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Repeatedly cited as “Best Jazz” by Metroland magazine, Brian Patneaude is one of the busiest musicians in New York's Capital District. In addition to leading his own quartet, the saxophonist maintains an active performance schedule with the award winning Empire Jazz Orchestra, the seventeen piece juggernaut Big Soul Ensemble and drummer Michael Benedict's hard-bop quintet Bopitude. He has performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Kingston International Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival Saratoga, the Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival, the Rochester International Jazz Festival and countless clubs and concert halls throughout the Northeast including an eight and a half year weekly residency at Albany's premiere jazz club - Justin's. Over the years he has performed with saxophonists Jimmy Heath, Lee Konitz, David "Fathead Newman", Gary Smulyan, trombonists Curtis Fuller, Slide Hampton & Wycliffe Gordon, trumpeters Randy Brecker, Lew Soloff, Claudio Roditi & Byron Stripling, guitarist Mike Moreno, pianists Bruce Barth, Armen Donelian, Pete Levin, bassists Dave Holland & Rufus Reid, and vocal sensations The Four Freshmen.
Formed in 2002, the Brian Patneaude Quartet currently features pianist Rob Lindquist, bassist Jarod Grieco and drummer Danny Whelchel, Their music is an organic blend of modern jazz styles, featuring accessible melodies and harmonic textures that appeal to the casual listener and jazz aficionado alike. The group’s close-knit musical relationship and seamless interplay is a result of performances at numerous venues throughout the Northeast - including recent performances at the Kingston International Jazz Festival, Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Guilderland Performing Arts Center, WAMC Performing Arts Studio, A Place For Jazz Concert Series, Albany’s “Lark Fest”, Saratoga’s “Final Stretch Street Festival” and an eight and a half year weekly residency at one of the Capital District’s most highly acclaimed jazz venues - Justin’s. The quartet has been repeatedly cited as “Best Jazz Group” by the writers and readers of Metroland magazine and has gained increasing attention, both nationally and abroad. Tracks from the group’s CDs have been played on over 50 radio stations worldwide, including the nationally syndicated “Jazz After Hours” with Jim Wilke and “Listen Here!” hosted by Neil Tesser & Mark Ruffin.
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"Thoughtful, harmonically intriguing tunes executed by a fine quartet ... Flaunting a burly tone and a depth of feeling in his lines, Patneaude reflects the influence of Michael Brecker in both his playing and composing."
Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes Magazine
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"‘Riverview’ is a truly fine collection of original compositions and tunes by Don Grolnick and Billy Strayhorn that have been given a modern shine."
CD Baby "Editor's Pick"
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"A chilled contemporary mainstream bop sound."
Jazzwise, UK
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 Metroland's Best of the Capital Region 2011
"Best Jazz Artist"
Brian Patneaude has a mantle full of these awards, but that doesn’t make the saxophonist any less deserving of this honor for yet another year.
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Metroland 2011 Readers' Picks - "Best Local Jazz Band"
Best Local Jazz Band
1. Brian Patneaude
2. (TIE) Keith Pray, Tequila Mockinbirds, Michael Newman Trio
Brian Patneaude, aka the hardest working jazzman in the Capital Region, doubled the votes of our three-way tie for second place. And most of the voters cared enough to spell his name right.
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 Metroland Best of the Capital Region 2010
"Best Jazz Artist"
"There might not be such thing as an “Albany sound,” but the name Brian Patneaude is virtually synonymous with Albany jazz."
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Metroland 2010 Readers' Picks - "Best Local Jazz Band"
Best Local Jazz Band
1. Brian Patneaude
2. Keith Prey
3. (tie) Adrian Cohen, George Muscatello
America’s classical music performed by classy American guys. Seriously, we’ve seen Adrian in a suit. Rrrrowr!
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"The quartet seemingly plays all the right notes during this irrefutably compelling album that should find itself on a legion of 2009 top-ten lists. (Don't miss out...)"
Glenn Astarita, JazzReview.com
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"Honest, direct, and highly enjoyable music from a fine tenorist/composer and his cohorts in art."
