“Oliver Lake and his Big Band were a highlight of the Texaco New York Jazz Festival. Lake’s big band was brash, with soloists to match. But it was the fervor of the ensemble playing, never far from enveloping soloists or roaring into rough and ready, swaggering swing, that made this the perfect fun band to end a long night of jazz.” – The Newark Star Ledger, 6/11/98
“Adding further tonal and timbre contrast to the quartet’s sound were Reggie Washington’s funk-oriented electric bass and Pheeroan’s tightly patterned beats and rhythms on trap set.” – George Kanzler
“Boundary-bending alto saxist Oliver Lake delves into caribbean textures with a new band highlighting steel drummer Lyndon Achee” – Geoff Chapman
“Oliver Lake mixes blues and gospel, funk and free; but his free jazz is never meandering. He likes players with a sense of humor and style; his pieces explode with bursts of chaotic energy but don’t lose direction.” – The New York Times, 1/16/98
“Lake is a big thinker with a taste for large ensembles that can show off his meaty compositions and his sure sense of coloring.” – The New Yorker, 1/12/98