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| "Play It Again, Professor!" |
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"Craig Brenner is a 'fine and funky'
pianist..."
"Brenner slides and glides and shuffles
through the songs in a style that is
simultaneously easygoing and lively."
"Craig Brenner knows how to boogie!"
"His touch is light, his control
impeccable..."
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| "Backstage Boogie" |
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"His self-produced CD 'Backstage Boogie' displays Brenner's piano mastery through a 12-cut display of the classic stride piano style, a display made far more than just a museum exhibit through Brenner's combining of impeccable technique with soulful feeling that turns 'Backstage Boogie' into an exercise in rockin' throughout, makes the music not only idiomatically correct, but toe-tappin' and hip-shakin' as well.
'Backstage Boogie' is just one of Craig Brenner's masterful piano
CDs available through his Web site, and is a clear demonstration that
boogie piano lives on strong, vital, and thriving in Indiana."
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| "Window on the Soul" |
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" 'Window On the Soul' marks a stunning achievement for Brenner, long-recognized as one of the best piano and keyboard players on the local music scene. Brenner doesn't just stretch his boundaries with 'Window on the Soul.' He breaks out as an artist with a diverse selection of original compositions that embrace bop, cool, Latin, small ensemble and trio jazz stylings. These are complemented with three pieces more close to home: the self-explanatory 'Brenner's Boogie,' the blues-based 'South Fess Shuffle' and the only cover tune on the album, 'Pinetop's Boogie Woogie.'
" 'Window on the Soul' is an album you can put on again and again. Unlike
Brenner's previous paeans to solo and boogie woogie piano, there is a
diversity of sounds, styles and arrangements that come together
deliciously on 'Window on the Soul'. "
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| "Man At The Piano" |
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"Brenner's music, full of soul and virtuosity, shines on this album. Rife
with spontaneous energy, Man At the Piano's 12 tunes are engaging and
entertaining...Brenner's versatile playing distinguishes him throughout;
his
mastery of a variety of blues and jazz styles is perhaps the most
impressive aspect of his playing."
"There are so many criteria for saying whether you like a certain musical act or piece of music. At this point in my life, I have heard so many artists try to dazzle me with one thing or another -- technical prowess, angst in their souls, an ironic worldview, sheer volume and obnoxiousness -- that it's a delight to find the likes of Craig Brenner. If you've heard him, you know what I mean -- a guy who's completely at peace with what he's chosen to do with his gifts. "Brenner can clearly address, in conversation or in song, the great American piano traditions with authority. He's taken the New Orleans barrelhouse approach as his main ingredient, added dashes of boogie-woogie and New York-type stride piano, and seasoned the results with suggestions of Tin Pan Alley and raw Texas blues. When he serves this up on his platters, he does it in his characteristically unassuming manner. "His new album, Man At the Piano, is the kind of follow-up to 1995's Play Again, Professor! you'd expect, but exudes just a tad more edge. Echo Park engineer Mark Hood seems to have realized we want Brenner, his Crawdads, and the impressive lineup of guest artists sound like they're in our living room, not his studio. Also, there's just a bit looser attitude to all the playing, both on introspective numbers and the dance tunes. " "Jumpin'" showcases the smartest guitar I've ever heard Gordon Bonham lay down on a record. He faithfully executes the figure Brenner also plays on vibes and tosses in some perfectly appropriate flourishes on subsequent choruses. The same goes for Mojo Hand's Lauren Robert's vocal on "You're A Hog For Me." Bessie Smith and Willie Mae Thornton would be proud.
" "When Sunny Gets Blue" is the loveliest of spare solo-piano pieces on
the
album...
"All (the selections) are performed with a light, swinging touch that
recalls the easygoing sophistication of a bygone era."
"Easygoing set of blues, jazz, and Professor Longhair standards, with a
few originals, too. Mix of solo and accompanied piano makes for good
listening all around."
"We're treated to a mix of solo pieces and songs with backing by a band
including Gordon Bonham on guitar, Jeff Chapin on drums and Steve Johnson
on bass...Some time ago Craig Brenner played at the Piano Stage of the
Queen City Blues Festival in Cincinnati, along with two European players -
Philippe Lejeune and Jean-Pierre Bertrand. I wonder if some of our
promotors will have the common sense to have a 'piano stage' at his
festival, so that we can see and hear people like Craig Brenner here on
stage. That's called wishful thinking, or even better, utopia."
"ideal late night listening...a wonderful set of music that has that sense
of blues and jazz cool one only finds in 50/60's records. A real gem."
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| Unsolicited Comments Received After Wedding Reception Performances |
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May 27, 2007 -- "Craig, Thank you SO much for playing at our wedding reception. It was so perfect, so fantastic -- we loved it. We hope you had fun, and hope you enjoyed collaborating with Brian's friend and brother. It was a lot of fun for us. THANK YOU for being a part of our day. It wouldn't have been the same without you! Hope all of your summer performances go well -- hopefully we'll catch you somewhere sometime this summer! Thanks!" --Jill and Brian Dec. 6, 2006 -- "Craig, EVERYONE LOVED THE MUSIC. Your group was just great. Lots of fun, enthusiasm and wonderful talent. Thank you so much." --Malcolm and Jenny, Magazine Publisher Nov. 3, 2006 -- "Craig Thank you for making the reception so wonderful. The music was wonderful!!!" --Lindsey Sept. 29, 2006 -- "Thanks so much for making Joanna's wedding such a great party. I cannot begin to count how many people told me it was the classiest wedding they had ever been to and several said best party ever. That group includes the bartender and the photographers-I'm sure they have seen a few! I know what made it classy.....the fabulous band! When we were making the time line for the evening Bari told me I did not have to worry that the dance floor would be full at ten. It never happens she assured me. The old people leave by eight and the young people leave for the bars by nine. When you shut down the dance floor just after ten and it was full of old and young people, I had to laugh. Obviously she did not know we would have such a great band! We had such a great time. Appreciated how hard you all worked and with so few breaks. I hope you got to eat. We just loved everything about the band! People who never danced one dance also raved about the music. It was perfect for listening and watching as well as dancing. The five year olds enjoyed every minute on the dance floor and the 89 and 91 year olds enjoyed your music just as much. We did too. Some of the people under 30 had never been to a wedding with a band and they really enjoyed it. Joanna told me on the dance floor "great call to have a band mom." It really was and I am happy to take credit for that decision. Thanks again for the classiest wedding ever!" --Monica and Jim Sept. 25, 2006 -- "Hi Craig, I really wanted to send you a very heartfelt thanks. The band really made the reception--there was no end to the guests who told us what a great time they had dancing and how much they loved the music. The repertoire was fantastic; it appealed to everyone from 5 to 75 years old (really, Neil's dad is 75 and was having a blast). We especially enjoyed your renditions of our special requests--Someone Like You, What a Wonderful World, Better Together, and Let Me Call You Sweetheart. Anyway, please pass our thanks along to the rest of the band. It exceeded anything we could have imagined and we'll always have those memories of a great reception." --Best, Joanna
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