"[...] Orbiting also can be heard as a suite. But unlike Santiarican Blues Suite, Orbiting is a quartet date in the sense that what we hear is a band. In this case, a band playing eight selections, half of which are Ortiz originals, the rest covers, all of them seemingly woven together from track to track. And, except for the standard “Alone Together,” it all has the markings of being one long song, with contrasts built in. It’s an internal conversation in the way that Santiarican Blues Suite is more extroverted, Orbiting is more around four players talking to one another, with guitarist David Gilmore as much the soloist as Ortiz. And with bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Eric McPherson, tunes like Charlie Parker’s “KoKo” and Ornette Coleman’s “W.R.U.” maintain their bebop affectations but are then dismantled in the explorations that follow, consistent with the album’s minimalisms, roving meters and chord-less maneuverings."
John Ephland -Down Beat (August, 2012)
Fresh Sound
http://aruan-ortiz.com
