The Grammy-winning Reedman Stuns Critics with A Reimagined Tribute
Eddie Daniels’ To Milton With Love review roundup showcases the insights and observations of the world’s top reviewers.
Introduction: Eddie Daniels’ To Milton With Love Review Roundup
The Spring of 2025 will always be remembered as a busy time for Resonance Records owner George Klabin. Production meetings for the broadcast debut of his weekly radio show Heart of Brasil were filled with details. But the upcoming release of To Milton With Love was a frequent talker, too.
For Brazilian Jazz fans worldwide, Milton Nascimento’s Courage album of 1969 is at the pinnacle of legendary, must-have Brazilian Jazz recordings. It truely has withstood the passage of time.
As has Klabin’s genuine affection for that album.
Truth be told, this Eddie Daniels’ project proves a fact that fans like us know all too well. Affection can become infatuation. Or Passion. That’s the case with both the Producer and the reedman here.
George Klabin guided this album beacause of his love for Milton’s original recording. He enviosned the musicians and he re-imagined the musical result.
Get to know George Klabin. Read his Producer’s Review of To Milton With Love. Then, explore the comments and critiques of these respected music reviewers, below.
Read Quotes From Eddie Daniels’ To Milton With Love Review Roundup
Jeff Know | Audiophile Audition
“Kudos to George Klabin for wanting to revisit, in a new light, his ‘absolute favorite’ recording.“
CEO and co-president, George Klabin of Resonance Records, has produced a sublime and deeply moving CD from multi-instrumentalist Eddie Daniels. Reinterpreting Milton Nascimento’s 1969, classic CTI album, Courage.
Nascimento, for over a half century, has been considered a national treasure in Brazil. Possessing a multi- octave vocal range, and an “aura of a saint,” Milton helped put Brazilian rhythms on the map. His discography with at least 32 studio albums. And an American admiration society of superstars including Paul Simon, Santana, George Duke, and Quincy Jones. Milton at age 82, is well deserving of tribute.
Daniels’ clarinet, flute, and saxophones are backed by top-grade LA session men. Pianist, Josh Nelson; guitarist, Anthony Wilson; bassist, Kevin Axt; and drummer, Ray Brinker. Making this release so special is the inclusion of the Lyris String Quartet. The strings give an ethereal mix to the stunning beauty of the arrangements, and the prowess of Eddie’s intoxicating playing.
This CD is a labor of love to Brazil’s gift to the world. Highly recommended. And kudos to George Klabin for wanting to revisit, in a new light, his “absolute favorite recording of music.”
- Tap or click the link to read the complete review at Audiophile Audition.
George W. Harris | Jazz Weekly
“Thoroughly thrilling.“
Daniels plays to his strengths here, as some of his best material has been of the Brazilian extract. And the classical strings, cleverly arranged, are reminiscent of his stellar Breakthrough album.
Most alluring here is Daniels playing four different woodwinds. A rich soprano sax duet with Nelson on the pianist’s own ‘For Milton’. While his rarely played flute bounces on ‘Catavento’ and is dreamy for ‘Morro Velho’. His tenor is charming on ‘Travessia’ and simmers on the groove of ‘Gira Girou’.
And need we talk about the clarinet? Mirror, mirror on the wall! He yearns with Wilson’s strums on ‘Courage’. [He] swirls with the strings on the enticing ‘Tres Pontas’, sensuously warm for ‘Cancao Do Sal’. Thoroughly thrilling.
- Tap or click the link to read Harris’s complete review at Jazz Weekly.
Thierry De Clemensat | Paris Move
“A luminous work: inventive, intelligent, and brimming with meaning.”
Once again, Resonance Records delivers what can only be called a landmark album. We admire musicians for many different reasons. But on rare occasions an artist’s very differences prove to be his most defining strength.
Such is the case with Eddie Daniels, who has long been as comfortable in the world of classical music as he is in jazz. Daniels’s versatility as both clarinetist and saxophonist underscores his unique ability to cross stylistic borders with grace.
The late jazz critic Leonard Feather once wrote of Daniels. “It is rare that a single man can reinvent an instrument and carry it to the next stage of revolution.” That observation remains strikingly true. Daniels’s tone, precise, warm, instantly recognizable, comes alive from the very first notes. Demonstrating an elasticity and freedom that are uniquely his own.
To Milton with Love… revisit(s) Courage, Nascimento’s second studio album, originally produced in 1969 by Creed Taylor for CTI Records. With contributions from Herbie Hancock and Eumir Deodato.
The album unfolds like a mural in eleven movements. One cannot help but imagine its pieces weaving together a story. Whether shared between musician and producer, or drawn from Nascimento’s own artistic journey.
The listener is led through a tapestry of eras and influences… Daniels’s genius lies in the way he orchestrates sound itself. His command of rhythm and architecture leaves nothing to chance. Constructing a complex yet fluid edifice of music that both dazzles and delights.
To Milton with Love is, in the end, a luminous work: inventive, intelligent, and brimming with meaning. It is a tribute that shines like sunlight in today’s musical landscape. Reaffirming Eddie Daniels as a true magician of sound.
- Tap or click the link to read the complete review at Paris Move.
