"Coolness is defined by action, not words. Joel Shapira approaches guitar playing like a veteran baseball player on a hot streak would approach the plate, brimming with an obvious yet calm swagger. When he swings for the fences, there's no obnoxious boasting, just an easy self-confidence that is bred from years of experience and a complete understanding of the game. On Open Lines, Shapira never hogs the spotlight, doesn't let the musicians that fill his quartet take a passenger seat. Instead, he's a team player that isn't afraid to share a groove even when he's smoking all over it."
— AllAboutJazz.com
"Taking their set list from instrumental favorites including compositions by jazz greats Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, etc., they show that there is still something original to say. "
— Don Berryman

3 1/2 Stars: "[T]his foursone is channeling a Coleman-centric spirit, at once free and vibrant. … Throughout, the foursome lays sympathetically into the shape and emotional vibe of the repertoire."
– Josef Woodard, Downbeat , July 2012