Kellen Yamanaka, KKJZ (Feb. 2007) "The tune "Center Song" might be a good metaphor for the album as a whole: modern groove, artful harmony and melody, and a coherent presentation of how previous inspirations can bring about new voices. Albums like Bobby Hutcherson’s Total Eclipse, Stick Up! or Patterns might be "traditional" predecessors that use the vibe/sax quintet instrumentation, but while Beckham might come from a tradition, Center Songs seeks to carve out a space for his own strong voice -- influence meets invention. This album is rife with hooks that won't lose their wonder." >full text

Ed Blanco, ejazznews.com (March 2007) "...a winner of an album in all respects." "Center Songs is well worth it. With terrific charts, a great sound and an impressive performance by Tom Beckham and crew, this is one entertaining album that succeeds in delivering a vibrant musical statement."

Nick Dedina, Rhapsody.com (July 2006) "Tom Beckham is a fine vibes soloist, but his sophomore release as a group leader shows that he enjoys balancing that with songwriting and group dynamics. Beckham's approach is reminiscent of older band leaders like Paul Motian and Chico Hamilton (and also of some of Stefon Harris' sessions) but Beckham's work has a sound all its own -- which is what jazz is really about."

Jim Macnie, The Village Voice (February 2006) "There aren’t a lot of vibraphonists in town these days, but Beckham would rank even if the field was crowded. His exclamatory way with the mallets brings lots of fireworks to the instrument’s naturally mellow personality."

John Lewis, Baltimore Magazine (March 2007) "A few years back, I went to New York to write about Baltimore native Joe Holtzman and his acclaimed magazine, Nest. While there, I met Beckham, Holtzman’s ace graphic designer, who also happens to be a jazz musician. A fine composer, Beckham plays the vibraphone with the same creative zest he exhibits in his magazine work. It’s an instrument that’s often used for color, nuance, and little else (players such as Bobby Hutcherson and Milt Jackson are exceptions), but Beckham hammers a full range of expression from it. As a result, Center Songs tilts agreeably, but never topples."

Jim Macnie, The Village Voice (January 2003) “...When he takes the stage he invariably amplifies the album’s energy. I’ve seen him stress his instrument’s percussive side, and in doing so, stretch a solo into a trance-like soliloquy.”

David R. Adler, All Music Guide (March 2001) “It's always a refreshing change of pace to hear a good vibraphonist. Tom Beckham's accessible, laid-back compositions and resplendent playing style make Suspicions an album worth seeking out. Woodwinds and mallets are an alluring instrumental combination, and Chris Cheek's tenor and soprano sax work indeed shines against the contrasting texture of Beckham's vibes. Bassist Reid Anderson and drummer George Schuller complete the lineup, providing a sensitive rhythmic underpinning for this pretty, melodic music. (Anderson also takes several passionate solos.) Highlights include the slinky 3/4 of the title track, the driving Afro-Latin 6/8 of "Village Children," the lilting pleasantness of "Ascent," and the more angular, swinging "No Agenda." Beckham's ingenuity is at its height, however, on "Sweet Tooth," a three-minute gem built around a rubato theme; a two-chord vamp ends the form and is the only time the piece goes into tempo. Beckham plays similar tricks with tempo in the first and last tunes on the disc: "Village Children," the vigorous opener, slips unexpectedly into a ballad tempo toward its conclusion, while "Kansas Tale," the closing ballad, segues into a lively vamp before fading out. These mirror-image transitions are the essence of subtlety, and they distinguish Beckham as a superior conceptualist.”

Jack Cooke, Jazz Review Magazine (January 2001) ”Yet more than anything what this set seems most to resemble is the straight-ahead, post-Blue Note kinds of bands that Bobby Hutcherson put together. That’s what makes it work: it feels like a band.” ...”The programme helps; all written by Beckham, that would normally cause me to doubt, but these themes have some imagination, some real length, as on “Village Children” or on the title track; directness in the bluesy “Snoop” or the boppy “Little Booboo”. Anderson and Schuller do more than support, they make it the real ensemble that it is. They’re good, it’s good, it’s the total surprise that makes reviewing records a worthwhile occupation.”

Peter Margasak, Jazztimes Magazine (September 2001) “... his debut session, Suspicions, delivers a solid dose of clear-eyed hard bop. Joined by a superb trio of fellow Berklee chums and Fresh Sound regulars—saxophonist Chris Cheek, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer George Schuller—Beckham’s warmly melodic writing is well served by his middle-of-the-road approach, one situated between the slow-burn soul of Milt Jackson and the pianism of Gary Burton... The rhythm section deserves special attention, masterfully sculpting crisp grooves that caress the airiness of the vibes.”

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