“What might be the jazz album of the year.” - Mike Greenblatt

“In a world where jazz can easily become archival, ANCESTRAL explodes with immediacy. This is O’Gallagher at his peak, surrounded by peers whose mastery elevates every phrase. It is the sound of discovery, of tradition reimagined, and of music that feels as if it is being born anew before your ears. A record that does not whisper. A record that screams: this is what jazz can be.” - Steve Williams

“In a year already filled with remarkable jazz releases, few have struck as deeply as ANCESTRAL. Just when the listening season seemed to settle, O’Gallagher arrived with a work so searching, so intellectually charged, it feels like both a personal rebirth and an artistic reckoning. ” - Thierry De Clemensat

“Thrilling - albums like ANCESTRAL make me change the way I think about what is possible in 21st century jazz all over again. ”

“ANCESTRAL shows John O'Gallagher at the peak of his powers, reinforcing his place among the most interesting jazz saxophonists of our time. ” - Antonio Branco

“ANCESTRAL proposes a fresh model in the dualistic field of inside-outside jazz, with bold playing from each player and a discernible ambition to find new spaces and ways of being in the music. ” - Josef Woodward