Press

“Trumpeter Kris Tiner can turn barbed wire to beauty…”
–Greg Burk, LA WEEKLY

“While most of the trumpeters listed here develop much of their musical vocabulary in a solo setting, the California-based Kris Tiner feeds off the energy of others with his compositions. The Empty Cage Quartet, in particular, is a thoroughly modern and multifaceted jazz ensemble that stakes out a singular voice. Listen to to the funky ‘Gravity: Section 4′ and notice Tiner’s seemingly off-centered timing and his spiraling call and response with saxophonist Jason Mears. For Tiner, his trumpet technique is part of the bigger piece, a function to the whole.”
–Lars Gotrich, NPR MUSIC: “Miles Beyond: The New Sounds Of Trumpet“

“Extraordinarily inventive… suggesting still-untapped potentials in Miles Davis’s legacy – it’s as if Tiner has plumbed the most daring, piercing moments in Davis’s music to propose a boldface musical language utterly different from the usual stylized fragility of Miles disciples.”
–Nate Dorward, SIGNAL TO NOISE MAGAZINE

“Tiner in particular is a really compelling voice, blending the timbral resourcefulness of Smoker or Wadada with the focused linear constructions of, say, Booker Little.”
–Jason Bivins, CADENCE MAGAZINE

“Tiner’s trumpet and flugelhorn work is both conversational and eliptical, much like Bill Dixon’s in its unhurried examination of space.”
–Larry Nai, CADENCE MAGAZINE

“Tiner’s timbre is brassy and full, capable of tranquility, but prone to pugnacious elation…”
–Troy Collins, CADENCE MAGAZINE

“Tiner plays through a spectrum of tones and approaches…”
–Rex Butters, ALL ABOUT JAZZ

“Tiner hit the stage ready to blow, unleashing a circular breathing run that resembled ‘Flight of the Bumblebee.’… He continued to build his riveting improvisation that changed to short blasts and developed into unusual fingerings that yielded multiple voicings. After a stunning attack, he made finesse his statement.”
–Rex Butters, ALL ABOUT JAZZ

“Peerless technique with a rigorous, Miles-like economy, and a folksy sort of lyricism that one does not usually find in avant-jazz.”
–Dave Wayne, JAZZREVIEW.COM

“All the tunes… are filled with moments of delicately exquisite beauty. ‘Osho’ features restrained trumpet calls and quiet trills that demonstrate Tiner’s exceptional control and ear for colors.”
–Ron Bierman, JAZZREVIEW.COM

“Smart, kicking and as natural as a heartbeat… an unaffected, personalized amalgam of the most significant creative (as opposed to political) developments in jazz from the past several years.”
–Chris Kelsey, JAZZTIMES

“Excellent… trumpeter Kris Tiner and guitarist Mike Baggetta explore abstract yet jazz-derived realms of expansive lyricism and liquid melody.”
–TIME OUT NEW YORK

“Stratostrophic… is a blue chip recording, one of the best things in jazz to emerge in the new millenium.”
–Brian Marley, THE WIRE (UK)

“Trumpeter Kris Tiner has a beautifully clear swing-to-freebop sound and a gift for phrases that hang provocatively in the air.”
–Nate Dorward, EXCLAIM! Canada’s Music Authority

“Tiner’s trumpet is hot and brittle, and his phrasing combines fleet, boppish runs with fat smears and Don Ayler-esque multiphonics.”
–Clifford Allen, BAGATELLEN

“Tiner’s hungry enthusiasm and obvious joy for the music is apparent.”
–Gene Armstrong, TUCSON WEEKLY

 

“Tiner does not go in for flashy technique and swift phrases – instead, one can hear the influence of Miles Davis and Wadada Smith in his deliberate delivery. He does let loose now and again but never loses his focus.”
–Richard Kamins, HARTFORD COURANT

“Fueled by a crisp, driving backbeat, ‘Cheese and Shoes’ showcases Kris Tiner’s lyrical trumpet cadences soaring above oblique horn charts and the rhythm section’s stirring tempo – an album highlight that is as accessible as it is compelling..”
–Troy Collins, POINT OF DEPARTURE

 

“Dresser and Connolly elicited strange harmonics and amplified overtones that set the stage for trumpeter Kris Tiner to unleash a tart solo full of clarion-call bursts and sputters.”
–Robert Bush, SAN DIEGO READER

 

“Tiner’s brass moves through melodic and musical moments into fluttering and some squonk…”
–Jeremy Keens, AMPERSAND ETCETERA

 

“Kris Tiner picks up his trumpet, blows some quick, warm air through it, then proceeds to lay into nine minutes of the most expressive and whacked-out music this town has ever heard. Pinched screams, wild trills, flutter downward–his horn makes one frenetic declaration after another.”
–Chris Page, THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN