Reviews
What People Are Saying
"Keyboardist Cecil Ramirez is a smooth jazz pianist located in California, this is an outstanding CD full of memorable tracks and great playing, very much in the vein of Brian Culbertson, so you should definitely check him out!"
- Peter Boehi, Smooth Jazz Vibes
"I never tire of discovering exciting new Smooth Jazz talent, and Sacramento pianist Cecil Ramirez definitely falls into that category. His debut release TALK TO THE HAND is outstanding and can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best keyboard projects from players who’ve become household names in this genre… including Brian Culbertson, Brian Simpson, Jeff Lorber and Gregg Karukas. TALK TO THE HAND should easily catapult Mr. Ramirez into the company of these prolific and talented keyboardists. This is truly Smooth Jazz… lyrical, emotional, with danceable grooves and the influences of contemporary jazz, R&B and Latin America. The production is impeccable, solidifying the album’s overall quality... I highly recommend TALK TO THE HAND. It’s definitely chartbound!"
- Scott O'Brien, SmoothJazz.com
"It’s hard to believe that Smooth Jazz pianist Cecil Ramirez’s self-produced album, “Talk To The Hand”, is his first ever solo release. This maiden effort has all the polish of a major artist/major label release— brilliant musicianship, artfully assembled songs, beautiful recording and mix, and tasteful packaging—a first class production all the way. Ramirez, the pianist, has a fluid, floating, genre-defining style. He plays Smooth Jazz in the truest sense—relaxed and in the groove—yet with a level of sophistication that a jazz purist would admire. Smooth Jazz has found an exciting new voice in Cecil Ramirez."
- Jan Glazier, PianoDisc
Cecil Ramirez does a stellar job with his "Talk To The Hand" album. He's got style. I'm really loving this one. Beautiful music! Quite enjoyable from start to finish. "Palmas Del Mar" is just one of the tracks you'll find yourself listening to again and again. You'll want to get your hands on a copy of this to add to your collection.
- Jackie Anderson, WJAB
“This is a potpourri of covers and originals not to be missed. Skillful, polished, smooth, and funky. It is said that he resembles his good buddy, Brian Culbertson. Yes, but what I also hear is Cecil Ramirez, so effective he is here in establishing his own style and identity, especially in interpretation of covers and his own compositions... At any rate, Ramirez is equally effective in any light. His light tickling of the ivories to more aggressively laying into the piano on the high octane pieces are worthy of a standing ovation and calls for an encore. In addition to some really nice picks for covers, his writing holds its own easily among competent smooth jazz writers.”
- Ronald Jackson, smoothjazzride.com