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"The four-piece, based in San Francisco, sprang to life in March 2002 as bandleader Patrick Cress.. beloved brainchild. Cress, a University of Michigan graduate with schooling in jazz and classical theory under his belt, plays alto and baritone saxophones and composes for the quartet. He conceived of the general concept of the combo through a particular admiration for the work of multi-instrumentalist and composer Ornette Coleman, saxophonist/composer Tim Berne, and others propelling the sound of jazz into modernity with fond traditions in tow.
Telepathy proves itself worthy of trailblazing aspirations with an unusual lineup utilizing
saxophone, bass clarinet, acoustic bass, and drums. Their aim, well met with the 2003 LP
Liberate the Radio Stations and the 2005 LP Meditation, Realization, is to pay homage to the roots of America..s art by advancing it
through well-founded improvisation.
Cress recruited a jewel of a drummer to prop us his band in San Francisco player Tim
Bulkley. Bulkley..s drumming epitomizes the combo..s free-but-tight format, displaying
regimentation where necessary and melody-minded abandon when the mood calls for
it. His frequent dictation of unconventional time signatures is a hallmark of the
Telepathy formula.
With Cress.. smart original compositions as a basis (incidentally, Bulkley collaborates with him on one of the original tracks on Liberate the Radio Stations), this young, heady band
gets back to the intentions of early jazz, creating new landscapes in sound and keeping
toes tapping. The level of Telepathy..s namesake ability to speak to one another through
their instruments shows great promise for a band that..s been together for such a short
time, and they..ve definitely got the stuff to speak to an audience without using words."
- Raw Jazz Ingenuity by Jeff Trainor, October 29, 2004 , The Source
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