Press

John McNeil Featured in February 2011 Downbeat

All Wit
By Jim Macnie
Part wag and part wiseass, the trumpeter doesn’t like to do anything without giving it a bit of flair.

Read the article
Link to downbeat.com

Check out John's May 14, 2009 New York Times Review:
Keeping It Flexible, Careful Not to Raise a Ruckus

Here's what critics have said about John McNeil's performances:

• "...plays his horn with a soulfulness that is rarely heard these days. [His] poetic, dusky-toned trumpet is very close to song." —Chicago Tribune

• "McNeil's solos were by and large the most incisive features of the night." —London Daily Mail

• "John McNeil's music is not a dim echo of someone else. He thinks for himself." —Milwaukee Journal

• "Mr. McNeil's trumpet work is full and rich with a bright, clear tone. His improvisations showed a sensitivity and lushness few can match." —Kansas City Star

• "...a balance of understatement and uninhibited swinging." —Washington Post

• "...his refusal to fall back on prefabricated hip licks was another sign of his commitment to emotional truth." —Chicago Tribune

• "...as soon as he put mouth to horn, his talent was evident.... [He has] a generous supply of fresh and original ideas... adventuresome without being self-indulgent." —St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch