NativeDSD Blog Review

The commitment of the musicians to venture beyond cultural tourism and integrate the diverse musical directions yields a coherent and compelling set of new jazz. From the opening tune “Lima”, with its colorful threads of Peruvian folk melodies, to the Chinese orchestral textures of the closing “Waves”, the composition paints a picture of a world at a threshold.

Throughout, guitarist Shepik brings his instrument in and out of the foreground to allow the other musicians plenty of space to explore. On “Not So Far”, trumpetist Alessi, whose work on ECM has drawn widespread critical praise, solos energetically, the perfect foil to Shepik’s thoughtful electric guitar flights. Interacting with virtuoso bassist Drew Gress and veteran new-jazz drummer Tom Rainey, pianist Gary Versace draws on the palette of post-bop idiom. Versace is equally conversant on the accordion, an instrument that crosses all cultures; his playing on the introspective “Current” sets a yearning, nostalgic mood.

Mark Werlin - Source

PopMatters.com

Shepik and his band are capable of precision and abandon, tradition and release….Each composition functions like an ingenious self-winding clock with precisely interlocking elements…

Will Layman - Source

Time Out Chicago

[He] not only conveys wildly different locales but also the wealth of emotions that surround the getting there and back….Shepik seems guided by the joy of the moment more than anything. And that’s a place you won’t ever want to leave.

Blogcritics.org

[Shepik] is pushing the genre forward with his harmonically complex but grounded guitar style and a creative restlessness that has motivated him to absorb elements of rock, free improv, reggae, 20th century classical, as well as traditional music of nearly every stripe….Rich musicality and intelligent grooves….

All About Jazz

It’s the meditative richness of the music – its compelling sense of endangered cultures and the quiet intensity of its feelings – that gives this work its character…Shepik [is] among the most articulate and quickest-witted of guitarists…

Stuart Broomer