“…it ably presents the musician’s command of his mercurial compositions. The unconventionally configured quintet (strings, woodwinds, guitar, drums) nimbly shifts among stately chamber melodies, combative free passages and exhilarating steeplechases. The program is divided into two tracks (plus one bite-sized preview edit), which invites appreciation of the group’s management of these dynamic shifts.”- Bill Meyer (Downbeat Magazine, 2020)

“A browse through the catalogs of Pyroclastic, Tao Forms, and Out of Your Head — thriving imprints headed respectively by pianist Kris Davis, drummer Whit Dickey, and bassist Adam Hopkins — shows how musicians are banding together to showcase one another’s talents: the singular visions of the aforementioned Eric Revis and Craig Taborn, for example; the drumming gifts and rich compositional style of Tani Tabbal; or the challenging creations of Anna Webber and Nick Dunston. Even in the absence of in-person connection, the web of jazz continues to grow.” - Hank Steamer (Rolling Stone, 2020).

 "…The performance feels both exacting in its dynamic shifts but loose in terms of spontaneous possibilities, afforded by a group of musicians that are brilliantly locked in and committed to Dunston’s vision. It all feels like a tightrope walk, bristling with tension and reliant upon total concentration. It also doesn’t sound like anything else out there.”- Peter Margasak (The Quietus, 2020).

“Dunston is a young bassist with hungry ears and a commanding but wide-open style. Lately he’s become an indispensable player on the New York avant-garde, playing with the likes of Marc Ribot, the esteemed downtown guitarist, and Ches Smith, the top-flight drummer…”- Giovanni Russonello (New York Times, 2019).

“The bassist, though, also is an ambitious bandleader and composer who’s writing can make his quintet sound like a massive ensemble, flits among dense and aggressive pieces (Tattle Snake), and breathy, spacious snatches of calm (A Rolling Wave Of Nothing)…”- Dave Cantor (Downbeat Magazine, 2019)

“Dunston has a way with suspense, and his design game is strong. At some points, it’s as if Air were interpreting Anthony Davis’ I’ve Known Rivers or Leroy Jenkins’ Legend of Ai Glatson. Or both at once.” - Jim Macnie (JazzTimes, 2019)

“Nick Dunston's debut as a leader features the unusual instrumental of double bass, drums, electric guitar and flute [and violin] - and his compositions put that configuration to imaginative use." - Daniel Spicer (The Wire Magazine, 2019)

“…this correspondent finally got a chance to check out in person one of the new hot bassists on the scene in Nick Dunston, who has already contributed to the bands of Amirtha Kidambi, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey and others. His rapid ascent is well justified as he is a fleet improviser, muscularly attentive to the lower register of his instrument and, most importantly, hardly cowed by his surrounding…”- Andry Henkin (New York City Jazz Record, 2019).

“For someone so young to have composed a work [La Operación] so dramatic and large that is both a response to socio-historical truth as well as a reflection on his own identity marks real musical maturity…”- Aaron Wolff (I Care If You Listen, 2019)