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Photo by JoAnn Sieburg-Baker

Soho Solo Reviews
" .... wholly original"
Jazz Police
(Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MS, February 2016) by Andrea Carter
"Time-tested & unfailingly beautiful. 4.5 Stars"
– AllAboutJazz by Dan McClenaghan (2015)
"...an intriguing solo album"
Jazz Weekly by George Harris
"...a unique, gifted, talent - played with spirit"
Jazz Journal, UK (August 2015 issue/Vol 68, No 8) by Derek Ansell
South Park Magazine (October 2015)
by Michael J. Sollender "...a unique and singular artist - this is the best yet of Claire Ritter"
Cadence Magazine Review (June 16, 2015) by Robert Rusch "Direct, succinct, & skillful - like the NC born pianist/! composer Thelonious Monk's style" – Owen Cordle (JazzTimes/News & Observer)
Click here for liner notes.
Stream of Pearls Project Reviews
Waltzing the Splendor Reviews
“…an unusual--and unusually fine--offering from an undersung jazz master”
- All About Jazz, Dan McClenaghan
Greener
Than Blue Reviews
Best CDs of
Year 2004 - Jazz Review
". .
. an always enchanting melodic thread.” - all
about jazz
…speaks
to body and soul.” - ejazznews
- JazzReview
Interview
“…the
exotic and poetic“ - Charlotte
Magazine Buzz Story
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“Lush, sensuous, spare, adventurous…explorations that make Ritter’s work so intriguing.” - Boston Globe
"...
an artist to watch."
– Fernando Gonzalez, Boston Globe
"... a painter of the keyboard...
an impassioned, melodious, idea rich
approach which grabs attention." – Nancy Ann Lee, Jazz Times
"... distinctly Ritterian
lyricism." – Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe
" ... lush, sensuous, explorations."
– Bob McCullough
"... a thourghly original
hybrid." – Kevin Convey, Boston Herald
"... a crystaline, stunning
approach." – Neil Tesser, Jazziz
"... each track yeilds
new treasures...a positively exquisite touch." –
Derek Taylor, Cadence

photo by E.O. Kean

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Recording 'Castles in the Air', with Steve Swallow.
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"...an impassioned painter"
Jazztimes
click
here for full review
"...a crystalline stunning approach"
Jazziz
click
here for full review
"...focused poems, sophistication"
Jazzreivew.com
click
here for full review
"...unconfined" (INTERVIEW )
Jazzreview.com
click
here for full interview
"...tantalizing, highly recommended"
Allmusic.com
click
here for full review
"...a unique composer"
JazzPlus.com
click
here for full review
"...beautiful, eccentric, between
Monk and Scriabin"
JazzUSA.com
click
here for full review
"...picturesque vistas"
AllAboutJazz.com
click
here for full review
"...distinctly Ritterian lyricism"
Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe
"...lush explorations"
Bob McCullough, Boston Globe
"...new treasures, an exquisite
touch"
Cadence
"...a thoroughly original hybrid"
Boston Herald
... A competent pianist who has established
a distinctive style through her imaginative collaborations and engrossing
compositions.
- Andrew Sussman, Fanfare Magazine
... A delightful surprise is the lush 'In Between'.
- Phil Garland, Stereo Review
... As many of her contemporaries are content with creating the
past, Ritter is an artist to watch.
- Fernando Gonzalez, Boston Globe
... Joyously eclectic, whimsical, composed and improvised with a
country charm.
- Michael Ullman, Boston Globe
... Singularly imaginative music of a high order, with the Eastern,
Latin, popular, and classical influences...a true American original.
- R.C. Smith, Durham Herald - Sun
... A pianist whose modernized stride draws on Thelonious Monk.
- Francis Davis, Village Voice
... ingenious composer, authentic and unpredictable, one of the
east coast's most innovative composers.
- Ran Blake, New England Conservatory of Music
SELECTED REVIEWS
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"Ritter compares riding
to performing and composing, and states that she first experienced
"that intuitive unspoken language" as a child, with
her horse. "Working as a unit with the horse teaches
risk, trust, and intuition," says Ritter. "Listening is
key."

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...'River of Joy' has the singing quality that defines Ritters
writing, while the commentary of her piano within the delicate yet
sturdy arrangement makes every note count....as for the title conceit,
Castles in the Air, Ritter recalls that Thoreau, in
the final chapter of Walden, advises that if you build castles in
the air, your work need not be lost. That bit of New England philosophy
is now shared by Ritter with her students in North Carolina, and
through this and the rest of her glorious music-with listeners around
the country and the world.
Bob Blumenthal
Boston Globe
... Though Ritter's origins are Southern,
there's something fitting about her long New England residence.
In many ways, she's a kind of latter-day Transcendentalist, a clear-eyed
mystic, a musician of fierce independence and visionary calm. She
has taught at the New England Conservatory, home to many of the
most interesting minds in American music, and this CD is one of
the fascinating results of the significant Japanese presence there.
...This trio might be one of the natural headliners for a Jazz festival
at Walden Pond.
Stuart Broomer
Cadence Magazine
... As articulated in a body of work
that now encompasses five albums, the musical truths of Claire Ritter
are both playful and challenging, cerebral as well as heartfelt,
forward-looking, rather than rooted in the past. These qualities
are rare in jazz today, and anyone who's seriously concerned about
the future of music should give this disc a serious listen, especially
if you're unfamiliar with the writing and playing of Claire Ritter.
My guess is that you'll be pleasantly surprised, and that you'll
find yourself smiling a lot as well.
Bob McCullough
Boston Globe
... Claire Ritter is rapidly developing a following as one of the
east coast's most innovative composers. Like Duke Ellington, her
music lends itself to a vast array of interpretations. The best
things about Claire's music are her ingenuity, authenticity, and
unpredictability. Her music is universal in appeal and will be part
of tomorrow's music. Her music comes from the soul and goes to the
soul.
Ran Blake
Chairman
Department of Contemporary Improvisation
New England Conservatory of Music
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