"Kaplan plays a piquant, searing alto and a DEEP, rollicking baritone, and his compositions have much of the irreverent swagger and ebullience of Charles Mingus without being at all derivative of his style. While there's joyous skronk and percussive piano a-plenty, the pieces here are accessibly structured and his ensemble puts them across with pointed lyricism and rhythmic whoop. Le Magus is wild, immediate and creative music that few need be a'feared of".

- Mark Keresman: Jazzreview.com

"The alto saxophonist, whose big sound has a pleasing burr under its skin introduces his ensemble which has released the impressive Gongol (KFW)."

- Gary Giddins: Village Voice

"A saxophonist of startling ability with a tone sent from heaven, Ori Kaplan is poised to shed the 'up-and-coming' rite of passage to become one of the preeminent improvisers in modern music. His alto playing is the steam boiled from what sounds like genuine enthusiasm, ripe with beauty and invention."

- Alan Jones: Jazz Steps

"Ori Kaplan stands tall among his peers, as Delirium and Gongol will attest to his somewhat prophetic musical visions. And whether his palate consists of world beat rhythms or steamy soloing, his music is stamped with a deeply personalized and unaffected seal of authenticity." ...more

- Glenn Astarita: All About Jazz

"Ori Kaplan has invented a whole new way to play music... If this sounds too conceptual and weird, believe me when I tell you Gongol is very listenable and often even hummable." ...more

- Greg Burk: LA Weekly

"Kaplan’s music swings hard and fast, seizing on the excitement of untethered improvisation without abandoning the propulsive thrust of jazz-based structures. With Swell in the ranks it’s recipe that yields and even tastier dish." ...more

- Derek Taylor: All About Jazz

"These are well-written tunes, with plenty of room for the players, but the CD never becomes a showcase for any one player; this truly is an ensemble recording. Ori Kaplan is proving himself to be quite the double threat as both a gifted player and great writer. Gongol is a fantastic and imaginative album from this young saxophonist/composer." ...more

- Sean Westergaard: All Music Guide

"The rhythmic nature of this CD is captivating. It is complemented and heightened by the harmonies struck often by the superb alto and trombone duo... But for the most part, what this CD does do is maintain a metaphor that predominates the titles. It is about space and moving in it with careful abandon." ...more

- Lyn Horton: Jazz Review

"Alto saxophonist Ori Kaplan has been leading various groups over the last few years, releasing a couple of excellent if under-appreciated albums. His compositions are often challenging, featuring acrobatic opening vamps before the group opens things up. Kaplan isn't afraid of creating a groove (as the group does on opener "Crisis Dream") or swingin' hard if the mood is right. Here, he's joined by the great Susie Ibarra on drums and percussion, Kaplan's regular drummer Geoff Mann and pianist Andrew Bemkey. The dual drum/percussion attack is a potent rhythmic combo that covers the sound spectrum from kettledrum to little bells. The lightning fast Ibarra flits around with her usual percussive flair, leaving Mann to add some umph. Out front, Bemkey adds flourishes while Kaplan parries with pointed jabs of his own."

- Tad Hendrickson: CMJ New Music Report Issue

"Some jazz fans will remember alto saxophonist Ori Kaplan's 1999 debut, Realms - it was one of the more promising debuts in recent memory. Kaplan creates intelligent avant-bop compositions that are interesting to listen to, and the tunes still have plenty of room left for the players to do their thing. Kaplan sounds particularly inspired here, with fingers running all over his horn to create spiraling melodies, robust honks and a variety of non-traditional squeaks and squeals. To top it off, he doesn't sound like Ornette, which should be the goal of every modern day avant-garde alto saxophonist besides John Zorn. Tastefully balancing between post-bop and more freeform playing, this is another solid chapter from Kaplan, an altoist worthy of wider recognition."

- Tad Hendrickson: CMJ New Music Report Issue

"As Kaplan's horn makes its moves, it conflates the drama of Jimmy Lyons and the friskiness of Ornette Coleman. His Trio has a way of bobbing, weaving, and ruminating with a nervy savoire-faire." ... "As it bobs and weaves with trombonist Steve Swell, you're likely to hear just how jovial it can be as well."

- Jim Macnie, Village Voice

"Kaplan is a rousing soloist, a player with an emotional tone that can turn drastically and quickly into a rough-hewn, intensely personal aside... His trio's music is a careful balance of explosive barn-burners, reflective dirges and see-sawing melodies, that tend to leave plenty of room for some cooking interplay"

- Signal To Noise

"What you'll get from 'Realms' is an abundance of raw energy and a sincere, and successful, attempt at achieving free expression"

- Jerusalem Post

"Kaplan is a young energetic alto player who explodes on "Realms" with a spirited brand of music that has all the ferocitly of a Jimmy Lyons performance. He attacks a song form vigorously, draining every nuance of energy from his alto with swirling, spiraling tones that rise from the horn an circle overhead as birds of prey."

- Cadence Magazine

"Realms is a consistently stimulating disc... the trio favors an intriguing style in which even 4/4 grooves are complex and multi-layered."

- Jazziz

"Without question, young alto saxophonist Ori Kaplan displays talent-to-spare and a thrilling technique on this auspicious debut... this is one of the most exciting premiers of a young saxophonist in years, and with a foot in both the free-style and hard bop jazz worlds, he should be a name to watch."

- Steve Loewy, Checkout.com/music