Nicholas F. Mondello, AllAboutJazz.com
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 Metroland Best of the Capital Region 2009
"Best Jazz Combo"
"Hardly a stranger around these parts, sax-man Patneaude reminded us this year why he’s a perennial contender in this category with the release of his excellent Riverview. His Sunday-evening sessions at Justin’s are always a solid jam, and he always stocks his combo with seasoned pros." |
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Metroland 2009 Readers' Poll - "Best Local Jazz Band"
Best Local Jazz Band
1. Brian Patneaude
2. Adrian Cohen
3. Keith Pray
It’s (already) been a big year for Brian Patneaude, so he’s earned his landslide victory in this catergory. The guy’s a mainstay . . . but then so are Cohen and Pray. Good thing jazz music’s nothing like wild-west gunfighting. This town’s big enough for the three of them.
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"The vibe tends toward the pensive, dark, and subdued with a priority of mood and groove over harmonic gymnastics or chops flexing. Inspired improvising brightens the landscape adding new colors to the composed material and shaping a balance between potential and kinetic energies."
John Dworkin, AllAboutJazz.com
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"Patneaude always brings a questing and highly organized intelligence to his projects, but there’s something special, a real advance, in the melodic flow and force of this music. The saxophonist, composer, arranger and bandleader has hit a new plateau of inspiration and performance in this eight-song album: six originals plus Billy Strayhorn’s “Chelsea Bridge” and Don Grolnick’s “The Cost of Living.” He takes more risks than on previous efforts, confident in the expert support of his bandmates, and the risks pay off every time."
Michael Hochanadel, The Daily Gazette
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"Music need not be overly cerebral, deep, or out there, to evoke meaningful contemplation. Sometimes a strong melody, solid musicianship, and intelligent composition are all that is needed, and Riverview proves that point."
Mark F. Turner, AllAboutJazz.com
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"With any justice, Riverview will reward Patneaude's initiative, pushing his horn and his hometown band up to the next level."
Michael Eck, Times Union
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"The poll-winning young saxophonist has become one of the most prominent jazz voices in New York's Capital Region. This performance gave proof, if proof were needed, that youthful, vibrant jazz still exists outside of New York City."
Alexander Stern, AllAboutJazz.com
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Brian Patneaude - D.I.Y. The Jazz Way
Interview by J Hunter, State of Mind
"It's not hard to find Brian Patneaude in the Albany, N.Y., music scene, because he seems to be literally everywhere ..." click here for the full interview
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"... some true communication and interplay within the solo sections among all the players. There are moments of ecstatic energy and joy that balance with some gorgeous sadness and space."
Heartstack.org
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" ... a very good modern jazz album, the unique textures of the guitar and organ led to excellent opportunities for potent saxophone soloing and full band improvisation. Any fan of mainstream jazz would enjoy this fine disc."
Tim Niland, Music and More
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Metroland 2008 Readers' Poll - "Best Local Jazz Band"
1. Brian Patneaude Quartet
2. Adrian Cohen Trio
3. George Muscatello
These three names look awfully familiar. Probably because, between the three, they play out about 15 nights a week.
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“A group that we can include without second thought in the list of the new generation's most remarkable bands.”
Vangelis Aragiannis, Jazz & Tzaz, Greece
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"... the interplay throughout is relaxed and intimate, but never at a loss for inventiveness and surprise. This is a magical disc that yields a little bit more musical treasure upon each return."
Mike Hotter, Metroland
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"Patneaude and crew explore a post-Michael Brecker world of accessible, melodically astute and harmonically textured music"
Jazzwise, UK
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" ... a wonderful album filled with memorable tunes that stick in the mind, played with a joy that is infectious. Patneaude and the band are masters of telling a story."
Budd Kopman, AllAboutJazz.com
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" ... his quartet brings to mind the best work of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and others from the era."
Chronogram Magazine
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"... high-caliber jazz performed with gusto, determination and a persuasive vibe."
Glenn Astirita, eJazzNews
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" ... the passion and maturity in Patneaude’s writing and playing is all his own, and this disc is his best recording to date."
