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| “The music on Of Monsters and Birds is, again and again reminiscent of Jazz due to heavily and intelligently deployed brass, it unfurls modern carnivalesque qualities, it’s danceable and satisfies the demand for contemporary entertainment, and always holds some surprises up its sleeve.” |
| “Of Monsters and Birds is a challenging Indie album with the know how of Jazz and elements of Minimal and modern concert hall music.” |
| “Together they are creating the prototype of an unorthodox genre: the Indie-Big band sound.” |
| Jazzthetik Coverstory, July/August 2016, Jan Kobrzinowski |
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| “Unexpected rhythm changes and minimalist sound layering coin a completely new type of music that continually subverts usual listening habits while staying thrilling and infectious throughout. Complexity and compositoric consistency join together with sanguinity and esprit.” |
| “Many things can happen to you during a Monika Roscher Bigband concert, save one: being bored. “As good as it gets,” many Jazzfans reported upon leaving the theatre.” |
| Schwarzwälder Bote, 25. Juli 2016, Wolfgang Brandner |
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| “The classic big band sound gets stirred up and is significantly expanded with influences from Rock, Pop, electronic and Latin American music.” |
| “Monika Roschers band is impeccable. Listening to them evokes the images of a fictional cinematic score.” |
| Jazz’N’More (CH), July/August 2016, Reiner Kobe |
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| “This is precisely calculated madness.” |
| “She’s skillfully moving between Jazz, Indie Rock and electronic music, has no fear of crossing over boundaries and draws from the repository of would-be opposites.” |
| “There’s a competent and original songwriter at work here who is thinking bigger sonically. “ |
| Concerto (AT), June/July 2016, Martin Schuster |
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| “Extraordinarily dynamic, rhythmically refined and in parts highly poetic, Of Monsters and Birds is raising the bar for every big band, worldwide.” |
| “… crushing waves of psychedelic sounds, catapulting Pink Floyd into the 21st century, cheerful Singer-songwriter Pop, smart brass voicings, exquisite solos all around and formidable Big band arrangements, culminating in inimitable jazzy Prog rock experiences.” |
| hifi&records, June 2016, Sven Thielmann |
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| “… the boundaries between electronic music, singer songwriter and Jazz are beginning to melt.” |
| “… the serendipity of Jazz and song oriented improvisation are up front and equals on stage.” |
| Westzeit, June 2016, Karsten Zimalla |
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| “Probably the most intriguing music conductor in the up-and-coming Jazz arena.” |
| “Put on Of Monsters and Birds and you can experience cinema for the ears. The ensemble acts like a chameleon, continuously changing its tinge.” |
| “A surprise coup” |
| SWR2, 20. May 2016, Georg Waßmuth |
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| “The sophomore album is said to be the most difficult. Apply this to Monika Roscher and all you can say is: hats off.” |
| Silberhorn, May 2016 |
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| “On their second album Monika Roscher and her musicians succeed in uniting piano solos, exhilarating brass parts and stupefying melodic arcs into Big band arrangements, without succumbing to frumpy Swing or Hardbop.” |
| “A surprisingly mature effort.” |
| BR5, 25. April 2016, Markus Mayer |
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| “An album like a jazzy road movie: restless, searching, a vivid cycle of melodies, steep falls and soaring flights, popcorn and red wine. Meet monsters and birds in its twilight zones, dreadful terror and the divine spark. Pop suspense a la Hitchcock.” |
| “The soundtrack for a yet unfilmed grandiose movie.” |
| Deutschlandfunk, 20. April 2016, Andi Hörmann |
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| “After the surprise success of Failure in Wonderland you could rightly ask: will this singing newcomer, tagged as a “Rising Star” by Downbeat, accomplish another record with her Big band? Now we know: she did it – and surpassed its debut in many respects.” |
| Jazzthing, April/May 2016, Artur Freimann |
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| “Of Monsters and Birds ist not Jazz in its classical sense but in its natural sense: freedom as the founding principle, presented by a young Big band with a charming Avantpop appeal.” |
| DRadio Kultur, 11. April 2016, Manuela Krause |
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| “… a day for the annals of music history. At least if I could write them.” |
| “Most importantly, despite all its technical prowess and theoretical finesse, the Monika Roscher Bigband never succumbs to sophistry. Emotion is on display here, not mathematics.” |
| “Deeply honest, deeply humane.” |
| laut.de, 15. April 2016, Manuel Berger |
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