By JERRY D’SOUZA, AllAboutJazz.com, February 08, 2006

Ramona Borthwick makes quite an impression with her first international release. She and husband Noel Borthwick were active on the music scene in Mumbai (Bombay) during the ’80s, before they moved to Ottawa and then to Boston. Given her training in Western classical music and the clear empathy she has for Indian classical music, it is not  surprising that both are present and entwined with jazz on A New Leaf. Continue reading →

By TRISTAN SMITH, JAZZREVIEW.com, January 23, 2006
Featured Artist: Ramona Borthwick 

This debut CD by composer-pianist Ramona Borthwick is her first offering as a leader and, by the sounds of it, certainly won’t be her last. Her sound and the compositions are unique and the playing is flawless.

Borthwick, originally from Bombay, India, and trained in classical music, comes from a family of professional musicians and her father – a professional musician and composer – introduced her to the art form. As she grew up her tastes changed and Borthwick geared herself more towards the jazzier side of music.

Borthwick displays an amazing talent for composition. Each of the tracks on A New Leaf is an original composition. Her wondrous imagination shows through in her settings that she has chosen for each piece. And the music…it’s outstanding. Influences such as ECM jazz, Latin beats and touches of notes from her native India liven up each composition and creates a unique feel for each and every track. The two most impressive tracks on A New Leaf, “Two’s Complement” and “Dark Secrets of Three Blind Mice,” were co-written with Noel Borthwick. Both of these tracks are worth listening to numerous times.

Her quintet, comprised of Boston and New York-based musicians is both creative and energetic, and complement her compositions perfectly. Borthwick’s fellow musicians, each with a lengthy and impressive resume, bring an individual style to the group and bring the music to a level that is rarely shown on a debut release.

[View article online]

By SHUCHITA RAO | India New England | Issue Date: Jan 15, 2006

WATERTOWN, Mass. — Ramona Borthwick is very happy with the way 2005 worked out for her. The Mumbai-born pianist recently released her debut CD in Boston entitled “A New Leaf,” featuring original compositions rooted in the jazz tradition.

Despite the grounding in jazz, the compositions reflect influences that stem from places including India, Latin America and the United States. Borthwick was raised in a rich musical environment playing Western classical music before she developed a taste for jazz. Her father, Enoch Daniels, was born in a musical family and worked for the film industry in Mumbai, as an accordion player, composer and arranger of film music. Continue reading →

By JACK WILKINS, November 10, 2005

Here’s a fantastic recording by pianist/singer Ramona Borthwick. All her own compositions except “Two’s Complement” which was co-written by guitarist Noel Borthwick and Noel’s own “Dark Secrets of Three Blind Mice”.

All the tunes are rich, lush, and highly emotional. The musicians play beautifully together and Ramona has a feel somewhat compared to Herbie Hancock and a little Keith Jarret but her playing is very much her own. Noel’s playing is also extraordinary with a great time feel and a warm engaging sound. The vocal tracks are interesting as Esperanza Spalding (tracks 2 & 9) has a unique attack and her scatting technique is very entertaining. The recording sound itself is excellent. Bravo!