Island Jazz Quintet

The amount of good jazz in the Puget Sound area never ceases to amaze me. Why even little Vashon Island boasts a group worthy of national attention. This quintet would be right at home in a New York cabaret. In these guys you have a fine instrumental quartet consisting of trumpet, piano, bass and drums. They can swing with the best and seem especially influenced by the California cool sound of Chet baker. Their rendition of the classic number bernie's Tune is a knockout. But that's not all. They have a dynamite vocalist as well. Singer Maggie Laird is a real find. While she sings with the precision of a trained singer she doesn't forget to swing it as well. Her take on "One For My Baby" is near perfect. Other high spots include "No More Blues," "Besame Mucho," and "Old Devil Moon." If you're ever on Vashon on a Thursday evening you might drop by the Stray Dog Cafe and check these guys out. If you can't make it there, pick up this very hip disc.
(Lars Gandil) - Victory Music Review

Hey, Guys -

Who Knows is simply terrific; unless I miss my guess, you guys are really hitting your stride now: the fact that the best stuff on the CD are the originals tells me so. "Bluelike" and "Just Call Adrienne" could have come directly from the Messengers playbook. I will be putting eight of the tracks into the VoV
rotation soon, probably on Sunday.

Congratulations. - Bill Wood

The group takes more chances here. About half the set is original music and Maggie Laird is singing with great confidence and control. Kurt Weill's "Youkali" is a French-Arabian tango sung and played with sensual zest with Laird showing a good command of French and Person really smearing his trumpet. Laird's original, "Iowa Flat," is a funky jazz-rock piece carried by her strong singing, Person's cool trumpet and the rhythm section's cohesion. This group is obviously growing fast and their future progress should be interesting.
(Jerome Wilson) - Cadence Magazine

Vashon Island, just a short ferry ride away from the big city of Seattle, is the unlikely home to one of Washington's best jazz ensembles, the Island Jazz Quintet. That isn't meant to be derogatory to Vashon, but the island isn't known for its long, deep jazz culture, with plenty of smoky clubs, and legends teaching the young lions on the scene. But whether it's fresh air, the laid-back lifestyle, or the love of the arts, they have provided the inspiration and nourishment for the confident club jazz of the Island Jazz Quintet to thrive. That continued growth comes through on their third release, "Who Knows," another mix of covers and new material with Maggie Laird's vocals riding high over Richard person's trumpet and flugelhorn, Tom Wilkins' piano, Todd Gowers' upright bass, and Todd Zimberg's drums and percussion. Though the focus is usually on Laird and Person, it's Zimberg's drums that provide the propulsion to many of the ten tracks this time out, and his daughter even provides the crayon cover art. Just listen to the personal touches and humor the band adds to "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," to see that this is a group that should be selling out shows all across the country. But, until the rest of the U.S. begins to pay attention, the answer to the album's question "Who Knows" is, "Vashon does."
(James Rodgers) - Victory Review 11/06

That Island Jazz CD is a knockout! All of it!
(Rick Tozier) - Maine Public Broadcasting

This is the second release by this excellent Vashon Island group. Picking up where they left off, they cover many standards and include several originals. The covers are all fine but I especially enjoyed the title tune, a Kurt Weill composition. Its seductive tango rhythm is made irresistable by Maggie Laird's sultry vocal. Also of note is the "Jitterbug Waltz" and the fine original "Spreading a Rumor." The band swings well with horn man Richard Person and pianist Tom Wilkins trading solos. The original(by drummer Zimberg) "Swinging With Chloe" is worth the price of the CD alone. The instrumentation is given even more flair by the addition of Laird's melodica. To sum up, these guys have definitely done it again. This is a first-rate collection and comes highly recommended.
(Lars Gandil) - Victory Music Review

"Who Knows," the latest CD from IJQ, continues to please the sophisticated ear with clear, clean lines: the smooth connected themes are spiced with rapid fire riffs from any one of the independent and highly skilled musicians who make up this eclectic and exciting group. Laird is most notable for her ability to mold a tune with sensual word color, and her vocalism is always perfectly in tune, a rarity in this genre.

This listener appreciates the melodies fused with new ideas which develop as they go, but don't get lost in improvisation. The genius is not in playing every chromatic alteration of the scale but in keeping the listener fascinated and connected to the action. Art, not virtuosity, is what the souls craves.

Far from the cacophony of muddled improv, Vashon has produced a clean, cool and edgy jazz ensemble of world class quality.
(Sandra Glover, D.M.A.) - Highline Music Faculty

That Island Jazz CD is a knockout! All of it!
(Rick Tozier) - Maine Public Broadcasting