- "...music from the Swing Era that showcases the virtuoso talents of four-mallet vibraphonist Ed Saindon. Saindon has perfected what he calls "a pianistic approach" to the vibes, playing melody lines with his right hand and comping with the left like such keyboard influences as Earl "Fatha" Hines and Art Tatum. He has also managed independence between the four mallets, with inner voicings that you'll have to hear to believe..."
-Les Line (CompuServe Music/Arts Forum)
- "Ed Saindon is a vibraphonist of the 1st rank in a specialized realm who swings with exuberance in all contexts...Swing on the SunnySide clearly deserves to be heard...His pianistic approach heralds a new scintillating voice...A fresh mallet leader."
-Down Beat, Jazz Times critic Herb Wong
- “Ed Saindon, an elegant, pianistic, four mallet vibist…”
Judith Schlesinger, All Music Guide
“Ed Saindon's piano playing is a blend
between Bill
Evans and Richie Bierach.”
Weekend Jazz (Japan)
- “Saindon is a marvelous technician who swings at any tempo.”
Jack Bowers, CD Review
- "It'd be a mistake to pigeonhole vibist Ed Saindon as a regional artist, merely a favorite of discerning jazz buffs in the Greater Boston area. Wielding four mallets with surety throughout this release, the Berklee instructor conjures airy, swinging Tin Pan Alley melodies with the practiced technique and exquisite touch of a world-class musician. ...Saindon has a stylistic affinity for pianists such as Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, and Fats Waller, and, when he challenges Johnson to a sprint in "Limehouse Blues" or invests "Rosetta" with luminous joy, he's constructing a musical bridge to the time when those piano men, along with Benny Goodman and Bobby Hackett, were among the worthies whose swinging jazz parted the clouds and let the sun shine through."
-Frank John Hadley, Jazziz
- "Unlike the majority of jazz musicians his age, Berklee-ensconced vibist and teacher takes as his inspiration the music of the '30s and '40s. But even beyond that, instead of following in the well-trod paths set by his own instrumental forebears - Norvo, Hampton, and Jackson - he bases his style on the models set by the classic pianists of the era."
- "A master of the four-mallet technique, Saindon handles such left-hand accompanying devices as stride and walking-bass, but he also embraces the more rhythmically adventurous leaps of Hines and Tatum...he utilizes most of the facets of his varied approach on such beautifully intoned solo features as Ain't Misbehavin', Rosetta, the harp-like When You Wish Upon A Star, I Found A New Baby and You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me."
-Jack Sohmer, JazzTimes
- "No instrument expresses swing better than vibes and no one today is better at it than Ed Saindon. With Saindon we get an outstanding interpreter who adds his own inventiveness and has developed a personal, individual sound."
-Dick Neeld, Jersey Jazz
- “virtuosic playing…music that swings”
Penguin Guide to Jazz
- "Saindon is a real artist with four mallets, able to control each as an independent voice like a pianist. His choice of material is classic. This one's a treat."
-Jeff Bradley, The Denver Post
- "Ed Saindon appreciates the beauty of and knows how to play lyrical improvisations on the American Songbook. Saindon's
concept on vibes is pianistic. His four mallet work furnishes a left-handed
basis over which the right hand skillfully improvises. Often his vibe solos are
unaccompanied..."
-Joe H. Klee, The Mississippi Rag
- “The presence of vibes player Ed Saindon is a major factor in the successful outcome of the session. Listen to the clean percussive sound he gets from the metal bars…”
Dave Nathan, All About Jazz
- "If you haven't had the opportunity to hear Ed Saindon play the vibraphone, you're in for a treat! "Swing on the Sunnyside", Saindon's latest compact disc, takes the listener through 16 tracks of Swing Era standards...Saindon's compilation is a wonderful tribute to the potential of the vibraphone. Over the years Saindon has developed his "piano style" vibraphone technique, and he really shines on Sunnyside. This style is dedicated in the liner notes to the likes of such pianists as Earl "Fatha" Hines, Fats Waller, Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. Saindon adapts these piano techniques to the vibraphone in a fluid and natural manner. His soloing and comping utilize stride piano and swing traditions in a way that almost makes the listener forget that Saindon is playing a vibraphone, giving the listener a chance to focus on the expressive content of the music. Jazz lovers, musicians, teachers and students will likely keep this one in their CD players rather than in the storage bin!"
-Mark Ford in Percussive Notes
- "Tasteful, graceful small band swing, with Ed Saindon's imaginatively "pianistic" vibes sparking the improvisational fireworks of all the players...Exhilarating!"
-Al Van Starrex (swing critic for Coda and other jazz publications)
- "Saindon has great time and a unique sound on his instrument , full and lushly voiced due to his four-mallet technique, but with a short decay. He describes his style as "pianistic" and cites specific techniques of players like Fatha Hines, Teddy Wilson, and George Shearing as inspiration. This is a delightful session and another case of American artistry being more appreciated overseas: Saindon had to go to Holland to get this self-produced disc released."
-IAJRC Journal
- “Ed Saindon strikes again with another great album.”
Walt Stone, World Jazz Network
- “Ed Saindon puts new life and beauty into some of the best of the great American songs”.
Lawrence Routt, WOBO Radio (Ohio)
- "You're about to discover Ed Saindon's original approach to the vibraphone. He plays the vibraphone orchestrally, rather like a piano! ... Saindon has developed and adapted this self-styled "pianistic approach" within the context of small band swing, taking cues from pianists prominent in the stride and swing traditions."
- Critic Fred Bouchard for DownBeat, Jazz Times and Swing Journal
- "Ed's ability to swing and play so melodically is perfection...He's a beautiful player."
-Steve Backer (A & R Consultant/Producer for BMG, GRP, RCA, Verve, Arista,Savoy)
