, to know that he has something to say. We’ll have to reckon with the new Cody!
Zicline, L’Info Musicale, France:
His piano playing is clear, precise and spontaneous unveiling dark sweetness or a more coloured pallet without useless exhibition. Midnight Tide is a precious disc that will delight lovers of brilliant ambiance and the wide spaces so dear to Chris Cody.