Jon Regen: Press

Despite the star potential lending a helping hand, it is still the magnificent verses and glorious choruses which put their stamp on this record – as well as Regen’s voice, which unobtrusively claims center stage shining like silken sandpaper. In a way, therefore, Let it Go is another manifestation of the mystery and magic of music: You can tour the planet, sell thousands of records and grace the covers of glossy magazines, but no marketing budget in the world could make songs about the torture of wanting, the cruelty of love and the solitude of a room after she’s left sound this credible.

Right from the opening chords rippling from the keys of his piano on the title track, "Let It Go", which opens the disc, you know you're about to experience something quite a bit different from what you'd expect from a piano playing pop singer. This is a well crafted and finely executed album of songs blending elements of pop and jazz music. The real pity is that if more people heard music like this they wouldn't settle for what currently rides the top of the charts.

One must be careful when attempting to fuse jazz and pop music, if only because the process all too frequently results in a product that emphasizes the worst possible characteristics of jazz and pop. Fortunately, we have the superb pianist/composer Jon Regen,whose latest CD LET IT GO hits the high points of both genres and creates something smart, completely listenable, and basically delicious. Helping out on the album were Andy Summers and Martha Wainwright, who are just as good as you'd expect on a project such as this.

Radio-friendly pop tunes, featuring rich lyrics, cool and honest vocals, and grooving piano and organ playing...Like (Bruce) Hornsby, Regen has facility, hipness, and the confidence to pull it off.

I’ve been converted. I’m a Jon Regen fan. A mesmerizing artist with the charisma and voice to captivate even an audience of hungry jazz fans.

It’s Regen’s own writing and crooning that carry the day here: “Better Days,” “Disappear” and the title tune make the most impact with no “name” assistance whatsoever. Regen’s proven himself a master of jazz and pop...

Regen comes out swinging with the album's title track and continues to impress with songs that include "Close to Me" and "Finding My Way Back to Me."

Let It Go is a wonderful album - it's full of depth, emotion and feeling from the beginning to the end. I've found it to be a very relatable album, with songs such as Photographs of You and I Come Undone.

Perfectly poised contemporary pop, much in the vein of icons like Billy Joel and Randy Newman...Let It Go is another significant milestone in Regen’s burgeoning career, and represents a consolidation of his composing aptitude and an inspired indicator of his progressive pianistic skills. It’s also solid proof that contemporary pop can be witty and emotional, without once slipping into awkward mawkishness.

Regen skillfully proves that he’s a force to be reckoned with. Sentimental ballads such as “Better Days” and “Photographs of You” are certain to pop on a soundtrack or a TV show in the near future and lead single “Let it Go,” certainly has a rollicking movement to it that would make Michael McDonald smile.

Kicking off with Billy Joel-style piano rock title track, the album morphs as it progresses. Funky uptempo numbers ("Close To Me") give way to Elvis Costello-worthy ballads ("Better Days"). Over repeated listenings the album begins to yield more and more of its secrets to you. Strings here, guitar flair there originally go unnoticed. But it's these layers of sound that give the music a nocturnal appeal.

Sometimes an album just hits the mark. Let it Go is one of those records. There is something to it that just feels like home. Jon Regen has taken on the singer/songwriter genre from a point of view not often seen. The New Jersey native has a Jazz pedigree but the heart of a pop songwriter with the ability to make words and music move your heart through the arc of a relationship’s highs and lows.

A little Dave Matthews vocal warble and a lot of the serious side of Ben Folds saturates the record... His style–and musical complexity–was influenced by his time with jazz players Jimmy Scott and Kenny Barron, and the pristine sound of the piano on the record can be attributed to Steinway giving him the keys to its storied warehouse, letting him record with whatever grand he pleased. No question, Let it Go isn’t kids’ stuff, it’s for grownups. If you dig nuanced and introspective music–and you also appreciate excellent piano work, check out Jon Regen. He’s your guy.

Let It Go has high folkpop credibility, with production work from the same guys who work with Teddy Thompson and Ryan Adams, and support from Martha Wainwright on vocals and the distinctive guitarwork of Andy Summers of The Police, but Regen's original songwriting and stellar performance are the real find here.

His piano fills, alternately funky and frantic, held the interest as an air of Seventies blue-eyed soul, Carole King-style, began to descend.

Jon Regen is one hell of a great pianist. And what do you know? His writing chops are just as hot. A protege of Kenny Barron, Jon has been bringing us story after story that oozes inspiration and is full of the New York scene in which he lives and works. And the New York Times writes about him. Can you beat that? Search for it at www.nytimes.com, it's a great read!

Pianist and singer Jon Regen is a brilliant storyteller... He has already developed his completely own handwriting as a composer.

Jon Regen is one of the best young jazz pianists in the world.

Michael Hill gives a double concert with Jon Regen, the miracle child from New York, who one can quite compare with Billy Joel.

Regen's voice might carry him a long, long way.

Although the British press has described Mr. (Jamie) Cullum as "Sinatra in sneakers," he is a long way from having a Sinatra or Nat Cole-level vocal instrument. Likewise, he has less technique as a pianist than, say, Jimmy Scott's prodigious accompanist, Jon Regen...

Regen made a name for himself with the great Jimmy Scott. A fine pianist (and protege of Kenny Barron) he's moved into pop crossover material with his new album, influenced by the likes of Randy Newman and Billy Joel.

Regen takes cues from forebears like Randy Newman...both in the sardonic bent of songs like the wry "Only My Credit Card Remembers Where I've Been" and the laconically elegant tenor of "Hold Out Your Heart..." He got a lot of mileage out of clever phrasing, blurring the lines of measures on the "What Am I Supposed to Do From Here," a vaguely Norah Jones-styled amble that proved to be the most overtly jazzy tune of the evening.

After a promising start as a jazz pianist, Jon Regen switched gears to try a slightly different approach. On this studio date he sticks to original material that fits in the singer/songwriter camp. Like Bruce Hornsby, another singing pianist with jazz roots, Regen is a good storyteller, though he reins in his skills as an improviser a bit more. Highlights include the introspective rocker "What Am I Supposed to Do From Here," the ballad "Little One," along with the road weary "Only My Credit Card Remembers Where I've Been," to which any traveling musician will relate. While jazz fans may be surprised with Regen's switch of his musical focus, this CD is well worth hearing. **** FOUR STARS

Jazz pianist/singer Jon Regen takes a left turn into pop with his latest disk 'Almost Home.' Staying within the confines of a piano trio is a wise move; it not only provides a link to his previous work, but keeps the melodies from riding the triple-A line too closely. It also keeps him from sounding too much like other piano pop icons; without the full-on production of a Bruce Hornsby, Elton John or Billy Joel, Regen sounds more like himself than anyone else. Songs like "Better Than Before," "What Am I Supposed to Do From Here"and the bemused "Only My Credit Card Remembers Where I've Been" won't rewrite the rules of pop, but they're solid tunes with instantly appealing melodies and soulful vocals. Best of all, none of this record feels like slumming; Regen is no jazz snob dabbling in pop for the money. If Regen can sustain as fertile a career in pop as he has in jazz, he'll be set.