| NOW Magzine article 2001 | NOW Magazine Spotlight 2001 | KW-Record | | NOW Magazine CD Review of "Shades Of Brown" 2002 | |
"
... CRUZAO's explosive latin-funk heralds the coming of the new generation
of jazz musicians who groove hard and improvise with fire..
- The Wire Magazine re: Toronto Jazz festival 2000 performance |
"...
CRUZAO is one of the most innovative new groups I've seen in a longtime.
It's about time the Latin Jazz world got a taste of a group this."
- Amber Authier - Media Relations, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto re: Sept. 2000 Harbourfront performance |
"...
deliciously quirky & invigorating... seethes with energy, particularly
showing off the skills of trumpeter Ali and his brother Marcus on alto
sax"
- Geoff Chapman, Toronto Star re: 2001 week long Top Of The Senator engagement |
"Brownman
Ali & CRUZAO breaks down the boundaries between latin, jazz and funk
in the most innovative way I've seen yet. This kid needs to be in
New York!"
- Memo Acevedo, NYU latin percussion professor & legendary Latin-jazz icon re: Pre-release of "Shades Of Brown" recording |
"Brownman
Ali... a warm, personable soloist that displays an engaging mix or quirks
and lyricism."
- Mark Miller, Globe and Mail |
"...
while other latin-jazz artists continue to dabble in music of yesteryear,
El Hombre Marrón and his band of young latins push the boundaries
of modern Cuban and Brazillian music with original compositions... the
ring of the new generation of jazz artists resounding within."
- Rich Feynman, JazzTimes reviewer in Toronto during T.O. Jazz Fest |
"...
captivating the Oakville Jazz Festival with their blend of Cuban and Brazillian
jazz Brownman Ali and CRUZAO was the delight of this year's festival..."
- Hamilton Spectator re: Oakville Jazz festival 2000 performance |
"...
unbelievable on stage energy... the two brothers play like they
share one brain!" - Sonic Latin Grooves, on-line Latin E-zine re: Toronto Jazz festival 2000 performance |
"...
burning solos and unabridged groove is what Brownman Ali & CRUZAO's
version of latin-jazz is all about."
- JazzOnLine review re: Toronto Jazz Festival 2000 performance |
Toronto Star Feature Article |
Canadian Press (CP) coverage |
Brownman
Ali & CRUZAO awarded 1st runner up for
"Electric Jazz Group Of The Year" at the 2001 National Jazz Awards |
Highly controversial NOW magazine article entitled "Nick Ali's Revenge" which paints a fairly aggressive picture of Brownman after winning the Montreal Jazz Festival's coveted "Grand Prix du Jazz" Award in 2001 |