AllAboutJazz.com
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"This is smart music that doesn't brag about its IQ, or its hipness quotient. It's music that embraces melody and adventure in equal parts without a trace of irony. It's music that's fearlessly spiritual without ever preaching. It's music with heart."
Greg Haymes, Times Union, Albany, NY
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 LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD, AND STAYS LOCAL
Capital Region jazz luminary Brian Patneaude chooses to remain where he’s comfortable—and very successful
By B.A. Nilsson, Metroland
No musician truly can be de scribed as shy, not when the job requires regular performances in front of an audience, especially not when those performances require jazz improvisation. When Brian Patneaude hoists his Selmer Mark VI and starts to blow, a hard-driving, melodically gifted personality shines through. When he stops to chat, the tempo changes. He speaks softly. He considers his words. He gives the impression that he’d be happier back on stage ...
Click here for the full article.
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"As We Know It is another collection of well-written, well-performed originals ... Patneaude's lines and fills here have the clarity and conciseness that were hallmarks of Michael Brecker; however, the beauty and maturity Patneaude brings to As We Know It is all his own. Like the Albany jazz scene, the Brian Patneaude Quartet keeps moving towards the future."
J Hunter, albanyjazz.com
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"This band is a very adept working unit, performing memorable original compositions and comfortable at any tempo that they choose to perform, making this a consistently good album of modern jazz."
Tim Niland, Jazz & Blues Music Reviews
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Metroland 2007 Readers' Poll - "Best Local Jazz Band"
1. Brian Patneaude Quartet
2. Adrian Cohen Trio
3. George Muscatello
Patneaude edges out Cohen again, with Muscatello bringing up the rear. Let us remind you that all of these guys are still awfully young, so if you haven’t caught them yet, you should have plenty of time.
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 LIVE IN THE CLUBS
Saxophonist Brian Patneaude boosts Capital Region jazz scene, Busy performer in many bands, runs Web site
BY PHILIP SCHWARTZ Gazette Reporter
He can’t help it. These tangents just seem to come up. During a recent interview, sax player Brian Patneaude, when he’s supposed to be talking about himself, oftentimes diverts attention to other jazz players in his circle to promote their gigs instead of his.
In recent years, the 31-year-old Patneaude has become one of the new voices championing the Capital Region jazz scene, partly through the albanyjazz.com Web site he runs and partly by being a ubiquitous figure in clubs from Schenectady to Saratoga to Albany, playing in a host of bands, including his own Brian Patneaude Quartet.
Click here for the full article.
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"Patneaude's solos are like good hot chocolate with a shot of Jim Beam: It's rich, thick and luscious, and it'll get your attention every time. Combine that with the individual skills of his bandmates, and the stunning chemistry they share, and this group can hang with any national act." Click here for the full review of the Guilderland Performing Arts Center performance.
J Hunter, albanyjazz.com
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"Patneaude’s group performed his original songs, like “Release” and the title cut from his album Distance which is getting notice well beyond Albany. Patneaude has a good tone and a penchant for strong melodic and harmonic improvisation. He also writes good tunes and is still writing them beyond the realm of his latest recording. His exploration of the “Release” melody was what jazz is supposed to be. Guitarist George Muscatello had some sweet swinging moments too, particularly on “Unending,” on which the band seemed in best form. A solid set." Click here for the full review of the 2005 Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival.
R.J. DeLuke, AllAboutJazz.com
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Metroland 2006 Readers' Poll - "Best Local Jazz Band"
1. Brian Patneaude
2. Adrian Cohen Trio
3. Skip Parsons Dixieland Jazz Band
The Capital District jazz scene would implode without these cats. They’re all winners in our minds.
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“ … lyrical, melodic, musical, & tasteful. Every note has its meaning. Distance makes a statement - a beautiful one.”
Jeff Waggoner, contributing writer, Jazz Times
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"Distance continues on in the pattern established by Patneaude’s debut, seamlessly incorporating world rhythms and textures, tasteful shadings of free-jazz inspired oddity, and smoky slow groove, all of which are threaded together by Patneaude’s unfailingly lyrical and melodic tenor."
