Patrick Cress' Telepathy

Jazz fans who’re tired of clichés and noise will get their ears pulled by
Telepathy, a San Francisco quartet that’s both new and novel. Yeah, it
swings, at a nice medium tempo - the accents just may not be where
you’d expect them, and the time signatures can be brain teasers. The key
is an attractive simplicity that lets you hear the thoroughly conceived
structures while allowing room for improvisation. You might flash on Eric
Dolphy from his Out to Lunch period, but bandleader-composer Patrick
Cress retains the warmth of earlier Dolphy or Ornette Coleman (the group
covers Coleman’s “Lonely Woman”), bending his saxophone notes with a
barstool drawl, engaging in easy back-and-forth with clarinetist Aaron
Novik, and keeping the counterpoint going with drummer Tim Bulkley and
bassist David Arend. The whole thing has a Balkan feel that lends melody
and depth. Memorable. Also at the Temple Bar, Wed., and the Mint, Thurs.
(Greg Burk)

- LA Weekly

The best jazz improvisers bring a kind of sixth sense to the stage that
enables them to meet the ever-shifting challenges of in-the-moment
musicmaking. Some call this perceptual power intuition. Others speak of the phenomenon in terms of a spiritual connection. Twentysomething saxophonist Patrick Cress makes his case by dubbing his group Telepathy.
Although the notion of mind-reading your bandmates' every move is
more often a lofty ambition than a standard approach, even among
veteran players, Cress' eponymous CD debut, set to be released in the next month or so, shows that he's onto something special, if not
extrasensory.

- SF Weekly

Central Oregon gets a rare dose of no-nonsense modern instrumental jazz when Patrick
Cress’ Telepathy plays a free show this Friday night. The four-piece, based in San
Francisco, sprang to life in March 2002 as bandleader Patrick Cress’ beloved brainchild.
Cress, a University of Michigan graduate with schooling in jazz and classical theory under
his belt, plays alto and baritone saxophones and composes for the quartet. He conceived
of the general concept of the combo through a particular admiration for the work of
multi-instrumentalist and composer Ornette Coleman, saxophonist/composer Tim Berne,
and others propelling the sound of jazz into modernity with fond traditions in tow.

Telepathy proves itself worthy of trailblazing aspirations with an unusual lineup utilizing
saxophone, bass clarinet, acoustic bass, and drums. Their aim, well met with the 2003 LP
Liberate the Radio Stations, is to pay homage to the roots of America’s art by advancing it
through well-founded improvisation.

Cress recruited a jewel of a drummer to prop us his band in San Francisco player Tim
Bulkley. Bulkley’s drumming epitomizes the combo’s free-but-tight format, displaying
regimentation where necessary and melody-minded abandon when the mood calls for
it. His frequent dictation of unconventional time signatures is a hallmark of the
Telepathy formula.

Aaron Novik also helps Telepathy establish its distinctive voice with hypnotic bass clarinet
and B-flat clarinet stylings. The Balkan and Gypsy maneuvers in Novik’s playbook give
much of the band’s ventures a fittingly exotic foreground.

The band’s newest member, David Arend, brings classical training from Oberlin and
Julliard to the table. His refinement is a welcome trait in the bassist’s spot,but that’s not to
say he doesn’t find ample opportunities to stretch his improvisational legs as well.
Despite Cress’ clear role as bandleader, each of the four corners of Telepathy is afforded
equal room for experimentation.

With Cress’ smart original compositions as a basis (incidentally, Bulkley collaborates with
him on one of the original tracks on Liberate the Radio Stations), this young, heady band
gets back to the intentions of early jazz, creating new landscapes in sound and keeping
toes tapping. The level of Telepathy’s namesake ability to speak to one another through
their instruments shows great promise for a band that’s been together for such a short
time, and they’ve definitely got the stuff to speak to an audience without using words.

- The Source

Bay Area jazz saxophonist Patrick Cress and clarinetist Aaron Novik -- the dynamic front line of the Telepathy quartet -- draw their compositions from a broad palette while maintaining a unified vision. The 11 tracks on the group's third recording since 2002 cannily interweave melody and dissonance, soulful World Saxophone Quartet-style riffs and ambient abstraction, rock-solid grooves and free-breathing swing. The composers often dig deep into unusual time signatures, which give the music a lunging momentum on "State of Memory" and a serpentine dreaminess on "The Shadowboxer." While the song structures benefit from cohesive arrangements and lots of notes on the page, an equal measure of natural-sounding improv also shapes the music. The result is a multiplicity of voices -- including spoken word (Leonard Oakland's fine recitation of poet Theodore Roethke's haunting "My Papa's Waltz" on "BRandL"), otherworldly blues-spirit vocals (by Michelle Amador on "Descension Into Madness, Part 3"), and a stunning interpretation of a Satie ballad ("Gymnopedie 1") -- coming together in a single kaleidoscopic sound. - SF Weekly