"Wonderfully deep, heavy and experimental Afrobeat that evokes the spirit of the greats."
- BandCamp.com
"You make good Afrobeat!" - Femi Kuti
It is a sound and force that shakes the rafters (or the stars if you happen to be at any one of the outdoor festivals they leave their brand on) with a riotous, righteous noise.
-All About Jazz.com
“Victory At Last”
All About Jazz-
“There is a perpetual sense of danceable immediacy to the big, fun Brighton Beat sound. The exact reason for that is that, at any moment—no, make that every moment—there is the potential to shake-your-money-maker around the moon and back again. Measure by measure by measure, the dance floor is going to get worn down to the studs. It is truly liberating. ”
“While exotic world rhythms and a hyperactive front line have been a Brighton Beat specialty, this heady ensemble wastes no time kicking into high gear with "Feet First, Head Last," an Afrobeat explosion of horns and choral voices that seriously gets the house party started. "Into the Thick of It" catches fire quickly with its jittery skittery Talking Heads-like vibe and serves to showcase the band's deeper dive into a myriad of musical styles. And though "As Time Marches On" features said front line, it is Nat Ranson's gritty trombone that spearheads the track.”
- Mike Jurkovic
“Live At The Peekskill Brewery”
All About Jazz-
“Seemingly never at a loss for a full bore groove or a reason to shake the dust up on the dance floor, the Brighton Beat took this riverside night by the horns and shook the bull loose. Inspired no less by the late, great Fela Kuti, Wags wheels this tight-as-a-snare-drum ensemble through a combustible fusion of Afrobeat's key ingredients: jazz, funk, highlife, West African rhythms, and Harlem shuffle.”
”The joyful pandemonium of "Sweet Baby Chazz" gets the hands clapping and the bodies swaying. Each solo finding its space amid the ever malleable beat. Even freshly minted, previously unheard music like "Feet First Head Last" and "Time Marches On" leaves the novice and the faithful ecstatic.”
- Mike Jurkovic
“Hear And Now”
The Iconoclast Magazine -
"Bright-On! Get out of your comfort zone and into a new groove with The Brighton Beat.
Every song takes the listener to a new world, where the natives are happy. It's a Jazz evolution, not the same old Afro-Beat business. If The Brighton Beat doesn't sound like any other band you've heard, you're right."
- The Iconoclast Magazine
“Live At Clayton Opera House”
Here Comes The Flood Music Weblog -
The Brighton Beat is well-oiled live phenomenon and thankfully they are in the habit of releasing in concert albums on a regular basis. Their sense of rhythm comes to fore again in a spicy mix of jazz and funk. A party band that can please music geeks and revellers is pretty rare.
- Hans Werkman
“The Brighton Beat LP”
New York Music Daily-
"Get Lots of Brighton Beat – It’s All Good. One taste of this will hook you for life."
"Their formula is unhurried yet very tightly focused: introduce the hook and then follow that with slowly unwinding, casually crescendoing solos. Nobody overplays, and as much as everybody in the band takes his time getting where he’s going, the point is that they all get there."
- Delarue
Here Comes The Flood Music Weblog -
"The sheer joy of this NYC ensemble is contagious."
"People tend to forget that jazz started out as dance music. NYC afro-beat aficionados The Brighton Beat thrive on stage, but have managed to capture the excitement of their live shows in the studio when they recorded The Brighton Beat LP."
- Hans Werkman
Muzikreviews.com -
"They get groovy, funky, and smooth. The rhythms create the songs, and then the horns, keys, and guitar take you down numerous paths. Call it what you want, but The Brighton Beat has made an entertaining album that is enjoyable for those that consider themselves jazz fans or not."
- Kevin Kozel