Praise for Which Way Now (2016)
"Julian Shore shows deep maturity as a composer and bandleader on Which Way Now. [He] delivers a deeply felt program of 10 tracks that quietly and inquisitively explores the process of musical discovery. His search has unearthed a litany of musical gems... elegant intensity and strength." Brian Zimmerman, Downbeat
"Shore wrote incredible music, performed his piano brilliantly and let the band make their own artistic contributions based on their own considerable talents. His name belongs among the leaders of the young Jazz piano scene." Travis Rogers, JazzTimes
"Which Way Now? is simply excellent — a cohesive collection of 10 diverse tracks that show off the many flavours of Shore’s lyrical talents. From [his] distinguished debut, he’s come a long way to release this absolutely top-notch album — one that I’ll be returning to repeatedly for the sheer pleasure of it. " Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen
"The record is resolutely pretty, yet Shore invests a degree of depth and unifying interplay that binds the stories together with a dazzling sense of rhythm and flow. His core band achieves a remarkable coherence... In full this is a luminous album from start to finish. ★★★★ 1/2" Nick Bewsey, ICON Magazine
"Pianist Julian Shore, a rising star with a wide gaze and a firm sense of self, uses each song as an opportunity for invention on the enthralling, multifaceted Which Way Now?... [he makes] each piece a self-contained story that's not beholden to what comes before it. A sense of personalized sophistication and quiet intelligence, stitched into every performance, ultimately connects them all. ★★★★" Dan Bilawksy, All About Jazz
"This ambitious work paints a unique vision with its beautiful compositions and detailed arrangements that highlight Mr. Shore’s exquisite touch on the piano. Another great talent has arrived on the scene." Tokiwa Takehiko, JazzLife [Japanese]
“He's focused, articulate, passionate… Julian Shore has succeeded wildly. He shines on piano and wurlitzer -- showing off an extraordinary mellifluousness” Michael Greenblatt, Classicalite
"With Which Way Now Shore has managed the difficult feat of creating an innovative, contemporary jazz record which at the same time is beautifully pleasant to listen to." Sunniva Brynnel, LIRA Magazine [Sweedish]
"It is a great collision of style and genre, something that will one day soon render such categorical descriptions meaningless. This is a bright jewel of intrigue and improvisation." C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
“Shore’s Which Way Now? shows a talented pianist, but even more a conceptualist of some maturity and depth. The music here (mostly originals) is graphic in its arrangement and unfolding… a panorama for the listener to get lost in and one which, while it keeps its toe in the compositional water, also ventures in newly chartered waters.” Robert Rusch, Cadence Magazine
“His new release Which Way Now? is a series of gorgeous, jaw-dropping moments of jarring beauty… A symbiosis of grand majesty, quiet thoughtfulness and humble beauty… One remarkable, gorgeous recording.” Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
“Shore blows your ears wide open with new sounds and outlooks… [you] will soon find yourself lost in its confines. Check it out.” -Midwest Review
“It has me swaying and smiling each time I listen to it. I love music like this that’s able to transport us from our current space and time. It never feels like a musician is waiting for a turn to solo; everyone works toward the same end, supporting the main vision, while contributing some wonderful playing.” Michael Doherty, Michael’s Music Log
Praise for Filaments (2012)
“Filaments is an assured, organic debut from a pianist/composer who beyond the obvious elegance of his playing has a clear sense of the bigger artistic picture.” - Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen
*Also named Top Jazz Debut of 2012
"Shore riffs and waxes with a sense of space usually reserved for more veteran players... skips, jumps and sprints through the changes" -Brad Farberman, DownBeat
"A record that exudes a life force a hothoused young virtuoso would struggle to find in music school, Filaments has that indefinable imaginative dimension you can't learn buy or force." -Stephen Graham Jazzwise (UK)
“There literally isn’t a bad song on it. It’s a step in an auspicious direction: let’s hope there’s more where this came from.” -Lucid Culture
“A fluid player with a sure touch and modernist appeal... his solos are clean and graceful and he gives his band generous room that encourages sparkling interplay... Shore is definitely one to watch.” - Nick Bewsey, ICON
"Filaments is an unusually mature statement from a young pianist who makes full use of a wide-open musical palette." -All About Jazz
"A melodic, eclectic and mesmerizing musical journey." -Rob Young, Urban Flux Media
“Julian Shore has composed a thoughtful group of pieces... Both [Filaments and Star of Jupiter] are built around new forms of jazz that will not please those dedicated to standards. But it does show how freshness keeps music alive.” Bob Karlovitis, Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"It is beautifully tuneful jazz. And it is original in its own way. A stunner." Grego Applegate Edwards, Gapplegate Music Review
"Everything he presents shows an attention to detail while communicating a lyricism, a calm, singable aura (whether melodies with lyrics or without)... an album that holds you with its high quality work and simplicity" -JAZZ & TZAZ [Greek]
"Adaptable and strong writing... One of those charming albums [which] ends up getting played an awful lot more than some of the big-name releases." - Peter Bacon, thejazzbreakfast.com
"Lots of harmonies flying around like cirrus clouds on this fresh sounding release." George Harris, Jazzweekly.com
“The compositions of Filaments resemble a beautiful sonic mosaic, each tune a special golden thread of a brilliant display of keen lyrical sense and dynamic harmonic interplay among his co-conspirators... An absolutely exquisite recording, one of the best for 2012.” - CriticalJazz
“... he lays out tunes with a gentler hand than many pianists. Fun stuff that soars, meanders and does what it damn well pleases...” -Midwest Record