Coat of Arms bursts with power and creativity and should place Ciesa prominently in any conversation about great contemporary drummers.
The New York City Jazz Record (USA)
Ne resultano qinquanta minuti di musica ritmicamente variegata, dalla notevole ricchezza di accenti, di sfummature timbriche, di intuizioni fulminanti. Ma sopratutto emerge una insospettata vena melodica che funge da fil roouge dell'intera registrazione. rendendo accessaabile e gradevole la proposta di un batterista allergico alle convenzioni.
All About Jazz Italia (Italy)
...intressante musikalische Ideen, z. B. die durchaus reizvolle Kombination von Ostinati und expressiver Improvisation. Hinter all dem steckt hier eine individuelle Persönlichkeit.
Drums & Percussion (Germany)
Reste que ces vingt-deux plages de batterie solo ne s'encombrent jamais de cliché(s) ou de vulgarité(s). Un percutant sincére, tout simplement.
ImproJazz (France)
Charyzmatyczny wirtuoz perkusji, czionek Iconoclast i Doctor Nerve, w muzyce na perkusje solo.
Ilustracje dynamiczne, pulsujace, subteine obrazy perkusyjne, konstrukcje dzwiekowe, piesni i piosenki awangardy rockowej.
ARS 2 (Poland)
Complete review from The New York City Jazz Record (USA)
Can a jazz drummer convey anything truly substantial by playing solo? Does the music have any meaning or impact outside the theme-solos-theme context that a band provides? A masterful drummer has a unique answer to these questions, marked by imagination, innovation and passion.
Leo Ciesa shows remarkable range as a player and composer on his album Coat of Arms. His drum roll techniques on "0-100-0 in 68 Seconds", which contrasts the solemnity of a military funeral with the levity and swing of a New Orleans-style homegoing, exemplifies his rhythmic sophistication and cleverness. Ciesa skillfully double- and triple-times the tempo on the sensual, Latin-flavored "Nothing but a Thigh" and the funky "Burnt Solids" dares one not to hit the dance floor. On 'Sweet Butter" he's a drumline unto himself, raising polyrhythmic hell and making the cymbals sigh with satisfaction.
There's more to Ciesa than the hard sell, though. He paints the impressionistic "Emotional Cream Sauce" on a spare canvas, eloquently balancing silence with a subtle bass drum. The way Ciesa uses toms on "Undisputed" and plays with his hands on "Handyman" shows that he doesn't overlook the basics of percussion. Even elemental tunes like "Them Figurative Bagatelles" and "Tom Click" have a deceptive simplicity. Coat of Arms bursts with power and creativity and should place Ciesa prominently in any conversation about great contemporary drummers.
