Tony Malaby is regarded by many of his peers as a unique force in Jazz today. Here, together with master drummer Paul Motian and superb bassist Drew Gress, he delivers a formidable statement in the nine tracks of Adobe. “There is not a dishonest note anywhere on these nine selections,…you can really hear the music be created before your ears. If, as someone said, ‘Jazz is the sound of surprise’, then this is truly great jazz by any definition” –Fred Hersch

Tony Malaby, the tenor saxophonist, has been busy since he landed in New York nearly a decade ago: he's a schooled, poetic player who becomes involved with the density and shape of his notes, and he's worth hearing for a lesson on where the lines are best drawn between abstraction and form.
The New York Times

Despite sounding like a contradiction, structured free improvising is where it's at these days; Mr. Malaby, in his mid-30's, grew up with it in his bones; he's a soulful, Joe Lovano-Dewey Redman kind of saxophonist with a knowledge of harmony and a will to experiment with notes as pure sound.
The New York Times

While the bluntness of the rare sax-bass-drum unit inspired innovators like Ornette Coleman or Henry Threadgill to their best work, the format often caused listeners to squirm through extended bass or drum solos, even if they were patient with a single melodic voice. Saxophonist Tony Malaby leaps over these hurdles on his trio's new release, "Adobe," by simply leaving no slack.
Michael Pronko / The Japan Times