“These are musicians in their prime, no rookies, no one ready for the old folks home, and as I Google them, they are music teachers or otherwise deeply qualified. Colin Hancock’s liner notes give a line or two about each, but focus on a track by track analysis of the material. All I need to know is these cats can play. […] Natural high quality presentations of classic titles of the ’20s and ’30s without caricature. The reverence is real, the musicianship is central, but so is the enjoyment audiences are after.” – Joe Bebco, Syncopated Times
“Completely, consistently satisfying hot jazz, with deep understanding and no gimmicks.”- Michael Steinman, Jazz Lives
“The Bridgetown Sextet has been based in Portland, Oregon for the past 15 years but actually sounds like a top-notch territory band from the late 1920s, perhaps one from St. Louis. The repertoire on Functionizin’ is filled with superior obscurities.” – Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Reviews
“What sets The Bridgetown Sextet apart as arguably the most talented vintage hot jazz and swing ensemble in the Pacific Northwest is their ability to not only harness, but intensify the unbridled energy of their musical antecedents.” – Jon Taylor, SwingPortland.com
“[The Bridgetown Sextet] swan dives into the authentic sound of the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s with a mix of New Orleans jazz, Prohibition-era Chicago, Harlem Stride piano and big-city swing. Led by young Portland jazz lions Andrew Oliver and Scott Kennedy, this band will curl your toes.” ~The Oregonian
“Scott Kennedy and Andrew Oliver are almost punk-rock in their attitude about Traditional Jazz and bringing back it’s visceral nature.” ~Matt Fleeger, Director, KMHD Jazz Radio
“Retro-gazing is always a dicey proposition, running the risk of being precious, irrelevant, or, usually, both. But the Bridgetown Sextet pulls off their time-travel whimsy by emphasizing musical chops rather than mutton chops. Their new album, The New Old Fashioned, ably captures this combustible energy.” ~The Portland Mercury
“America may have outlawed the sale of booze in the 1920s and early ’30s, but that only made the music swing, sway, jump and jive that much harder than when imbibing beer was legal. If you want to get a feel for what the Land of the Free sounded like when Jelly rolled and Armstrong growled, . . . check out The Bridgetown Sextet.” ~The Portland Tribune
“Favorites of Portland’s swing dancing scene, this is a band that knows how to get the feet flying, thanks to the pumping piano and dapper drums of co-founders Andrew Oliver and local Harlem stride specialist Scott Kennedy. ~Willamette Week
Bridgetown Sextet 