Metroland
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"Distance is a solid winner from start to finish." (Best Local CDs of 2005)
Greg Haymes, Times Union
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"The group is extremely tight and its music is like nothing else. Sounding at various turns exuberant, soaring, grooving, or longing, it leaves you in suspense from one track to the next about what is going to happen. Even within a track, the music is never predictable, and many times the band's total sound can sweep you away."
Budd Kopman, AllAboutJazz.com
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"Distance has muscular, straight-ahead blowing, some lyrical ballads and some change of pace surprises."
Michael Hochanadel, The Daily Gazette
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"... deceptively accessible, flavored with rhythm and melody that’s fun and funky and sure to lift your spirits. Distance stays with you." Click here for the full review.
B.A. Nilsson, Metroland
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"I really have been enjoying your CD ... It's one of the best I've heard all year"
Christopher Cooke, KIOS 91.5 FM, Omaha, NE
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"The tune "Unending" might be one of the best original tunes I have heard all year."
Eric Cohen, WAER 88.3 FM, Syracuse, NY
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"Distance was named one of the "Best Jazz Albums of 2005" on the bimonthly publication APOPSY, Syros, Greece and the daily publication IPIROTIKOS AGON, Ioannin."
Vangelis Aragiannis, Apopsy, Greece
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"Distance is a highly recommendable instrumental jazz album ..." Click here to read the full review or here for an interview.
Dirk Binsau, jazz-not-jazz, Germany
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"[Distance is] an outstanding CD, absolutely no question, one of the 5 best I've heard this year."
Albert Khalis Pride, Jazz Exodus (5/5 stars)
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"Distance ... teaches listeners a thing or two about pace ... The disc is filled with winding build-ups and fresh timing."
Mark Bialczak, Syracuse Post Standard
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"The musicians are in total control of their instruments on brilliantly composed, eclectic music - a blend which gives the listener further reason to celebrate the music of Distance. Patneaude, as a composer and tenor player, glistens with great potential and the group's strong presence compliments his efforts 100%."
Rob Young, Abstract Grooves
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"In almost no time at all, 31-year-old saxophonist Brian Patneaude has become the first-call king of Albany, NY’s buzzing jazz scene. Variations, his quartet’s excellent 2003 debut, instantly established him as one of the mainstream’s hottest new tenors."
Peter Aaron, AllAboutJazz.com
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 METROLAND'S BEST OF THE CAPITAL REGION 2004:
"Best Jazz Artist"
The term most often associated with Brian Patneaude is “ubiquity,” and for good reason; we’re under the impression that Patneaude has the ability to be in three places at once. While this may not be the case, the sax slinger has earned his stripes as most active player in our fair city. Whether it’s his Tuesday night jazz jam at the Larkin (with the Adrian Cohen quartet), his regular Sunday gig with his own quartet at Justin’s or his new Thursday night saxophone-and-DJ combo at the Lark Tavern (Nouveau Chill), he’s almost always playing somewhere. Oh, yeah, and the cat can blow, too. Real good.
Metroland, Albany, NY
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METROLAND'S LOCAL MUSIC GUIDE 2003
"8 Days A Week - A night-by-night frolic through some of the region's unique club scenes" - by John Rodat
Each Sunday, a manageable but attentive crowd - many of them regulars - gather in the dining area of Justin's, the Savoy Room, with favorite microbrew or vino close at hand and soak in the versatile work of Metroland's best jazz act of 2003. Tenor-sax ace Brian Patneaude, guitarist George Muscatello, stand-up bassist Ryan Lukas and drummer Danny Whelchel swing from the post-bop urgency of John Coltrane and Joe Lovano, skirt the edges of the avant-world combo of Pat Martino, and head out into modern-classical realms of Leo Brouwer ... Click here for more.
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 METROLAND'S BEST OF THE CAPITAL REGION 2003:
"Best Jazz"
The man is all but ubiquitous, sighting and appreciated in recent months with his own jazz quartet and jazz fusion quintet, with Adrian Cohen's jazz quartet, with the Patneaude/Cohen Quartet, with the Empire Jazz Orchestra and with Alex Torres' Reyes Latinos. While we might tire of a lesser artist under such frequent public encounters, sax man Brian Patneaude always leaves us hankering and hungry for more.
