Martin Jacobsen's got a great touch on the tenor here ["Straight Off ", SteepleChase SCCD 31916]– a style that's light, but crisp at the same time – almost as if you're hearing an alto in action, but with a deeper tonal range overall! There's a voice here that's very much his own, and which will certainly have us paying more attention to Jacobsen in the future – although right now, we're enjoying this album more than enough to keep us happy! Some of the best tracks here are Jacobsen's own compositions, which really emphasize his strengths.
Dusty Groove, USA

Martin Jacobsen's most overt stylistic influence is Coltrane, yet he stands apart from the usual crowd of Traneites: he's a self-taught player and seems to have absorbed Coltrane's music in a very individual way, taking a special interest in his early work on Prestige; there's no trace in his playing of the macho posturing and self-absorbed virtuosity of so many Trane acolytes. He has little of Trane's drivenness, and instead plays always as if he's holding back a little, outlining the shape of a phrase with care rather than cutting it short or compressing it in order to rush to the next.
Cadence Magazine, USA

We really love the tenor on this set from drummer Francesco Pennetta ["Pulse", Four CD CO404] – a bold, soulful horn blown by Martin Jacobsen with a tone that's right on the money, and a gentle swing that works perfectly for the album's mix of old school modes.
Dusty Groove, USA

By his astute choice of album titles ["Current State", SteepleChase SCCD 31548] Jacobsen seems well aware of what makes jazz a vital music. It's the constant sense of growth and discovery, taking the old and making it new. His own tunes, the hard swinging "Backwater" and the title track, show him to be a composer of promise.
All About Jazz, USA

Jacobsen’s tenor sax rips and rolls as he pumps out the phrases, making conversation with the grammatical precision of a writer. The quotations, commas, and semi-colons of the composition are all there to be heard. His love of the instrument is visible in an ability to make complicated compositions simple, remarkable for a musician who began playing sax at the relatively late age of 18, and who is, for the most part, self-taught.
The Daily Star, UK

Martin Jacobsen, Danish saxophone star with a rich and smooth sound, well confirmed in the Coltrane tradition. Doug Raney, American guitarist launched by the Chet Baker Trio, the excellent descendant of the highly distinguished Jimmy Raney. Two acclaimed musicians both evolving in an aesthetic of their own which are not necessarily similar. The result, performed with a quartet de luxe, has chances to surprise many a listener!
Jazzman, France

Current State" presents a well-knit and well-sounding quartet. The leader plays with imagination and authority, and a bright yet warm sound on his tenor sax. A real good CD! Recommended!
Jazz Special, Denmark

From the opening track, Jacobsen grabs the ear with his clarion tone, honed to a clean edge, and the striking fluidity of not only his technique but also his ideas. You’ll hear the influence of John Coltrane, which he has never denied, whenever he opens up his upper-middle register; or in the scalar runs that proliferate on Headway, or the sheets of sound on West Coast Blues; or the aching ballad work on Nightfall.
Liner notes by Neil Tesser to the "Straight Off" SteepleChase CD release, 2019