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Review from Review from Ejazz News

Though released in Canada in late 2006, "Foundations" is only now making the rounds in the U.S. and leaving an impressive mark. Recognized as one of the top young musicians in Canada, Jodi Proznick has become a first-call bassist in Vancouver since moving there in 2000. While her credits include several recording appearances, this album is the lady's debut as leader and what a debut it is! The music is riveting straight ahead jazz with a terrific selection of tunes and finesse power playing from the band.

Well let me begin by stating that this is one of the finest recordings I've had the pleasure to appraise this new year. While the bassist delivers an excellent performance and contributes four blue chip charts, her band mates turn in a performance of their own that makes this album a burner.

Proznick, who plays the upright bass, leads a quartet that includes husband Tilden Webb on the piano, fellow Vancouver musician Jesse Cahill on the drums and hailing from the U.K., tenor saxophonist Steve Kaldestad who provides a monster performance especially on the soft and cushy Duke Ellington standard "All Too Soon" where he steals the spotlight.

There isn't a bad tune on the entire album. Beginning with the re-harmonized arrangement of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" the music takes off with delicious melodies an exciting play from the band. Besides the beautiful Ellington piece, Proznick includes two other ballads with "Acquiescence" and "Washing of the Water," while also featuring Kaldestad's tenor voice on the hard-driving "Reaction," "RB Line" and others.

An unselfish leader, while the lady does lay down fine bass line work here, she allows enormous space for fellow band mates to display their talents such as husband Webb who weighs in on delicate piano solos throughout.

With this album Jodi Proznick lays down strong jazzy "Foundations" from which to serve notice that there’s a new sheriff in town armed with an arsenal of talent sure to develop recognition as one of the finest bassist in the jazz world today. "Foundations" is an excellent recording by any measure you apply. Whether it's the fine selection of music or the outstanding performance from the band, the result is an exciting an impressive musical experience that makes this album a pleasure to hear.

Review from O's Place

4/4 Stars : Jodi is one of the finest women bassists we´ve ever heard. In fact she produces some of the most robust sound from the upright of any player. She leads a quartet that coalesced during their days at Montreal´s McGill University before branching out on their own. They reunited while in Vancouver and the results are wonderful. We liked the energy of "Reaction" with drummer Jesse Cahill exploding. "All Too Soon" features Steve Kaldstad (sax) and a well thought out solo from Jodi. "RB's Line" opens with Tilden Webb (p) and Steve mimicking each other on the melody before Jodi and Jesse join in to trade sparks on solos. There is good chemistry here which spills over to the listener.

CD Review from Cadence Magazine - By Marc Medwin

This was my introduction to Canadian bassist Jodi Proznick’s work, and she is one to watch. The disc’s tribute to Ray Brown is telling, as Proznick’s approach to the instrument incorporates Brown’s deliberate but tasty swing. Her grungy intro to her own composition “Duke of York” exemplifies perfectly her infectiously in-the-pocket sense of groove and snap.

The group work is good without ever being revelatory, the best interplay reserved for slower tunes, such as Ellington’s “All Too Soon,” which is given a rendering that is convincing if a bit too shiny. Dialogue is present, all playing with what sounds like just a hint of reserve.

The disc’s best moments are to be found in two unlikely “pop” tunes, arranged by Webb. Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me” is given a superb reading, in compound time, some classy chord substitutions enhancing what is already a complex original. Peter Gabriel’s heartbreaking “Washing of the Water” is a bit more faithfully rendered, the A-minor section serving as a nice vehicle for Kaldestad to stretch out.

My overall complaint really has less to do with the playing than with what I hear as a layer of superfluous production on the whole proceedings. It’s all just a touch too slick, and I’d be willing to bet that the quartet can really cook in a live setting.

The agility with which some of the more up-tempo heads are played makes me hope that one of the legendary performances mentioned in the liners will be released, painting a broader picture of this group’s true capabilities. That said, Foundations is a nice date, presenting an interesting and varied program. Proznick is developing a fine compositional voice, and I will be interested to see where this quartet goes from here.

