Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Stephen Jones & Ben Haugland - Road to Nowhere
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Pianist Ben Haugland joins forces with Stephen Jones on soprano and tenor saxes for some wonderfully lyrical and conversant duets. Kevin Whalen adds his trumpet and flugelhorn to a sweet "Silhouette" and lilting "Autumn In New York", but after that, it's sound and space. Jones goes bel canto with his tenor on "Estate" and bluesy with the soprano on the title tune. Haugland supports like the net of a trapeze artist throughout and gives serenity... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Three-Part Odyssey
by Will Schoell, The Jazz Line
**** 4-STARS
University of Missouri professor of music Rich Pellegrin made his OA2 Records debut this past February, with the album Three Part Odyssey.
Finding himself "some of the most exciting and forward looking musicians of Seattle's younger generation" to fill out this quintet, the group echoes the sounds the John Coltrane's great quartet.
Pellegrin and his gang waltz the fine line between avant-garde, modal, and... read more
Afro Bop Alliance - Revelation
by Steven Cerra, Jazz Profiles
Everytime I think I've heard it all in terms of Latin Jazz in Big Band configurations along comes something new and different to dazzle and surprise me. Such was the case with the latest from Grammy-award winning drummer Joe McCarthy and saxophonist Vince Norman who co-lead the Afro Bop Alliance. Their forthcoming CD is entitled Revelation and it was just that as it moved my ears in new directions concerning Latin Big Band Jazz. One of the... read more
Michael Kocour - Wherever You Go, There You Are
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
4-STARS Solo piano recitals have a refreshing quality about them. The instrument's and by proxy, the performer's, thoughts are undiluted and benefit from the lack of competition with other voices. Pianist, composer, and educator Michael Kocour offers a collection of standards and originals that provide a case-in-point. In an even ten selections, Kocour carves a collection of finely crafted pieces, each with an individual musical... read more
Carrie Wicks - Reverie
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Just shows how looks can be deceiving. Judging the book by the cover, vocalist Carrie Wicks appears to be someone who'd be comfortable interpreting the Crosby, Stills and Nash songbook. Instead, the Norah Jones-toned lady has a soulful sizzle to her voice, giving us some original pieces that are clever, catchy and swinging. She teams with Bill Anschell/p, Brent Jensen/ss-as, D'Vonne Lewis/dr and Jeff Johnson/b, with the tunes ranging from a rich... read more
JazzVox - Jazzvox Presents: In Your Own Backyard
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
OA2 Records, out of Seattle, has issued a compilation of singers and most of them are well worth hearing. I guess everyone has their own favorites, but here are mine: John Proulx, a singer-pianist with a similarity to Chet Baker (but he's a better singer). He does a Frank Rosolino rarity called "Please Don't Bug Me" and also contributes a delicate love song to his newly born daughter entitled "Welcome to My World." Proulx has a couple CDs out on... read more
Mark Buselli / Claude Sifferlen - Take The Mitsu
by Ben Ohmart, Music Dish
You know you're in for a great evening's romance. And do wait for night to fall. It's coming earlier these days - about 5 o'clock - so you've got hours and hours to play these 50+ minutes over and over again.
Except for the classic titles you recognize, the rest of the cd was improvised. And you can tell. It is a moody collaboration, falling silent when you least expect it, picking up again for what can only be described as pensive class.... read more
Juli Wood - Synkka Metsa
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
Folks understandably may not be familiar with Juli Wood and her group, aside from those who live in the Chicago area; she's a regular performer there, but apparently doesn't wander far from home. Well, this release is a gem, and Wood definitely deserves our attention. She plays tenor sax; her cohorts are guitarist Alejandro Urzagaste, bassist Clark Sommers, and drummer Mike Schlick. The song titles are almost unpronounceable - unless you're... read more
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