REVIEWS

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GREG RIBOT’s music has been acclaimed in leading publications.

Here’s the review by Jesse “Chuy” Varela. Latin Beat Magazine Mar. 2004 issue GREG RIBOT Cumbia y Mas (GR)
Greg Ribot is the brother of jazz-rock guitarist Marc Ribot. As much as his brother was drawn to the Cuban sounds of Arsenio Rodríguez, Greg has gone crazy for Colombian cumbia. The gifted reed player isn’t just jumping on a bandwagon though, and on Cumbia y Mas, he displays another side of the African diaspora by fusing these folk beats with jazz. With this sophomore effort, he explores the flavors of Colombia and presents an inspired look with identity intact in the fusion. With Francisco Navarro (guitar), Andy Eulau (bass) and Vince Cherico (drums/percussion), Greg Ribot showcases 17 pieces as he plays tenor and baritone saxes, clarinet, flute and siku (Andean panpipes). The vehicles serve as improvisational forays that stay grounded to the tradition but that wail with nice solos. The celebratory spirit of Cumbia Gorda and Just Jump give the album a bright and sunny opening. Altiplano brings in the siku with its breathy melancholy sounds that conjure the Andes Mountains. It’s a well-sequenced recording with wise choices in instrumentation to give each piece its own distinct sonic voice. Picaresca Pandilla is a tour-de-force closer, featuring Ribot’s brother on guitar and Bill Ware on vibraphone. On Cumbia y Mas, Greg has found the perfect companions to undertake this South American musical excursion. Francisco brings a Latino litany to the group that allows his excellent classical and popular acoustic guitar chops to flourish. Eulau and Cherico are strong, firm players who can stay in the traditional pocket but also drive it with seasoned jazz sensibility. Greg Ribot is onto something well worth hearing, especially for open-minded Latin jazz fans. (JV)

attr:Dennis Prager – Author, Lecturer, Nationally Syndicated Radio Personality



Uniquely beautiful and happy music: After 35 years of listening almost only to classical music, I have embarked on an ear- and mind-opening exploration of other music. This disc has been among the most rewarding. Every piece is tuneful, happy, interesting, and unique. It is hard not to keep listening over and over and over. It is a desert island disc.

attr:Dennis Prager – Author, Lecturer, Nationally Syndicated Radio Personality



Greg Ribot is certainly eclectic. For years he has written music for film and television, as well as composing pieces for various classical ensembles. Moreover, on his debut Latin jazz album The International Conspiracy, New Jersey native Ribot not only produces, but composed and arranged all the music while handling clarinet, tenor and baritone sax, flute, bass flute, siku, and quena instrumental duties. Simply for his audacity and wide-ranging talent, Ribot deserves a hand.

attr:Nicholas Taylor PopMatters


Not only does Ribot play flute, clarinet, tenor, and baritone sax, but he also works out on more exotic South American instruments such as siku and quena. Ribot writes smart…


attr:Carlo Wolff – Jazziz


…very few jazz musicians have ventured into using the cumbia as an improvisational texture. That is until now, with Greg Ribot…like a musical cruise on the Magdalena River in Colombia that cuts across the heart of the country.

attr: Jesse “Chuy” Varela – JazzTimes