Montreal Students to West Coast Maestros - Mark Andrews, Vancouver Sun. Published 21/12/06

The young members of this jazz group go back to student days at Montreal´s McGill University. A decade later, the four musicians found one another again last summer in Vancouver (three now live on the West Coast, the fourth was passing through) and recorded this fine CD.

Bassist Jodi Proznick leads the group, writing four of the 10 tunes, with her husband Tilden Webb on piano, fellow Vancouverite Jesse Cahill on drums and U.K. resident Steve Kaldestad on tenor saxophone.

All are accomplished players, working well as an ensemble and saying a lot when it´s time to solo. Proznick has traditional roots, which you can hear when the band plays the great Joni Mitchell song Help Me, and the bass solo closely follows the lines of the melody. Throughout the disc, her sound is warm and welcoming.

For a contrasting one-two punch, listen to the Proznick ballad Acquiescence, a lovely melody fleshed out by Webb's delicate but driven piano playing and Kaldestad´s swooning saxophone, followed immediately by Webb´s composition Reaction, a hard-charging number with a bebop tempo lithely negotiated by the four musicians. Rating: 3

Review by Drew Kingston for CD Baby

This is a fantastic CD! From total obscurity to #1 on my list of favorite CD´s in one listening - first rate writing, performance and recording - leaves you with a very pleasant warm glow. Rating 5/5

Review by Alex Land for Celebrity Cafe - 14/12/06

Jodi Proznick Quartet's jazz album, Foundations, could very well lay the foundations to a love of jazz for a person new to the genre.

The fun thing about jazz is that the listener never knows where the song is going to go next. However, this can get annoying, or hard-to-follow, for new listeners who can have a hard time finding the beauty in what sounds like noise. The Vancouver-based jazz artist has put together a wonderful jazz album that has the backings of jazz, but is easy to follow for the novice jazz listener...

... For someone looking to get a start into listening to jazz, Foundations is a perfect album with which to start.Rating: 8.

Press Quotes

"Jodi reminds me of the better players like Ray Drummond, Peter Washington and Rufus Reid. She is a wonderful bassist who really digs in and plays from the heart... when you hear Jodi you don't hear gender."
David Fathead Newman - Coda Magazine interview November 2007

"This album not only an awesome display of Jodi's abilities on the bass, but an awesome display of the other three musicians as well!"
Peter Kuller - Radio Adelaide, Australia

"What caught my ear even more with “Chances Are,” was the aggressive and emotive playing of bassist Proznick. There are many good bass players in the world of jazz, but Proznick is not simply a good player, she is a great player, who plays with intoxicating passion."
- Joe Montague

"Minuscule derrière son instrument, Jodi Proznick prend un malin plaisir à faire danser sa contrebasse. Il n'est que 18 heures, mais déjà, des milliers de personnes se sont massées rue Sainte-Catherine, en plein coeur de Montréal, pour écouter les standards que cette musicienne de 31 ans exécute avec un large sourire aux lèvres."
- Laura-Julie Perreault, Le Monde France

"Her enthusiasm for and joy in playing infuses her music with a spirit that's infectious and lifts it to another level."
- Josephine Ochej, vancouverjazz.com

"... a classic, understated approach."
- Alexander Varty, Georgia Straight

"...an intense, energetic swing"
-Matt Snyder, 5/4 Magazine

"...Bassist/composer Jodi Proznick is a gifted young musician whose star is definitely on the rise. Although she plays regularly in a number of groups, the totality of her gifts come to light as a leader. Her quartet is fresh, intense, and highly interactive, featuring some of the finest young musicians in the country."
- Vancouver International Jazz Festival

"A jazz bassist with great time and a rock-solid sound is worth her weight in gold, and Jodi Proznick IS that lady!"
- Katie Malloch, Host of CBC Radio's Jazz Beat.

"Proznick has a sense of confidence about her that makes her musical partners play to the best of their abilities. It is Jodi's stage presence however that separates her from many a musician. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing Proznick perform live, you have to... you always leave the show with a smile on your face."
- Cory Weeds, Jazz Cellar / Cellar Live Records

"Bassist, Jodi Proznick, demonstrated – with robust sound, sure chord sense, great beat and creative solo imagination – why she has become a first-call musician at an international level."
Alex Browne, Peach Arch News.