Orhan Demir's third album jumps out with a hurricane force on "Category Three." The tempo is lightning fast and Demir spirals out line after line of invention. It's an exciting beginning to a great album. Demir has a new rhythm section on this LP but it sounds as if they've been playing together for a while. Special mention has to be made of bassist Rick Lazaroff. The electric bass is not an instrument I'm fond of hearing in a jazz context. But Lazaroff pulls off no mean feat by making it sound like a natural as a jazz instrument. His tone is subtle, not overbearing and he glides effortlessly along the strings shading the notes as an acoustic player would. The closet comparison to Demir's style might be pre - Mahavishnu McLaughlin. And that's a good place to be. It seems that's where jazz guitar development started to go wrong. Demir has the technique and the ideas and he doesn't go wrong. Demir has the technique and the ideas and he doesn't need to crank up the volume or resort to some effects boxes to bring it across. His compositions are varied. In addition to two fingerbusters (Category Three and Liberty Square) there's a strange blues line (Windmill), "Duplex Planet," an uptempo line that evolves into a slow moody chordal exploration, and "Orient Express," a free piece. If anyone is interested in the guitar, he/she should check out Demir. He's a player of great imagination, technique and wit. 
by Robert Iannapollo

Option

Although Demir is in most senses of the word a jazz guitarist, his music owes much to middle eastern music (he's originally from Turkey) and doesn't really swing a lot. His tone is somewhere between, say, Joe Pass and Larry Coryell, but his lightning runs are closer to Coryell's and John McLaughlin's end of the spectrum. Most of this was in evidence on his last LP Northwest, and Windmill is similar. Demir again has intelligent listening collaborators, this time electric bassist Rick Lazaroff and drummer Jack Vorvis. Again the tunes are well-written, and again there's a free number that goes nowhere. But perhaps due to the electric bass and what sounds like a solid body guitar, Windmill packs a more viceral punch. It's not fusion; there's too much rhythmic interplay. It's more like hearing McLaughlin with Steve Swallow on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. At its best (e.g. "Category Three"), it's that good. What seems to help is a clear compositional direction. The Aformentioned free number lacks that, and the ballad needs more focus. The other four cuts fare better. I enjoyed the more overt jazz groove of Northwest more, but fans of more electric improvising will find a lot to like about Windmill, and guitar buffs will probably want to check out both.
by Bart Grooms

Downbeat

Giutarist Orhan Demir's trio release "Windmill," Hitite Records, has some burning be-bop and physically impressive guitar playing. Those still ia a Tony Williams Lifetime mode may like sections of this one.

Coda Magazine

OIf Rance Lee's heart lies in swing, Orhan Demir's lies in fusion. Demirs's music is exciting, nervous and flashy. Repeated listenings to "Windmill," though, leave a sense of emotional shallowness, because this music too often focuses on chops for the sake of chops."Windmill" would really benefit from more breathing room. It's simply too many notes for the listener to digeat. Demir's brittle guitar tone and his solos that rely heavily on simple arpeggios executed at fast speed define the music. "Liberty Square," for example sounds like the John McLaughlin / Billy Cobham / Rick Laird power trio in all its bombast. Excellent fusion music, I suppose, but rarely is there a change of tempo or volume or development of mood. In all fairness, "Orient Express," does offer some contrast, a middle-Eastern drone allowing free guitar and bass improvisations, and the delicate percussion colours, and "Duplex Planet" shows some capability for introspection. But generally, the drums are locked into playing time for the guitar to ride on. Shade of Oscar Peterson.
by Paul Baker