Ben Sha’lev, Ha’aretz
“ There is a surprising maturity to Greenstein’s playing and writing… His sax playing runs the gamut from meaty lower registers to rougher edged expletives… ”The Jerusalem Post
“ Magnificent playing… ever clever and thoughtful compositions. On Thinking he delivers a recording that speaks on multiple levels.”Myron Walden
___________________________________________________________________ Just as Hard-Bop brought soul and melody to the innovations of the Bebop movement, Jonathan Greenstein’s music does the same for 21st century Jazz. Combine that with a wide range of influences, from 20th century Classical music to Neo-Soul, and an ever-growing respect for the Jazz tradition and you get what Jonathan’s music is all about. His debut album, Thinking (Fresh Sound : New Talent), presents these concepts in the best possible way- High level, sophisticated and soulful playing. Born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, Greenstein grew up in an art-loving family. He fell in love with Jazz in his teens studying with Eli Degibri, Omer Avital and the late Amit Golan and was awarded the Presidential Scholarship to the Rimon of School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. Graduating in only one year, Jonathan received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Taking example from his Grandfather, an actor and director, Greenstein was professionally playing from an early age. He performed in venues such as the Blue-Note NYC, Boston's Hard Rock Café , Ryles, the Fat Cat, Smalls, HR-57, Sculler’s, The Iridium and many more, as well as playing in all of Israel’s major festivals. He had played with many great musicians, some of which are - Valery Ponomarev, Omer Avital, Ralph Peterson, Judi Silvano, Myron Walden and Terri-Lynn Carrington. All this playing created a nice following for his shows and music, both in Israel and in the United States. Greenstein’s music caught the attention of Jordi Pujol, owner of Fresh Sound records. He gladly released it under the Fresh Sound : New Talent label, which was home for many young artists - Brad Mehldau, Mark Turner, Ambrose Akinmusire, Kurt Rosenwinkel, The Bad Plus and many more. The Album, “Thinking”, presents 61 minutes of original music and beautiful playing, and is a great addition to the Fresh Sound roster. The band features Ilan Bar-Lavi on Guitar, Victor Gould on Piano, Dan Carpel on Bass and Jeff Fajardo on Drums. Trumpet great Darren Barrett, who played with Elvin Jones and Herbie Hancock, honored them with his presence on a few tracks as well. Greenstein says he “… never felt my music is Israeli in the Mediterranean sense. It’s not really the culture I grew into. I try to give another perspective, of what it is to be a Tel-Avivian”. Being Israel’s New York City, his hometown experiences might explain his eclectic influences. But no matter how diverse the background is, Greenstein’s music is consistently individual, entirely formed. He considers himself to be soft spoken, and likes things that are understated. Ben Shalev from “Ha’aretz” summarized it by saying- “... it's surprising to encounter such a mature debut album”. And so it is that Greenstein’s music brings the listener in. Don’t be surprised if the music stays with you much longer after it stopped playing. The beautiful melodies combined with the soulful groove and high-level playing will easily provoke a smile or a tap with the foot. Jonathan’s individuality shines through in the most convincing way, and you are bound to be captivated. Stay tuned because his music deserves to be heard and his performances deserved to be seen. If you like Jazz that is now, if you like melodies you can sing to, if you like soulful playing - you should check Jonathan Greenstein out. You won’t regret it.