Mike Gorman - Pianist

*Press Quotes*
Ian Carr, BBC Music Magazine	"a consummate performer and also an excellent composer"
Scott Gotschall, Jazz Review.com (Aphrodite's Child CD Review)	"Mike Gorman on piano provides an awe-inspiring performance. As accompanist he provides better than adequate support, but as soloist he shines with creativeness and technicality. With a nod to Ms. Kelly, he also does this without ever seeming pressed, but at any moment ready to burst."
Chris Yates, Jazz UK (review of Paul Booth CD "Its Happening")	"Superb piano throughout from Mike Gorman"
Peter Vacher, Jazz UK	"..dazzling aplomb by pianist Mike Gorman"
Chris Beggs, The Leicester Mercury	"Mike Gorman was a revelation on piano with shimmering runs on the medium up-tempo Wonderful You."
John L Walters, The Guardian (Kick Horns CD Review)	"nice, spine-chilling organ from Mike Gorman"
Steve Rubie 606 Club	"Mike Gorman is one of the new breed of modern jazz pianists. With work including "Incognito", "US3" and Adam Phillips to his name, Mike is in many people's opinion (mine included) one of the most talented of the new players around. A great example of modern jazz piano playing."
Lee Prosser, JazzReview.Com	"Mike Gorman is a brilliant jazz pianist in topnotch form"
Restormel Arts	"a consummate performer of awesome skill"
James Griffiths, The Guardian	"...pianist Mike Gorman was a Bud Powell-like improviser: his right hand a blur of motion, his left anchored to the chords."
'The Maze' - Press and Reviews
Ian Carr, BBC Music Magazine	The Maze is pianist Mike Gorman's first trio recording and its an impressive debut. He has chosen some unusual standards, and some jazz pieces -Sonny Rollin's 'Airegin' and Charlie Parker's 'Quasimodo'- that are rarely played by pianists. He's a consummate performer and also an excellent composer, playing four of his own pieces including the title track, which is lyrical, mysterious and climaxes with a dazzling keyboard display. His 'Rising' has a Gospel tinge reminiscent of Keith Jarrett and receives a heartfelt performance. Brown and Skelton are a superlative rhythm section and this is a fine album.
Ted Kane, Jazz Review.Com	Mike Gorman is a talented young pianist from England and The Maze, his debut album as a leader, is a consistently engaging set of straight ahead jazz. The CD starts with a brisk and inventive arrangement of the standard "Love is A Many Splendid (sic) Thing," paced by Matt Skelton's swinging drums. Gorman and Co. demonstrate their ability to breathe fresh life into other familiar tunes: a reading of Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," lightly tinged with latin rhythms, a sparkling take of Charlie Parker's "Quasimodo," a pretty solo piano version of "Mona Lisa." Gorman's own compositions also come off well. The title track is a pensive ballad excursion, the interplay between Gorman and bassist Jeremy Brown suggesting classic pairs like Keith Jarrett and Steve Swallow and Bill Evans and Paul Motian, as well as the more contemporary Brad Mehldau and Larry Grenadier. The other original compositions seem more conventional, though they, too, have their unusual twists and turns. The Mike Gorman Trio is a very promising unit. Gorman, Brown and Skelton understand the music they are playing and have a good feeling about when to take chances with it. With the energy these young men bring to their music, nothing they play sounds tired.
Dave Gelly, The Observer	"From the opening bars of the first track 'Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing', it is clear that Mike Gorman is not one of your dreamy, soft-focus pianists. His brisk attack and concise phrasing take you firmly by the ear and don't let go. Sometimes it can be a slightly bewildering journey, but a purposeful one. Other notable delights include the octave theme-statement in Charlie Parker's 'Quasimodo' and a treatment of the Nat King Cole hit 'Mona Lisa'."
