A real musicians' musician, Tony Quarrington plays subtle, tasteful jazz guitar like nobody else in Canada. The title song is a classic, and a cover of Thelonius Monk's 'Round Midnight' shows off Mr. Q's verve and style. Highly recommended.
SAM'S RECORDS

A solid mainstream jazz session, with Quarrington's slightly retro guitar playing holding back some of the more outside tendencies of folk like Kirk McDonald on tenor, drummer Barry Elmes, and pianist Brian Dickinson. There are half-a-dozen good Quarrington originals, a relaxed version of "Round Midnight", and a guitar/piano duet on "Hi Lilly Hi Lo". Quarrington's distinguished past (including a dozen years of work with bent folkie Joe Hall) hasn't included much to equal this.
THE RECORD FEB. 16, 2000 (R.F.)

…Now Tony Quarrington, the guitarist, has a new CD out, called ONE BRIGHT MORNING, and on the back, there's a great picture of Tony, looking…he has that sort of Blues Brothers/fedora look- and his arm's around his guitar- and he's got a smile on his face that says he could go toe-to-toe with Dr. John - either playing - or drinking whiskey - or whatever - and have a great time doing it. He can definitely hold his own… and there's a sort of Blues Brothers sound to the guitar too, although…the company he keeps…Barry Elmes, Kirk McDonald, Bernie Senensky, Brian Dickinson, Kevin Turcotte, Terry Lukiwiski…Toronto's jazz finest on this CD! And I've chosen a piece to play from it which speaks very cogently of the fact that jazz musicians are irreverent about songs, and song-titles…here's…You Stepped Out Of A Drink…
KATIE MALLOCH, 'JAZZBEAT' CBC JAN. 3, 2000

Jazz, swing, blues and ballads are all covered by Quarrington on this CD. His influences include Lenny Breau, Ed Bickert, Sonny Greenwich and probably, above all, the musical spirit of John Coltrane. Six of the eight tunes are Quarrington originals, with two standards. Over one hour of easy listening will serve you as great background music. I encourage you to add this CD to your collection, especially if your mood is for a glass of wine by the fireplace…
ATTRACTIONS MAGAZINE (VICTORIA)

Tony Quarrington's CD ONE BRIGHT MORNING has established what good taste is all about. The title romper gives Kirk McDonald (sax), Kevin Turcotte (trumpet), Bernie Senensky (piano), and the leader (guitar), a chance to swing. Some other highlights include the dynamic duo of Mr Q. and Brian Dickinson (piano) playing a fluid version of 'Hi Lilly Hi Lo', reminiscent of Bill Evans' and Eddie Gomez's recording of same… 'Princesse En Promenade" a lovely ballad by Tony, has shades of Duke's "I Didn't Know About You'… and Shawn Nykwist shines on soprano sax. And how about 'You Stepped Out of a Drink'…was our guitarist 'dreaming' when he composed this 'new' standard?…all in all over seventy terrific minutes of music…
ROB FOGLE, CHRY-FM

Tony Quarrington is one of Toronto's busiest musicians. As a guitarist with the stylistic dexterity of a double-jointed gymnast and as a producer with big ears, he has been involved in one way or another with nearly 50 albums in a career spanning three decades. Although Quarrington has appeared on no fewer than nine jazz albums, One Bright Morning marks his debut as a band leader. Quarrington not only produced the album but composed six of the album's eight tracks. The tracks were recorded with two separate bands, a septet and a quintet, consisting of some of Toronto's hottest jazz musicians (Barry Elmes on drums and Kieran Overs on bass, Bernie Senensky alternating with Brian Dickinson on piano, Kirk MacDonald and Shawn Nykwist on tenor sax, with Kevin Turcotte on trumpet and Terry Lukiwski on trombone). Quarrington rounds out the album with a nice duet with Dickinson. As one would expect, the album spans the jazz spectrum, from bop through funk to salsa. Quarrington is on to something good. Let's hope One Bright Morning is a first in a series.
- ROBERT REID, KITCHENER-WATERLOO RECORD

Tony Quarrington One Bright Morning Cordova Bay/Ragged Pup CBR0192 Saturday was a day for musical surprises. In the morning I came across a haunting version of Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice by June Tabor, the song slowed and quietened down to a tender whisper with a piano behind it. Then, in the afternoon, there was an abrupt volte-face as the usually soft and breathy classic Round Midnight was given a scintillating reworking by jazz guitarist Tony Quarrington. As with the Dylan, this is a song I love, so there was plenty of chance for me to cry “Foul!” but it’s just too good and the same goes for the album. Quarrington and his band retain much of the subtle colouring of the piece during a series of blazing solos by Quarrington himself, Shawn Nykwist (tenor sax) and Brian Dickinson (piano), and the brilliance of Theolonius Monk’s masterpiece is never blurred by the breakneck pace. This is just one of the treats on One Bright Morning, the vivacious opening title track being another, whilst even better is Savannah/ For South Africa, a gently joyful tribute to a land that has given us so much fantastic jazz itself. Indeed, judging by his writing and playing, Quarrington is as big a fan of such greats as Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim as I am. The warmth is enhanced by a wry playfulness, as when the familiar refrain from The Lion Sleeps Tonight floats in and out of the tune, perhaps on a breeze from the Cape. Meanwhile, the old standard You Stepped Out Of A Dream is amended in title and content to close the album as You Stepped Out Of A Drink. (I guess it’s an improvement on all those showgirls stepping out of wedding cakes but, in Scotland at least, all he needed to do to amend the title was remove the “e” from the Dream.) Another highlight is Eclipse, a quicksilver romp of some virtuosity in which key changes follow one another with the rapidity of celebrity divorces following celebrity weddings. Thankfully for us, Quarrington appears wedded to good music so we can all get to enjoy the swinging reception. (DM)

Tony Quarrington and his orchestra, doesn't that sound good? Well, he doesn't have an orchestra behind him, but it sure sounds right, doesn't it? Well let me tell you something, he doesn't need much to support the sound that he produces with regularity on this CD. Mr. Quarrington happens to be an across the board musician and producer. He is also diverse enough to play with a rock band (see liner notes), and then switch over to the other extreme, and play incredibly good jazz music. Tony is an exceptional guitar player with immense flexibility and resiliency. Listen to the classic sound of the original "Eclipse", then compare it to the timeless tune "Round Midnight." A very interesting rendering of that tune is played out using an unconventional method, employing a stepped up samba beat, with the parts equally shared by the sax and guitar. These are the amazing parallels that are drawn within the music. Quarrington proves boundaries found in music can be nonexistent. Only those that are self-imposed by the creator are the inhibiting factor. The man has become somewhat of a legend in Canada, and I can understand why. It's time that these shores started giving a good look and listen to what he has to offer.
© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck April 11, 2001

Today more than ever, the Canadian Jazz Fraternity seems to be a good source for rising talent. New to my ears, Tony [Quarrington] is a swinging guitarist who occasionally shows his allegiance to the great Django Reinhardt during his solo work. Tony has surrounded himself with two separate teams of musicians who play with excitement and panache. The sessions are mostly loose and informal, and of much interest to the listener less inclined to study every nuance of performance.
Al Merritt, JAZZ NOW July 2001 (London, UK)