“Ezra Weiss is a fine, fine jazz pianist, an American original from Phoenix, Arizona, and his skills are awesome and perfect. He can take a jazz motif and bring out all of its lovely hues and shades. His playing approach is straight-ahead, and his melody phrasing is excellent… This is a CD to savor over and again with its imaginative freshness… Every musician and singer on this CD is topnotch, and each performance by all concerned sparkles with vitality and charm.”
– Lee Prosser, jazzreview.com
“Placing his economical, inferential piano amidst a rotating cast of sensitive horn players and singers, Weiss dwells on frustration and heartbreak. He also allows a few rays of unbridled hope, but seems more at ease in the gloom. The slowly spiraling ‘For Heather’ and resolute ‘Don’t Need No Ticket’ bookend the set with stirring emotion.”
-Forrest Dylan Bryant, JazzTimes
“The title of Get Happy should tell you that 28-year-old pianist EZRA WEISS likes standards, but they’re just a starting point: the writing here — arrangements and original compositions — keeps this straight-ahead date fresh at every turn.”
-The Boston Phoenix
“Weiss gets in his share of memorable solos, but his arrangements tell the story as much as his pianism does — and the mood is consistently pensive whether Weiss is embracing original material or turning his attention to well known standards such as Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ Rodgers & Hart’s ‘Blue Room,’ and Jule Styne’s ‘It’s You or No One.’”
– Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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-Dick Bogle, The Skanner
“The third release by New York-based pianist/composer Ezra Weiss is a sophisticated and optimistic conceptual statement about the search for happiness through original composition, clever references, intimate and nuanced playing, and updating the Great American Songbook with fresh arrangements.”
– Eyal Hareuveni, AllAboutJazz.com
“If this is what Weiss does with the standards, by all means, let’s Get Happy with him. Weiss shows sophistication with the right amount of enthusiasm and as he matures even more, we should see fine things from him.”
– Kyle O’Brien, Jazzscene
“Young pianist/composer Ezra Weiss intimates years of maturity and an astute comprehension of the jazz vernacular on this affable and stylish effort. In effect, the pianist injects a personalized spin into fabled standards to complement his original works. Weiss’s rather optimistic take on progressive jazz is akin to that proverbial breath of fresh air. Unpretentious, and at times dainty yet forceful when required, Weiss takes his sweet time building a theme. No doubt, he doesn’t overemphasize and chooses his notes wisely.”
– Glenn Astarita, ejazznews.com
“It’s a mix of original work and material from the Great American Songbook (that means classics from Rogers & Hart and others) that together construct a riff on happiness–just the thing for Clevelanders facing another winter. It’s easy and melodious without being predictable.”
-Laura Kennelly, Cool Cleveland
“Pianist Ezra Weiss is a happening 28-year-old composer… His solo run through the title track (the Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler standard) is a dissonance-filled quickie and a bit of a fun throwdown.”
-Karl Stark, The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Ezra Weiss is a young pianist who has earned a substantial reputation in the New York area and now his reputation is spreading thanks to CDs such as this… The leader’s piano is everywhere, subtly supportive and soloing powerfully and imaginatively, his vivid and complex treatment of ‘Get Happy’ ably demonstrating his comprehensive grasp of the long tradition of jazz piano.”
-Bruce Crowther, Swing2bop.com
“We’ve enjoyed and reviewed Ezra’s fantastic piano works before, and were mightily impressed then – as are we on ‘Get Happy’… An album that jazz collectors everywhere will want to add to their collection. We rate this work as MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, in the strongest terms possible.”
-Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation
“On his new CD, Get Happy, pianist Ezra Weiss shows himself to be a swinging musicologist, finding new angles on standards by George Gershwin and Richard Rodgers, while displaying a knowing way around a groove on his originals.”
-Michael Harrington, The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Weiss’ ‘For Heather’ offers his most impressive ensemble writing. The quintet of Weiss, bassist Corcoran Holt, drummer Jason Brown, tenor saxophonist Kelly Roberge and trombonist Andy Hunter sounds larger than it is. With dissonant intersections, tempo and mood changes, strong motific development and a lyrical trombone solo, the piece shows why it impressed the ASCAP judges last year.”
-Owen Cordle, News and Observer
“Super, young lion piano man tears the roof off the sucker with a set about happy, whether original or chestnut cover… Under 30 and already a well decorated player, Weiss is one serious newcomer that’s well on his way. A wildly tasty set that opens the ears in the most delightful way.”
-Chris Spector, Midwest Record
