There is a tip-toeing delicacy to much of the album, with Sheppard’s phrasing often pared to hoots and whispers, drifting on Aarset’s drones, cushioned by Benita’s countermelodies, and propelled by quiet marches and off-kilter patterns from Rochford. […] an intriguing shift for Sheppard as both a player and a bandleader.
John Fordham, The Guardian
Einen so schönen Ton haben nur die wenigsten. Dieser Saxophonist spielt enorm weich, biegsam – und zugleich mit einer besonderen Konturenschärfe. Der Engländer Andy Sheppard schmiegt hier seine herrlichen Töne in ein neues Gewand. Da ist diese Gitarre, die den Tenorsaxophonsound manchmal wie in einen klingenden Lichtschein einhüllt. Es ist die E-Gitarre des norwegischen Elektronik-Freaks Eivind Aarset. Sheppard, Aarset, der Bassist Michel Benita und der im Untergrund ganz fein rumorende Drummer Sebastian Rochford bilden hier ein Quartett, das hohe musikalische Dichte mit sehr viel Sauerstoff anreichert. Man wird mitgerissen – und kriegt dennoch genug Luft. […] Weit offene Landschaften erschließt der große Melodiker Andy Sheppard hier. Es sind Landschaften voller zarter Anmut – und von einem lyrischen Zauber, der immer wieder überrascht.
Roland Spiegel, BR-Klassik
This is a perfectly balanced album that shows Sheppard in a setting that is wholly his own, with a new and exciting quartet that understands the saxophonist’s requirements perfectly. There is no showboating or display of egos, just music making that says a lot often very quietly on what is surely one of Sheppard’s finest albums.
Nick Lea, Jazz Views
The new quartet of saxophonist Andy Sheppard has been formed by adding Norwegian guitarist and electronics wizard Eivind Aarset to the highly successful Trio Libero, an improvising group which Andy shared with bassist Michel Benita and drummer Seb Rochford. It's a tremendously successful move, for Aarset's imaginative use of electronics creates a tremendous landscape as an engaging backdrop to the music. Opening brightly with 'Tipping Point', composed by Sheppard and Benita, the tenor saxophone floats over the music, assertive but sensitive.
John Watson, Jazz Camera
‘Surrounded by Sea’ is an intimate statement whose chemistry belies the quartet's brief existence. There's a bold honesty in the music's refined contours and graceful adventure that invites and rewards the patient listener.
John Kelman, All About Jazz
Für sein durchweg introvertiert schwelgerisches Programm hat er sein Trio Libero mit Bassist Michel Benita und Schlagzeuger Sebastian Rochford ergänzt um Gitarrist Eivind Aarset. Dessen elektronische Soundflächen geben der Musik, die sich nie aufdrängt und eben deswegen betört, eine Räume öffnende tiefere Dimension. Weil auch die beiden anderen exzellenten Spielpartner diskret agieren, ergibt das eine ideale Basis, auf der Sheppard als Stilist von Gnaden seine Kreise ziehen kann.
Ulrich Steinmetzger, Jazzthing
English saxophonist Andy Sheppard’s third ECM album, ‘Surrounded by Sea’, a follow up to ‘Trio Libero’ (ECM, 2011) with the tremendous addition of the Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset, a steady contributor to the label over the past several years, is a recording filled with subtle wonders. The album differs from its predecessor in that the saxophonist aimed to add more grooves and a harmonic background to add spice to the proceedings. […] Aarset, who released his own “Dream Logic” (ECM, 2012) and appeared on recordings by the likes of Nils Petter Molvær, Marilyn Mazur, and Jon Hassell is a massive reason as to why the dreamlike backdrops in this music work so well. His use of droning notes and electronics provide a bed for Sheppard’s, breathy, melodic tenor saxophone, melancholic soprano, and the flexible rhythm section of bassist Michael Benita and drummer Sebastian Rochford. […] Andy Sheppard is an individual voice on his horn in the European jazz scene and has delivered a highpoint in his career.
C.J. Shearn, Blueceej.com
Neuzugang Eivind Aarset spielt vorzugsweise mit dem Pedal und legt schwebende Klangflächen unter Sheppards verhaltene Linien und Michel Benitas sonoren Kontrabass. Seb Rochford, derzeit einer der angesagtesten Drummer Englands, zeigt sich einmal mehr als Meister der Zurückhaltung. Musik voller Ruhe und Tiefe, die mit einem Blick in Richtung Ornette Coleman endet.
Berthold Klostermann, Fono Forum
Sheppard is something of an iconoclast. He interprets Elvis Costello's ‘I Want To Vanish’ and jams long on the traditional Gaelic folk song, ‘Aoidh, Na Dean Cadal Idir.’ During the recording process of the latter, producer/label head/eccentric visionary Manfred Eicher motioned wildly from his booth for the quartet to keep playing for over 12 minutes. Eicher, known for his esoteric experimentation, wound up chopping it into three ‘movements,’ weaving it throughout the CD as a recurring theme. It works, giving the project an added oomph akin to a theatrical score. […] a powerfully irresistible alchemy is achieved, one that actually makes the silence following the CD's end almost part of the experience. I wanted more so I played it twice. So will you.
Mike Greenblatt, Classicalite
One track leads into the next in what feels like a soundtrack to getting lost in the stars. ‘Surrounded By Sea’ is saxophonist Andy Sheppard’s third album for ECM, and the Englishman’s roots are on display here. Often modally based, much of the music carries a serenity that can express both the personal and the universal.
John Ephland, DownBeat
