In Fall 2005, Tom Varner moved to Seattle with his wife Terri and kids Jack and Hope. Read about the move — and a lot more — on the Earshot Jazz website or click here to download an Acrobat PDF copy of the article about Tom in the January Earshot Jazz newsletter [5 pages] or a copy of the entire January newsletter [24 pages].
What the critics say...
"If
a young Duke Ellington were writing 'Harlem Airshaft' today, it might
sound something like this disjunctive, spirited and humorous 15-part
mental soundtrack of urban living by the brilliant French horn player,
composer and arranger Tom Varner. What a complex, delicious suite!"
—Down Beat- "The French horn in contemporary jazz is Tom Varner." —Berendt/Huesmann, The Jazz Book
- "Varner is the most convincing jazz French horn player I've ever heard." —CD Review
- "Varner's smooth lines not only close the gap that Julius Watkins left behind; they establish, finally, the French horn as a solo instrument for contemporary jazz." —Jazz Podium
- "Tom Varner turned in the most inspiring set. Breaking up bebop phrases with long melody notes, Varner is now at the point where his lines, complicated but logical, hurtle to their destiny." —Peter Watrous, The New York Times