[“SLSO fires on all cylinders with creative concert featuring ‘Bolero’”]
On Connesson’s ‘A Kind of Trane’: “Much of it sounded like dazzling improvisation…complete mastery of every nuance of phrase and melody”
John Huxhold
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (3/6/20)
“Handling the extensive saxophone solos was guest musician Timothy McAllister, who performed the work’s world premiere and who was brought in at Adams’ request. Although seated in the middle of the orchestra, he stood for the solos and played the jazz-inspired riffs in a nervy, improvisatory style, a highlight of what was a fine performance.”
David Fleshler
The Miami Herald/South Florida Classical Review
[Critics’ Picks: Musical Must-Haves for your holiday list: John Adams, Saxophone Concerto, City Noir] “Adams conjures up the seductive yet dangerous swagger of postwar Los Angeles…McAllister, the virtuoso and stylistically nimble saxophonist, lights up this recording…”
Brian McCollum and Mark Stryker
Detroit Free Press (12/14/14)
“Adams’s concerto followed, full of impatient energy, nods to various styles of music and some wildly intense saxophone lines…the piece was full of saxophone pyrotechnics that McAllister played with command and ease. He moved gracefully from a bold, brassy sound to mellow, almost vocal strains, playing with the precision and polish of a classical player and a musical freedom that made much of the piece sound improvised on the spot”
“City Noir is about process, not stasis…there was a prominent part for saxophone (played by the steady Timothy McAllister)…”
Arthur Kaptainis
National Post (Toronto)
“Intriguing conversant duets are delivered by Timothy McAllister on alto or soprano sax alongside pianist Liz Ames. The two create a wide spectrum of moods and colors, forming a graceful unison trail on “Painting With Knives”…The two jab like middleweights on the punchy “Get Up!” and are most jazzy on the bright “Obstacle Illusion”, but throughout the two work well with volleys, relays and responses. Modern sonatas.”
George W. HarrisJazz Weekly (October 2022)
“Mr. Adams took inspiration from the virtuoso technique of Mr. McAllister…one of the foremost saxophonists of his generation”