New Age Voice, June 2001

  by Dan Liss

This is an album of light jazz that is irresistibly catchy. Loaded with hooks that grab your attention and keep it, Panorhythmica is relentlessly upbeat, easy listening and goodtime music. Consisting of keyboards, guitar, flute, percussion and bass, the two principal musicians, Michael Whipple and Mark Esakoff rip through a variety of tunes with verve and spunk. The sound of joy is evident in their playing and a playful mood feels present in every cut, no matter the tempo or tone. Their playing is crisp and clear, each one leaving room for the other to improvise and cut loose, yet the whole package is tightly arranged. Influences of jazz, Latin, folk and rock are obvious, giving it both the ring of familiarity and yet there is a freshness to the compositions. Easily appreciated as music you can dance to, drive with, lift your spirits at work or after work. Where other musicians have conceived compositions that aspire to mystical dimensions or explore the deep dark recesses of the earth, these guys have notes under song titles like "Monkey in the Middle" (throwing a wrench into the business of evolution), "Symmetrical Soul" (a dreamer awakens with the answer to a question he never asked), "Crossing the Chasm" (a burnt bridge forces a man to discover what lies beneath it), "a.k.a. You" (you always call me you) or "Destiny" (she is every place I am traveling to see). Great fun.