“DYAD fearlessly and imaginatively bebop these formidable operatic themes, each taken with improvisatory flair and soaring musicianship. Caimano and Olsen are the daring bright lights here. Deservedly so.”
Cadence Magazine
January 03, 2017
“I am impressed in particular with Olsen’s pianistic abilities as he plays in head turning solos and I am also impressed with Caimano’s distinctive sound.”
November 12, 2016
“…retain(s) the beauty of the classical melodies but the jazz soloing is done with real abandon and flair.”
November 07, 2016
“…magical music for your ears that will never get old.”
“Alto Saxophonist Lou Caimano and Pianist Eric Olsen have used their remarkable improvisational skills to turn beautiful operatic melodies into wonderful jazz performances.”
October 31, 2016
“…a terrifically creative album, one that simply cannot be fully appreciated or savored in just one listening. There is, literally, so much going on here that you need to listen two or three times at least. What a great album!”
Aquarian Weekly
October 19, 2016
“Here… Caimano and Olsen… take the most dramatic arias from Mozart’s 1787 Don Giovanni, Barber’s 1956 Vanessa, Bizet’s 1875 Carmen, Verdi’s 1887 Otello and three more to turn them into gloriously swinging jazz, no mean feat.”
September 30, 2016
“High quality music, inspired improvisations! Beautiful music, reinvented with taste and respect by two immensely talented musicians.”
Jersey Jazz Journal
November 01, 2016
“The results are warmly engaging, and make for stimulating listening. Olsen and Caimano have shown again with this album that they have found a winning formula for this musical synthesis.”
September 13, 2016
“Dyad Plays Jazz Arias will simply blow your mind! Real playing for real ears on the lookout for hot new sounds.”
WBAA Inside Jazz
September 05, 2016
“I will play, feature, and talk about this bit of beauty and aesthetic intelligence (Dyad Plays Jazz Arias) a great deal”.
November 26, 2013
An enthralling CD, eloquent and passionate improvisations on artful arrangements.
DYAD Plays Puccini is rated one of the Top Jazz CD's of 2013 by Scott Albin
July 31, 2013
Perhaps the most amazing transformation of cultural enlightenment in the last quarter century.
November 01, 2013
DYAD makes Puccini’s melodies sound perfectly natural as postbop…and their risk taking pays off.
January 03, 2014
Fugue-ish playfulness and a jazz sensibility. The result is a finely tuned recital.
November 15, 2013
An enjoyable album filled with grace and poise, that kept me fascinated for its duration.
October 31, 2013
"Dyad Plays Puccini" is an extraordinary project by two American musicians.
September 26, 2013
Brilliant originality, intriguing blend of classics, jazz and breathtaking skill of the duettists.
August 14, 2013
Caimano and Olsen vary Puccini’s masterpieces with theatricality and reverence.
July 16, 2013
You must give this a listen, as it's one of those releases in which words fail.
June 22, 2013
The only pyrotechnics you need are the sparks this duo sets off. Well done!
