The composer, arranger and pianist Ben Markley brings along a large handful of musicians for this occasion, including the drum extraordinaire Ari Hoenig, and it results in 7 giant, boisterous and solo filled tunes.
"Birdless" starts the listen with bright brass alongside swift keys and Steve Kovalcheck's intricate guitar that makes an indelible impact, and "Lyric" follows with John Gunther's tenor sax illuminating the timeless jazz... read more
THE POWER OF THREE
The intent behind George Cotsirilos' new record was simple - capture the chemistry of a seasoned jazz band and mix it with the right bunch of original tunes and a few standards. The versatile guitarist, along with bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto, refined the tunes during gigs. "The hope was we'd capture ensemble playing that was interactive and communicative," said Cotsirilos, whose listenable style developed... read more
After three acclaimed trio albums since 2006 with bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto, they hooked up with pianist Keith Saunders to explore what Cotsirilos describes as "a little different sound connected to the tunes I was writing." The results are... read more
When the Bicoastal Collective launches into a tune, audience members soon get the sense that they're being pulled into a distinctive sonic space. The ensemble features five saxophones, four trumpets and four trombones, in addition to a rhythm section of guitar, bass, drums and piano. At this year's San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, the band played some of the music from their new album, Bicoastal Collective: Chapter Five (OA2 Records), and got... read more
Border Crossing: how appropriate a title is that for a genre-bending, genre-crossing gathering of jazz-ish tunes?
A young guitarist from Toronto, Goodman gets his opener, Acrobat, off to a slow start with those familiar squeaks of hands on the neck of the guitar. The other musicians chip in their own sounds, exploring textures, until they find their groove.
Felicity Williams brings a haunting vocal to match Michael Davidson's vibraphone... read more
(I am writing this review one day after the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton)
As we experience one of the most wrenching political and social periods in the new millennium, it is often up to our musical artists to fully express the outrage and disbelief necessary to inspire the changes needed, to give us any hope of raising our children in a sane society.
Portland based composer/pianist/college professor, Ezra Weiss, has used... read more
Shawn Maxwell's New Tomorrow returns two years after the release of their eponymous album on OA2 Records. The new CD, Music in My Mind, features ten electric originals performed by the original septet - Maxwell on alto sax, clarinet and flute; trumpeters Victor Garcia, Chad McCullough and Corey Wilkes; keyboardist Matt Nelson; bassist Junius Paul; and drummer Phil Beale - plus a few new additions that envision diversification through their... read more
Translated from Spanish: Mexican jazz has a side that associates with the territory, Mexico, another that relates to the origin of the musician, the Mexican jazz. Between the two lines of construction of a possible concept the relationships are multiple, there are musicians born in other countries who work and develop their projects in Mexico, there are Mexican musicians who for different circumstances live and create their music in... read more
This is just a small collection of the OA2 Records reviews. Click here to view all reviews or try to Search for your favorite CD title.
Ted Piltzecker - Vibes on a Breath
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
Jason Keiser - Shaw's Groove
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'n'More (Switzerland)
Stephen Jones & Ben Haugland - Road to Nowhere
by Michael van Gee, Jazz'n'More (Switzerland)
Francesco Crosara - Circular Motion
by Anne Carlini, EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE
Francesco Crosara - Circular Motion
by Music Editor, Udite Udite (Italy)
Francesco Crosara - Circular Motion
by Luca d’Alessandro, Jazz'NMore (Switzerland)
Francesco Crosara - Circular Motion
by Jean-Claude Vantroyen, LE SOIR (Belgium)
Francesco Crosara - Circular Motion
by Abe Beeson, KNKX, The New Cool
Francesco Crosara - Circular Motion
by Arts Editor, Times-Standard
Jun Iida - Evergreen
by Scott Yanow, DownBeat