“...with deep imagination and undisputed creative vision. Durant excels on guitar, cloud guitar, and his usual array of amazing sonic manipulations. He is firmly established now as one of the reigning masters of what might be called infinitely manipulated atmospheric guitar effects… flawless and sets a standard to be defined by…brilliance and vision”
- AllMusic
Autopoietican, on the release of Momentarily, 2024
“...a beautiful display of musical meditations embedded in a controlled variety of grooves and atmospheres. The subtle variations of creativity distilled and compositional finesse secure this as one of the great albums for the jazz and progressive avant-garde for the year 2024.”
All About Jazz, on Fractal Sextet, 2023
“Jon Durant's guitar is a near-perfect stylistic counter…. It is notable that Durant's nuanced fretless guitar work… shows he is one of the precious few practitioners on the instrument that elevate it beyond its usual presence as a mere novelty.”
Echoes and Dust, on Fractal Sextet, 2023
“a perfect combination like no other… out of this world.”
Sea of Tranquility, on Burnt Belief, 2022
“another fine album, brewing with imagination and creativity…. demonstrates the duo’s textural approach as sweeping waves of sound wash over your senses… Durant’s guitar solo has such emotional impact… Highly recommended.”
Star’s End Ambient Radio, on Alternate Landscapes, 2019
“Jon Durant arrives to the recording studio with a great number of solid ideas - good ones, the kind that must track across a sweep of beautiful moments and sonic states in order to become fully realized…mysteriously affecting, and brilliantly inhabit a musical realm richer and stranger than the standard fare… Durant's inventiveness will engage unsuspected capacities of our ears and minds… Loaded with lush layered guitar orchestrations this album seems of an endless energy. A complexity of sounds merge and separate, leaving the listener with the impression of an aural terrain in motion.”
Art Rockin’, on Parting Is, 2018
“If ever any set of compositions deserved to be the definition of beautiful, it is ‘Parting Is’ by long time guitarist (multi-instrumentalist) and composer Jon Durant… disciplined and well-seasoned… Jon has honed his craft and delivered pristine music year after year… effortless and sure. Beautiful transcendence indeed.”
All about Jazz, on Parting Is, 2018
“The guitarist's temperate ascent and use of echoing extended notes help facilitate shadowy treatments and resonating opuses, complete with textural shadings and layered voicings. Durant also integrates prismatic colors into these tracks amid ever-so-subtle chord structures and other eloquent articulations. Essentially, these pieces are engineered with cohesive thought-processes, and many components that draw upon his advanced technical skills… he conjures imagery of a timeless void with a cyclical groove etched in an enchanting melody line… the pristine audio characteristics provide due justice for this magnetic endeavor.”
Jazzwise, on Burnt Belief’s Emergent, 2016
“Durant's long sustains, his starbursts of Bartók-like assonance or his long-lined, often yearning themes… [showcase] an introspective intensity.”
Prog Archives, on Burnt Belief’s Emergent, 2016
“a thoroughly engaging piece of genius that channels the great rhythmic spirits in a reverential manner, while still exciting the senses. Jaw-dropping!... music of the highest caliber and pedigree. Three albums in and going strong, totally impeccable by any musical standard! 'Emergent' is a sonic paradise of the uppermost quality.”
Something Else, on Burnt Belief’s Etymology, 2014
“Durant’s atmospheric dreamscapes textures brings out the lyrical side… often smooth, mesmerizing but never sedating… meticulous layering.”
Prog Archives, on Burnt Belief’s Emergent, 2013
“Hovering, floating, ambient sound textures… elegant, sophisticated music of multiple genres… a thrilling debut that was universally acclaimed by both fans and critics, pushing sonic boundaries with exalting arrangements and explosive deliveries. "Burnt Belief" remains a sterling effort… evolves toward the best of many worlds and still sounds like nobody else… a multitude of tonal techniques with massive abilities in setting emotional ornaments to the arrangements… Lush yet minimalist, a strange harmonious contradiction that works wonders on the mind. This is experimental prog at its apex, a surreal recording that has a different appeal according to the time of day or the mood the listener might be temporarily in. The tracks are complex yet simple, challenging albeit accessible.”
Music Web Express 3000, on Dance of the Shadow Planets, 2011
“Durant is a true guitar master… sonically majestic… In the spirit of genius Euro guitar heroes… Durant creates intense, gigantic-sounding, invisible sonic glaciers that simply tower overhead. … Durant’s daring instrumental music will leave you stunned and speechless. Mixing together a staggering array of sequential sonancies, Durant approaches his music much like a scientist looking for the best possible outcomes..”
Guitar Player Magazine, on Dance of the Shadow Planets, 2011