CD REVIEWS
Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
Skillful smoking jazz wonders! ~ "Pure joy....The volcanic arrangement Dave created for the band’s performance of Stevie Wonder’s Too High is pure pleasure to listen to...this is (absolutely) the BEST performance of this classic tune I’ve ever listened to. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with a (perfect) “EQ” (energy quotient) score of 5.00 ...also gets a “PICK” from me for “best jazz ensemble”.
"DEDICATIONS" ~ Oppilf Records ~ 2021
Nolan DeBuke,The Jazz Word
Dedications – Jazz From Planet Flippo continues the musical journey of Flippo’s wide-ranging musical interests, and the personal dedications reveal Flippo’s aptitude and emotion as a composer and arranger. Dedications – Jazz From Planet Flippo is a well-balanced set of styles and playing, strong melodies and exciting solos, and an overall presentation that will appeal to contemporary jazz listeners.
Paul Abella, Music Director, WDCB Radio
“Joined by a solid crew, Flippo has put together a really nice set of originals and reinterpretations of the music of Stevie Wonder, Radiohead and even Amy Winehouse... Everything swings and is well-conceived...There’s a lot to like here, and Flippo should be proud of what he’s done with Dedications.” -
Richard J Salvucci, ALL ABOUT JAZZ
"So, when was the last time you tried to count a Greek and Irish jig in 14/8…or (heard) a "polyphonic jazz motet" with group improvisation…? Flippo… is gifted with an exceptional imagination. How could anyone, adventuresome or not, miss getting drawn into such a lively excursion?
These are excellent musicians who clearly enjoy what they are playing. And what they are playing is hard. For sure, it is not pour on the Martinis music. Perhaps better suited to magic mushrooms.
De gustibus! Do not underestimate the music. The more you listen, the more you hear. You may come away both enlightened and entertained. ONLINE PAGE FULL REVIEW
Travis Rogers, Jr.,The Jazz Owl
“Dedications—Jazz from Planet Flippo is a marvel. The instrumental artistry is exemplary and the composing and arranging is brilliant. Dave Flippo is a wonder and the music tells you everything you need to know.” - ONLINE PAGE FULL REVIEW
James Pasinski, J.P's Music Blog,
“Dave gets the quintet firing on all cylinders…
The energy comes pouring out of Flippo's stellar piano work
on "Giraffe Trek," as the rest of the band follow suit.”
ONLINE PAGE FULL REVIEW
Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs Blog
“Dave Flippo displays a wide range of styles on this “Dedications” album, both as an arranger and a composer. This is a musical platform for Dave Flippo to showcase his inventiveness and expansive imagination, while writing, arranging and performing a list of “Dedications” to loved ones and his musical family.”
Jan van Leersum, Rootstime, Belgium
The album closer, “Metamorphosis,” for drummer Heath Chappell, is an extremely well-thought-out work that is really enjoyable, a perfect end to a very successful album; with every listen it is pure pleasure.
Chris Spector, Midwest Records Review
Planet Flippo/Dedications: A smoking Chicago combo that plays it right; right from the heart, right from the start and right from the place the contemporary stuff began. Taking Chicago jazz’s trio roots and expanding them without obscuring them, this is a solid listening date that fills the bill anytime, anyplace.
The pure sound of pros in action, there’s nothing here you won’t dig.
complete ONLINE REVIEW.
Susan Frances, Jazz2Love
“Flippo shows that he can reimagine any type of song with jazz-infused trimmings… Treating each track with a personal touch, Flippo demonstrates an astuteness for applying straight-ahead jazz idioms to a broad range of arrangements. He flexes his adventurous nature and inventiveness.”
