e r i c g r u b e r . n e t

Press

"Man, you swingin!" -Wynton Marsalis

"...provides a rock solid acoustic pulse and captivating, narrative solos..." -The Shywriter

"...scrupulous timekeeping..." -All About Jazz

"This night he was accompanied by Eric Gruber on acoustic bass in excellent fashion. These guys have been performing together for some time now and it shows in their seamless interchange of solos and fantastic timing over complicated stretches. Gruber's solos were spot-on, inventive, and a beautiful fit with Grant's keyboard magic." -JSO Clubscene, Steve Kullowatz

Otis Stomp, Andrew Oliver Sextet.
"Throughout, each musician's contribution helps create a sum bigger than its individual parts. Gruber and Van Geem are the strong spine for this group (and Van Geem's drums and/or the room are tuned to perfection for this recording – the right amounts of kick-drum ambient boom, snappy snare and crisp cymbals). Tobin and Matheis are truly inventive as soloists, and can cop a mean melody in the arranged sections." -JSO Jazz Scene, May 2008 CD Reviews, Don Campbell

"Long on lucid textures, tight ensemble work and virtuoso improvising, Darwish holds things close at the keys, alternating singing, dissonance-spiked fragments with feisty passagework. He has a way of hunkering down and locking into a tight polyrhythmic figure, then opening up into an expansive flight across the keyboard—he’s a deeply impressive player. And Gruber, sweating buckets, skipped up and down his instrument’s neck in joyful improvisatory abandon." -Willamette Week, Stephen Marc Beaudoin

[FUNKY JAZZ] "In a surfeit of swag and pizza slices, electric guitarist Chris Mosley, saxist Tim Willcox (who together make up one half of the Chris Mosley quartet), bassist Eric Gruber and uncompromising percussionist sweetheart Drew Shoals will jam en masse this evening as the Drew Shoals Collective. These boys can be found at local jazz venues all over town, playing on solo name strength alone. But multiplied by four? Expect a relentless and rhythmically gorgeous blended band sound with good measures of rock and funk influence." -Willamette Week, Sara Moskovitz

"Sometime between September and March, the group — Phillips, pianist Andrew Oliver, bassist Eric Gruber and drummer Mark DiFlorio — will travel to gigs at New York’s Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., after which it will spend six weeks creating the sound of cultural diplomacy in a far-off land yet to be determined."
-The Portland Tribune, Eric Bartels

"Wade in the Water is part exorcism of Katrina demons, part tribute to exuberant blowing, and totally gratifying. The energy level is well supported by young drum dynamo Mark Diflorio, pianist Andrew Oliver (the other two “Katrinites”), and the supple bass work of Eric Gruber."
-Culture Catch, Tali Madden

"The Bluest Eye, composed by Farnell, is gorgeous, and listening to it, my thought was that it should become a standard. Eric sounded like Christian McBride, which is a compliment." -JSO Clubscene, Pam Jones

"This free form makes a big space for Eric to strut in a masterful extended solo. The slippery meter is used to great advantage by Mr. Gruber." -JSO Clubscene, Jim Corcoran

"The band members are Matt Weiers on Fender Rhodes and guitarist Dan Duval, who co-write their music, the soulful Eric Gruber on acoustic bass, and Drew Shoals on drums." -JSO Clubscene, Pam Jones

"Bassist Eric Gruber took the place of Nobu Ozaki, who recently returned to New Orleans. Eric meshed well with the group and one of his solos hushed the audience." -JSO Clubscene, Pam Jones