Metroland, Albany, NY
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" ... a super-hip sound ... perfectly balances inventive improvisation with slippery-smooth melodies for a sound as refreshing as it is classic."
Seven Days, Burlington, VT
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"A highly accomplished debut recording that truly is the sum of some excellent parts" Click here for the full review of Variations.
The All Music Guide (4/5 stars)
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"We'll be hearing a great deal from this group in years to come."
AllAboutJazz.com
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JazzTimes Critics' Picks 2003
Jeff Waggoner - Top 10 CDs:
1. Dave Holland Quintet Extended Play (ECM)
2. Terence Blanchard Bounce (Blue Note)
3. Art Ensemble of Chicago For Lester (ECM)
4. Greg Osby St. Louis Shoes (Blue Note)
5. Marc Copland/Greg Osby Round & Round (Nagel-Heyer)
6. Dave Douglas Freak In (RCA/Bluebird)
7. Charles Davis Blue Gardenia (Reade Street Records)
8. Teddy Edwards Smooth Sailing (HighNote)
9. The Bad Plus These Are The Vistas (Columbia)
10. Brian Patneaude Quartet Variations (WEPA Records)
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"Variations is a fabulous recording ... amazingly fresh in both concept and execution ... a major find as far as a terrific recording coming as a total & pleasant surprise, indeed ..."
Mike Schwartz KSJS 90.5 FM, San Jose, CA
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"... the tightness of the quartet establishes a distinctive style that constantly catches the listener off guard with it's unpredictability ... you'll be hearing more of Patneaude's quartet in the future."
Cadence Magazine
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"... a wonderful, tightly supportive combination of a wide variety of elements ... performed at the highest level of musicianship"
"A Place For Jazz", Schenectady, NY
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"... fresh melodic modern jazz played with passion. I expect these guys to be of a higher profile very soon."
Phil Grenadier - trumpeter & Fresh Sound New Talent recording artist
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"... the busiest musician in town."
Greg Haymes, Times Union
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"Ubiquitous saxman Brian Patneaude is one of the young lions making the downtown Albany jazz scene so much serious fun these days ...
albany2go.com
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"Most jazz musicians seem to be constantly complaining about the lack of venues for their venues, but not the Brian Patneaude Quartet. Saxman Patneaude keeps the combo hopping on a regular basis, and this weekend finds them spanning the region as they gear up for the release of their debut CD, "Variations" on WEPA Records. You can check them on Friday @ Wallabee's in Glens Falls, One Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs on Saturday and Justin's in Albany on Sunday."
"Preview" - Times Union Newspaper, Albany, NY
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"Schenectady-bred saxman Brian Patneaude is a former metalhead who was schooled in jazz at the College of Saint Rose and Cincinnati College. He changed course from the big beat when he was exposed to the silky sounds of David Sanborn and Michael Brecker and has since pursued a similar bent, chasing down melodies with a supple tone. In addition to regular gigs -- including a Sunday night stand at Justin's -- Patneaude also honks for the Refrigerators and Alex Torres. And he's played with everyone from The Lustre Kings and Supa Kumba to Ernie Williams and Brass-O-Mania."
Michael Eck - albany2go.com
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"A Conversation with Brian Patneaude" - By Alexander M. Stern
New York's Capital District - the collective sobriquet for Albany, Schenectady, and Troy as well as Saratoga and a few outlying areas - has produced two major names in jazz: baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola and vibraphonist Stefon Harris. Indeed, right up until his recent death, Brignola was Upstate New York's greatest contribution to modern jazz. With Brignola's passing, Harris's move downstate, tenor saxophonist Brian Patneaude seems primed to fill the void ... click here to read interview
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"Have Sax, Will Travel" - By Peter Hanson
Rensselaer horn player Brian Patneaude makes his mark with steady gigs in five bands, including his own jazz quintet ... click here for more
from Metroland - Thursday, March 14th, 2002
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