"Martin Jacobsen's most overt stylistic influence is Coltrane, yet he stands apart from the usual crowd of Traneites: he's a self-taught player and seems to have absorbed Coltrane's music in a very individual way, taking a special interest in his early work on Prestige; there's no trace in his playing of the macho posturing and self-absorbed virtuosity of so many Trane acolytes. He has little of Trane's drivenness, and instead plays always as if he's holding back a little, outlining the shape of a phrase with care rather than cutting it short or compressing it in order to rush to the next."
Cadence Magazine, USA


"[David Sanborn's] solo was concisely punctuated by the stabbing horn section of Martin Jacobson (tenor), Nicolas Gardel (trumpet) and Lionel Segui (trombone). These guys were having a ball volleying head after head and doing the do!
[Sanborn's] solo on King Curtis's "Soul Serenade" (beautifully started by Jacobsen's languid horn) gave us anything his predecessors could muster and more.
Blues & Soul Music Magazine, UK


"Jacobsen’s tenor sax rips and rolls as he pumps out the phrases, making conversation with the grammatical precision of a writer. The quotations, commas, and semi-colons of the composition are all there to be heard. His love of the instrument is visible in an ability to make complicated compositions simple, remarkable for a musician who began playing sax at the relatively late age of 18, and who is, for the most part, self-taught."
The Daily Star, UK


"By his astute choice of album titles ["Current State", SteepleChase SCCD 31548] Jacobsen seems well aware of what makes jazz a vital music. It's the constant sense of growth and discovery, taking the old and making it new. His own tunes, the hard swinging "Backwater" and the title track, show him to be a composer of promise."
All About Jazz, USA


"Martin Jacobsen, Danish saxophone star with a rich and smooth sound, well confirmed in the Coltrane tradition. Doug Raney, American guitarist launched by the Chet Baker Trio, the excellent descendant of the highly distinguished Jimmy Raney. Two acclaimed musicians both evolving in an aesthetic of their own which are not necessarily similar. The result, performed with a quartet de luxe, has chances to surprise many a listener!"
Jazzman, France


"Current State" presents a well-knit and well-sounding quartet. The leader plays with imagination and authority, and a bright yet warm sound on his tenorsax. A real good CD! Recommended!"
Jazz Special, Denmark