Quick Hits:
“A Brazilian jazz tribute album like none other.” – Connect Brazil
“… Daniels was a natural to interpret Nascimento’s pieces. In addition to alternating between clarinet and tenor, he also plays flute extremely well and makes a rare appearance on soprano sax during “Gira Girou.” No matter what instrument, Daniels embraces and gives warmth to the melodies before creating variations.” – LA Jazz World (Scott Yanow)
“It also contains the unmistakable and irrepressible musical spirit of Eddie Daniels, who stamps every track with his unique blend of joy and beauty…” – Organissimo Jazz Forums
“Eddie Daniels’ tribute to the legendary Brazilian musician/composer Milton Nascimento!“ – Band Camp
more quotes From Eddie Daniels’ To Milton With Love Review Roundup
Ana Kruger | Brazzil
“Let’s only hope the dream team of Eddie Daniels and George Klabin keep being inspired by Brazilian personalities.“
Acclaimed US clarinetist, saxophonist, and composer Eddie Daniels’ album To Milton With Love is a re-creation of Nascimento’s second studio album and masterpiece Courage from 1969.
Klabin met Nascimento in 1969 during the recording of Courage at the famous Rudy Van Gelder Studio, when he attended a small New York City jazz club to hear his friends Airto and Flora Purim play. After their set the two introduced him to “a very quiet young man” seated in the listening area, named Milton Nascimento. This encounter is a cherished memory, and to this day Courage remains Klabin’s all-time favorite recording.
Born and raised in New York City, Daniels was first hired in 1966 by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis when they organized their Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra for a weekly gig at the famed Village Vanguard. Today, his career includes names like Billy Joel and George Benson, his decades in music garnered him Grammy awards and nominations, and he appeared on television many times.
To Milton With Love comes with an extensive 16-page booklet including liner notes by the award-winning historian James Gavin, who authored widely praised biographies of Chet Baker, Peggy Lee, and Lena Horne.
Let’s only hope the dream team of Eddie Daniels and George Klabin keep being inspired by Brazilian personalities – how about João Gilberto next?
- Tap or click the link to read Kruger’s complete review at Brazzil.
JIm Hynes | Making A Scene
“[Klabin] surrounded Daniels with some of the premier musicians in L.A.”
Generally, Resonance Records is a champion of archival releases, but Eddie Daniels’ To Milton With Love is a new project. The versatile Daniels, often in the role of ‘vocalist,’ plays clarinet, soprano saxophone, flute, and tenor saxophone.
The only original song is the closer “For Milton,” a gorgeously melodic duo piece written by Nelson, where Daniels proffers a masterclass in clarinet playing.
Nascimento is still with us but retired from touring. Chances are high that Nascimento would give a great endorsement to this fine effort by Daniels and his accompanying cast.
- Tap or click the link to read the complete review at Making A Scene.
Chloe Rabinowitz | Broadway World
“Daniels leads a breathtaking ensemble on To Milton With Love.”
Recorded at Resonance Records Studio in Beverly Hills and mastered by Matthew Lutthans at the state-of-the-art Mastering Lab in Salina, Kansas, To Milton With Love was produced by Resonance founder and co-president George Klabin.
“I was captivated, never having heard such original and deeply moving melodies strung together,” says Klabin, “and Milton’s lovely plaintive vocals, which seemed to emanate right from his soul!” To this day it remains Klabin’s all-time favorite recording.
In revisiting the music of Courage, Klabin placed Daniels at the helm of an instrumental album, free of attempts to mimic or evoke Nascimento’s inimitable singing voice, and with brand new arrangements of the familiar tunes (including Nascimento’s beloved “Travessia”).
It also contains the unmistakable and irrepressible musical spirit of Eddie Daniels, who stamps every track with his unique blend of joy and beauty.
“At George Klabin’s suggestion, Eddie Daniels kept Nascimento’s singing in mind as he played,” Gavin observes. “‘It’s almost like talking a song, it’s so ethereal,’ he says. ‘I let myself play some jazz here and there and step out in a simple way that I felt belonged to the song, rather than becoming Bird or Coltrane.’
“Daniels has risen to every occasion since 1966, when he made his first solo album for Prestige. At the time he was mainly a tenor saxophonist; he’s also adept at alto, soprano, and flute. But Daniels is famous for his exceptional technique and chameleonlike versatility on clarinet. He can play bebop, Brahms, smooth jazz, and big-band swing; he has backed Freddie Hubbard and Billy Joel. His Prestige debut included Jobim’s ‘A Felicidade’; he’s been revisiting it ever since.”
- Tap or click the link to read Romero’s complete review at Broadway World.
To Milton With Love by Eddie Daniels on Resonance Records
Buy To Milton With Love here. Available on CD and digital.
Buy Here from Resonance | Amazon
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To Milton With Love by Eddie Daniels – Track List
- Travessia
- Vera Cruz
- Tres Pontas
- Outubro
- Courage
- Rio Vermelho
- Gira Girou
- Morro Velho
- Cantavento
- Cancao Do Sal
- For Milton
Personnel: Eddie Daniels: clarinet, tenor and soprano saxophone, Anthony Wilson: guitar, Josh Nelson: piano, Kevin Axt: bass, Ray Brinker: drums.
Kuno Schmid & Josh Nelson: arrangements.
Lyris String Quartet is Alyssa Park & Shalini Vijayan: violin, Luke Maurer: viola, Timothy Loo: cello.
Resonance Records
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Eddie Daniels’ To Milton With Love Review Roundup
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