John Fordham, The Guardian	"The Maze is an acoustic piano-trio swinger from young Sheffield-born pianist Mike Gorman, with Jeremy Brown on bass and Matt Skelton on drums. It is pretty hard to make your own song on this much-travelled road, but Gorman has strong technique and a subtle touch. He also chooses a repertoire that is both in the tradition and a little off the track. The pianist gives a bright and effervescent double-time account of Charlie Parker's Quasimodo and a rolling, latin angle on Sonny Rollins's Airegin; he also suggests a potential for harmonic boldness and structural independence on a more personal If I Should Lose You. Worth keeping an ear out for." ***
Chrissie Murray, Ronnie Scotts Magazine	"Exquisite, energetic debut from fine Sheffield pianist deserving national attention, here with bassist Jeremy Brown and drummer Matt Skelton."
Lee Prosser, JazzReview.Com	The production values on The Maze are flawless, and this 9 selection CD collection featuring the Mike Gorman Trio will delight fans of straight-ahead / classic performances. The songs are original, and the performances are crisp. The selections include the Fain/Webster classic, "Love Is A Many Splendid Thing," and several original songs by composer Mike Gorman. Additional songs are the intricate Gorman composition titled "The Maze," "Quasimodo," "If I Should Lose You," "Miles From Home," "Airegin," "Rising," "Irma La Douce," and "Mona Lisa." Mike Gorman is a brilliant jazz pianist in topnotch form, and these are nice showcase pieces for his remarkable talents as a jazz performer. With Jeremy Brown on bass and Matt Skelton on drums, the solo performances arememorable.The Mike Gorman Trio is a welcome addition to new jazz groups with a special vision of their own, one they share with the listening audience in great solo and trio performances. Excellent. Highly recommended. The Maze is a memorable listening experience, full of verve and style, and enjoyment.
Two Reviews from Japanese websites (hence the odd translation)	"Probably it's my first time to hear of this pianist, and by looking at the CD, he's probably from the UK. He plays the piano beautifully and smoothly (without any hesitation). For piano trio lovers who do not look for strong personalities nor rupture, this would be a very comfortable one to listen to. They have "If I Should Lose You", which I have recently come to reconsider it to be rather nice, and some of their originals are also included. I wonder if the music, "Irma La Douce" by B. Wilder has anything to do with the movie? If you listen to the the last solo, "Mona Lisa" and the first script, it may make you feel as though you are sitting at some lounge. I believe he is a pianist who has achieved very firm basics of classical music" "He has a strong sense of mode and harmony....he is superb, sings the phrases well.....His compositional sense is strong as can be seen on track 5 'Miles From Home'....This album is to be treasured with great value"
Nick Lea, Jazz Views.co.uk	I first came across pianist Mike Gorman a few weeks ago at a local gig where he was playing as part of the Neil Yates Quartet providing able support for saxophonist Peter King. However, despite some fierce competition from the two horn front line of King and trumpeter Yates, Gorman repeatedly caught my ear. Not only did he have a nice line in head turning phrases during his solos, but also contributed tellingly with his comping. A view confirmed by this his debut CD for 33jazz. The set opens with ‘Love Is A Many Splendid Thing’ taken at a fair clip, and is perhaps here to show the pianist’s chops with his deft touch in this fleet fingered workout. Having got that out the way, we can then relax to enjoy a contemplative and exploratory set mixing standards and a couple of Gorman originals, with the mood being firmly established on ‘The Maze’ with a fine solo from bassist, Jeremy Brown. Elsewhere, Bird’s ‘Quasimodo’ a take on the chords of Gershwin’s ‘Embraceable You’ is given a lithe run through along with another classic in the shape of Sonny Rollins’ ‘Airgin’. Gorman closes the set alone, with a delicately balanced ‘Mona Lisa’, which Mike descries as “…a well known but seldom played tune, and one of my favourites.” And I must confess one of mine as well. If there is nothing strikingly original about this set, and let’s face it how many piano trios are there that are truly pushing at the boundaries of of tradition, then it serves as more than just a useful calling card for a pianist who will I’m convinced will continue to develop into one of the UK’s leading players.