Jonathan Widran ~ The JW Vibe
“If the struggles of earth seem to be too much, maybe it’s time to take a jaunt to the wild, eclectic side of the musical universe experience Jazz from Planet Flippo… high spirited, wild melodies, muscular grooves and dynamic improvisations. Though pop/rock fans will surely gravitate first to the peppy, bustling romp through Stevie Wonder’s “Too High”, the sassy, saxy funk-swing energy of Amy Winehouse’s irrepressible “Rehab” and a warm, retro-flavored Rhodes centered whirl through Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” the track that, both in title and frolicsome vibe, truly captures the aesthetic of the jam here is ‘Freewheelin’… All are splendid fun”
John Sanders ~ Jazz Music Archives
“A very talented quartet (quintet on two tunes) that Dave has assembled here, and they often sound much bigger than just four people. Woodwinds player Dan Hesler adds to their diverse sound by picking just the right instrument to flavor each tune, moving from flute to a variety of saxophones as well. Everyone in the band is a powerful soloist, which helps keep every track cookin from start to finish… Lots of fun tracks here.”
Flippomusic Trio Wins National Jukebox Jury Award:
"LIFE ON MARS" ~ Oppilf Records ~ 2016
The Dave Flippo Trio was one of the bands selected for the Jukebox Jury Award which took place at the Jazz Connects Conference in 2016 and was sponsored by Jazz Times Magazine. The winning track, "If Six Was Nice" by Jimi Hendrix and arranged by Dave Flippo was from their 2016 release "Life on Mars" on Oppilf Records.
Hrayr Attarian ~ Chicago Jazz Magazine
"Flippo and his trio elegantly interpret classic rock tunes with a couple of standards thrown into the mix, and endow them with a delightful sense of swing. The overall laid-back mood the band creates bellies constantly engaging variations in their approach to the material. In intriguing contrast stand such tracks as the award-winning “If Six Were Nine.” The Jimi Hendrix piece features electric instrumentation and a funky ambience. Flippo’s acerbic keyboard notes swagger with soul while De Santo lays down muscular bass lines....over drummer Heath Chappell’s thunderous gallop. Flippo’s arrangements do not simply “jazzify” the originals, but tastefully infuse them with new sensibilities." ONLINE PAGE FULL REVIEW
Paul Abella ~ WDCB Radio, Chicago 90.9 FM
"Dave Flippo has a rather unique new disc out called Life On Mars. It’s a CD of pop tunes from the post-Tin Pan Alley era, and there are some gems here. Joni Mitchell’s "Chelsea Morning" is given a gorgeous treatment, and David Bowie’s "Life On Mars" is fantastic as well. A few standards round out the program, including a really nice version of "It Might As Well Be Spring." Bassist Don De Santo and drummer Heath Chappell do a great job playing alongside Flippo. Life on Mars is a nicely grooving disc that I think you’re going to like a lot."
Tom Haugen ! Take Effect Blog
“An active outfit since 1992, Flippo’s current version of the band includes some of Chicago’s finest players, and their vast skill along with Flippo’s inimitable vision make Dedications an imaginative and really fun listening experience for the jazz inclined. ONLINE PAGE FULL REVIEW
"TAO TUNES" ~ Oppilf Records ~ 2011
Rob Adams ~ The Herald Scotland - Dec 15, 2011
"But as one of the most intriguing releases to appear this year, it's (Tao Tunes) also a gift to the wider world. Sure, Tao Tunes can be dark and serious in places but it's also playful, joyous and musically enjoyable, and with the original text's sometimes fortuitous rhyming structure, at times it's simply downright good fun."
Neil Tesser ~ Chicago Music Examiner - Dec 6, 2011
And now, in the category of “Bet you didn’t see that one coming … here's Tao Tunes (Opplif Records), an absolutely unexpected, and unexpectedly successful, setting of 17 lessons from the Tao Te Ching. Tailoring a sensible range of jazz idioms to fit the lessons of various verses, Flippo has constructed a tuneful program that certainly stands up musically. I can’t think of anyone who’s so diligently turned his musical idiom to the service of much heavier religious philosophy as Flippo does here. The fact that it works is almost a bonus.
