. . . this live recording offers a hearty sampling of the artist's lengthy stint at New York City's St. Nick's music club. . . . One thing is for certain: this is live jazz at its very finest. --by Glenn Astarita, JazzReview.com July, 2008 (read the full review)

Long a Friday night fixture at St. Nick's Pub in New York's Sugar Hill section, Salim Washington's Harlem Arts Ensemble—the leader on tenor, flute and oboe, pianist Donald Smith, violist Melani Dyer, bassist Aaron James, drummer Mark Johnson and trombonist Ku-Umba Frank Lacy, who also plays a mean flugelhorn—shares fresh ideas with an aware audience on this live document from the aforementioned club. . . . Listeners can feel the evening (and what would become early morning) heat up as the program progresses. -- by Jim Santella, All About Jazz, March 13, 2008 (read the full review)

Bostonians may remember multi-reedman Salim Washington for his leadership in the 1990s of an esteemed, inspired local ensemble called the Roxbury Blues Aesthetic. Their sole, and superb, recording, 1997's "Love in Exile," was a powerful statement of jazz in the post-Coltrane tradition, steeped in the legacy of the Black Arts movement while wearing its agenda lightly. The same bittersweet brew of urban exhilaration and melancholy pervades the work of Washington's new venture, the Harlem Arts Ensemble . . . -- by Siddhartha Mitter, The Boston Globe, May 6, 2007 (read the full review)

The horn section of the Harlem Arts Ensemble dates back nearly two decades, when they formed as the Roxbury Blues Aesthetic. Currently, the group, which includes a violist among the six "horns," performs weekly at Harlem's St. Nick pub, which accounts for the rapport felt in the hard-hitting performances on Harlem Homecoming. . . . Salim Washington leads them through a set of creative originals that establishes the Ensemble's flight patterns. An equally unique soloist, he writes in a manner that requires a cohesive group to develop the music . . . --Mike Shanley, Jazz Times Magazine (Jan/Feb 2007) (read the full review)

Harlem Homecoming is a celebration of what this music ought to be all about. It's also some kind of antidote to all the technically proficient but ultimately clinical modern mainstream stuff, and its uninhibited joyfulness brings a smile to the face and a fire to the heart . . . Anyone eager to have their faith in this music restored - and those who suffer from jaded ear syndrome - will be doing themselves a favour by hearing this one. -- Nic Jones, AllAboutJazz.com (read the full review)

Harlem Homecoming is a breath of fresh air, a powerful musical statement that will surely give hope to those who bemoan the future of jazz. These ten original songs were mostly composed by Washington and executed by the formidable Harlem Arts Ensemble; the CD is a heady mix of first-rate musicianship with positive intention and emotional warmth. . . . this music is grounded in values such as family, community, national unity and world peace. Washington's vision is strong and true, and he has found the perfect vehicle of expression in jazz. -- Florence Wetzel, AllAboutJazz.com (read the full review)

Reedist Salim Washington's Harlem Arts Ensemble is a medium-sized band with a large sound, mixing Blues, Jazz, and improvised realms into a potent whole. --Frank Rubolino, Cadence, January 2007 (read the full review)

If a person had to choose only one adjective to describe Love In Exile, it would be "lush." "Exuberant," "inspired" and "optimistic" also apply, but the lush nature of Salim Washington's melodies and arrangements is the thing that stands out the most about Love In Exile, the tenor saxman/flutist's first album as a leader. . . . Like Duke Ellington's bands, Washington and the RBA prove that one can be lush and gritty at the same time. . . This fine CD demonstrated that Washington's nonet was quite deserving of national exposure. -- Alex Henderson, All Music Guide (read the full review)

It always seems incredible that no matter how long you have been exploring jazz, there’s always some player that virtually nobody’s ever heard of before, who shows up out of nowhere, and amazes you as to how it can be possible that this person is not well-known. For me, Salim Washington is one such musician. If you are a fan of Billy Harper I expect that you will really dig this guy’s tenor playing. Also a great flautist. -- Jerome Schneidman