Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Cynthia Mullis - Inside Job
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
An album of straightforward jazz from Cynthia Mullis, one of only a handful of capable female jazz instrumentalists on the scene (many opt to be jazz vocalists instead). Here, the Seattle jazzer grooves her way through ten songs; roughly half standards and half original compositions, both from her and from bassist Doug Miller. She switches between emulating John Coltrane in her solos and emulating the bop sax lines when working through a chorus... read more
Randy Napoleon - Rust Belt Roots: Randy Napoleon Plays Wes Montgomery, Grant Green & Kenny Burrell
by Linda Yohn, SEMJA (Michigan)
In any endeavor — business, education, the arts — the teacher-student relationship is critical for growth of new talent and skills. The mentor-mentee relationship takes the educational and growth commitment to a higher level. In the two recordings Rust Belt Roots by Randy Napoleon and Each Step by Nathan Borton, you hear the living mentor-mentee liaison through the lens of six strings thoughtfully stroked on beautiful guitars.
Napoleon's... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Three-Part Odyssey
by Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition
The Seattle jazz scene is vibrant and open-minded, with artists ranging from Thomas Marriott and Cuong Vu to The Zubatto Syndicate and Jeff Johnson. A new and up-and-coming Seattle jazz musician is the forward-thinking pianist Rich Pellegrin, whose debut release as a leader, Three-Part Odyssey, combines complex and dense structures, cyclical minimalism, avant-garde interludes and orderly post-bop jazz.
In his liner notes, Pellegrin... read more
Kelley Johnson - Something Good
by Ron Weinstock, In a Blue Mood
There is a warmth and a genial, sensual quality to Kelley Johnson's vocals. Her latest CD, "Something Good," has her wonderful interpretations of ten musical gems backed by a trio, including her husband, John Hansen on piano, Michael Glynn on bass, and Kendrick Scott on piano. Jay Thomas adds his horn (saxophone or trumpet to three songs.
She has such a delightful voice as she cleanly delivers the lyrics with flawless pitch, and fluid... read more
Jun Iida - Evergreen
by ROBERT HAM, Earshot Jazz
The career of most every musical artist is a slow or fast build toward their first major statement: their debut album. It's the culmination of years of acquired skills and influences all funneled into one easily consumable chunk. In the case of trumpeter Jun Iida, he arrived at a recording studio in Glendale, California with a wealth of material completed during the pandemic that was impacted by years of exploring jazz, hip-hop, classical, and... read more
Nathan Borton - Each Step
by Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
4-STARS Judging from recent album releases, the guitar remains an essential part of the contemporary jazz scene. The latest example among many is this tasteful session led by Kansas-born, Michigan-based Nathan Borton, adding his name to an ample roster of newly minted guitar-led or guitar-centered albums by Doug MacDonald, Graham Dechter, Kristian Borring, Randy Napoleon, John Moulder, Hendrik Braeckman, Paul Bollenback, Matt Dingledine... read more
Jeff Jenkins Organization - The Arrival
by Dave Rogers, WTJU - Richmond
Veteran keyboard player and teacher at University of Colorado (Boulder) and the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts, Jeff Jenkins concentrates on the B3 for this outing. His early concentration on piano included study with Richie Beirach and Kenny Barron and performing with Phil Woods, Freddie Hubbard, David Fathead Newman, Eddie Harris, Benny Golson, John Abercrombie, and Clark Terry. He composed 9 of the 11 songs on this disc, covering a... read more
Gordon Lee and the Gleeful Big Band - Flying Dream
by Lynn Darroch, Oregonian
Big ideas, Big band
"Sure there's dissonance," says pianist and composer Gordon Lee about "Flying Dream," his new CD on OA2 recordings. "That's a characteristic of my style. But it's a friendly dissonance," he adds.
Lee's previous album, "Rough Jazz," explored the Portland resident's dark side, but he says this big band recording exhibits the joy and happiness in his music.
Lee's collection of original (and one standard) big... read more
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