…Whether it’s the craftsmanship of the writing, or the surprising appeal of Flippo’s vocals, or the strength of the Tao Te Ching itself, Tao Tunes has definitely left its mark on my sensibilities. And a few of its earworms, against all odds, have burrowed deep into my right brain. FULL REVIEW
Staff Writers ~ All About Jazz, Italia
It is "Taoism" that influences Flippo's musical imagery, pushing him to rework the texts of seventeen chapters of the "Tao Te Ching," inserting them in as many original compositions. Flippo, for his part, manages to bring together texts and music, giving them homogeneity, and performs the songs with a warm and reassuring voice.This commitment should be appreciated above all for its true source of inspiration, "the spiritual appeal," which allowed us to know the "Tao" of an exciting journey that Flippo undertakes between philosophy, religion, and music. ONLINE PAGE FULL REVIEW and original Italian.
Richard Mitnick ~ Musicsprings Blog ~ Oct 2011
" This project, Tao Tunes is Flippo's journey to his own spiritual core - the Tao - and the joy and reverence with which he approaches these texts is apparent in the craft and personal attention found in each musical setting. I listened and I listened, over and again. I loved what I heard. This is a great album."
Mike Ferro ~ lyricist/freelance writer
In Tao Tunes, Dave Flippo and his friends entertain the listener with wonderful songs, and good thoughts about who we are, where we’re from, and where we’re going. Music for the journey, so to speak, and how to make it a pleasant one. I think that Lao-Tzu, the ascribed author of the Tao-Te-Ching, would have listened and enjoyed. As did I. As will you. On the Tao, ONLINE PAGE FULL REVIEW
"GANESH" ~ Southport Records ~ 2001
Lucca Corte Rappis ~ All About Jazz Italia: (English translation)
Ganesh, the most recent work of Dave Flippo, gives us a taste of the Orient through the eyes of a Westerner, uniting the cultures with his own unique philosophy.
Born at the intersecting point of many cultures, the resulting jazz language has discoved how to gather the energies and exalt the qualities of each culture's music, succeeding where others have often failed. Flippo, a native of Chicago, chooses this city as a point of departure for a voyage in time and space, moving from the sounds of ancient instruments like the tabla to modern electronic instruments (and objects such as a giant steel garbage can). The music passes through the Indian atmosphere of Cool Ali, Battle of Shiva and Ganesh and Ganesh to the Greek Syrtotic, the Indonesian Shadow Dances and the swinging Sweet Imp. (The Battle of Shiva and Ganesh is a work that could be considered an opera in itself, taking the listener from the birth, development and termination of the conflict--the spectator is presented with a music so profound and vibrant that it seems to materialize in front of the listener's eyes.)
Flippo, a person who seems to deeply appreciate Indian music and culture, is joined on his voyage with musical companions Dan Hesler (sax and flute), Donn DeSanto (bass), Heath Chappell (percussion) and Aris Biskis (percussion). The CD alternates conversant ensemble pieces with a number of solo piano pieces (four Preludes and Shadow Dances), which are more like solitary meditations--true
Howard Reich ~ Chicago Tribune - 1995
"Of all the Chicago jazz ensembles searching for new sounds, one of the more alluring has to be Flippomusic, the rare band of musical adventurers who prefer to seduce the ear rather than accost it." ...the band creates a texture as exotic as it is original... a music at once complex and transparant, sophisticated and accessible."
Ted Shen ~ Chicago Reader - 1996
"Flippo's love of jazz, combined with an intense curiosity of music from other cultures, only heightens his willingness to experiment and mix diverse elements. The result, as can be heard on Flippomusic's latest CD, "Tendrils of LIght," is an idiosyncratic eclecticism that's true to the music it celebrates, be it Javanese, Indian or Brazilian."
"Tendrils of Light" ~ Southport Records ~ 1994
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