Jeff Baumeister Releases "Useful Music" on Wahbo Records

Best of 2005, Publisher's Picks
Michael Ricci, All About Jazz

Best of 2005, Editor's Choice, New Discoveries
John Kelman, All About Jazz

Top Ten Best Albums of 2005
Nick Lea, Jazz Views

John Kelman, All About Jazz - “Useful Music has all the potential to be a classic. Jeff Baumeister is an artist deserving wider recognition. He is the newcomer alongside more established forward-thinking folks like Dave Douglas, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Bill Frisell, Tomasz Stanko and others, he's got his own thing happening that bodes well for the future."

About Jeff Baumeister

Actively involved on the Philadelphia jazz scene for over 20 years, pianist Jeff Baumeister can be finally heard on a new CD featuring his own compositions. Nudged along with a generous Cultural Incentive Grant given to him by the Bucks County Community College Foundation, Jeff assembled a quartet of like-minded, adventurous players to record his 2005 debut release Useful Music. As Baumeister told WRTI's radio host Jeff Duperon, “This group of guys brought to life the black dots that I put down on paper... I couldn't have done it without them." This indispensable group of musicians consists of bassist Peter Paulsen, saxophonist Greg Riley and percussionist Dan Capecchi. Together with the pianist they make up the Jeff Baumeister Quartet.

Jeff's interest in exploring different musical ideas in improvisation gave the CD its strong direction and unique identifiable sound. According to AAJ's Senior Editor John Kelman, “Useful Music has all the potential to be a classic." Kelman's strong statement and glowing review helped establish the quartet as one of the premiere modern jazz groups to emerge from Philadelphia.

Useful Music is regularly programmed on webitaliajazz and Hot-Bird satellite 13° radio in Europe as well as stations throughout the USA and Canada. The opening track “The Realization of a Line" has been downloaded nearly 2500 times on AAJ and is the No. 2 download of the Top 100 at All About Jazz Italia.

“A prediction for the coming year (or two)--you will soon know the name of local pianist, Jeff Baumeister" ~ Ken Weiss, Cadence Magazine

Free MP3 Download

The Realization of a Line Jeff Baumeister Quartet From Useful Music 9:49