OA2 Records Reviews



Danny Green - After the Calm
by Robert Bush, NBC San Diego

San Diego piano virtuoso Danny Green is one of the area's most technically accomplished musicians, and his trio -- with electric/acoustic bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Julien Cantelm -- represents one of the tightest groups in local jazz history.

Green's latest album, "After the Calm," was captured in high fidelity at SpragueLand Studios in Encinitas, and the music it contains is noteworthy for uptempo Latin grooves with a definite... read more

Chamber 3 - Transatlantic
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

Seattle-based drummer Matt Jorgensen tattoos every recording he releases with a mark of bold, clean modernity—whether working with his group Matt Jorgensen + 451 on Hope (Origin Records, 2004) and Another Morning (Origin Records, 2008), or Tattooed By Passion (Origin Records, 2010). Add in scores of sideman slots. His is a distinctive sound, compositionally and instrumentally, on his own or backing his labelmates.

Transatlantic is the... read more

Daria - Strawberry Fields Forever
by J. Poet, Downbeat Magazine

The Beatles catalogue is imprinted on the DNA of several generations of listeners, so artists may find it daunting to put together an album of covers that won't have people tuning out after the first note.

With a formidable crew of Bay Area jazz players along for the ride, including co-arranger Sam Bevan, vocalist Daria successfully reinvents 10 Lennon-McCartney standards for the jazz idiom.

Walking bass and mellow brass flourishes open... read more

Josh Moshier & Mike Lebrun - Joy Not Jaded
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

The Millennials are here.

Keyboardist Josh Moshier and saxophonist Michael Lebrun, a pair of Chicago-based jazz artists born in the 1980s, delve deeply into the jazz world with Joy Not Jaded. On this fine, high-energy set, the pair and their band craft a modern-leaning sound that remains true to the post-bop tradition.

The set of all original material?five tunes from Moshier's pen, six from Lebrun's?opens with Moshier's "King's Road,"... read more

Chamber 3 - Grassroots
by , Jazziz

Despite their moniker, Chamber 3 sounds more like an intimate jazz band than a chamber ensemble on Grassroots, their latest recording. And they utilize four musicians, not three. But these digressions are points in their favor, from a jazz lover's perspective. From the jump, the group offers a cool-jazz sound with a modern flavor. The compatible tones of guitarist Christian Eckert and saxophonist Steffen Weber combine in subtle and... read more

Budman / Levy Orchestra - From There To Here
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan

Oh, how I miss those wonderful big band years.

Fortunately, I can console myself with groups such as the Budman/Levy Orchestra, another of the large units formed periodically to assuage members of the jazz fraternity�s desires to revisit those days, and create the kind of music that dominated then. If we�re lucky, perhaps we�ll get concerts to attend, along with additional recording sessions that result in albums such as this one.

Alex... read more

Rosana Eckert - Sailing Home
by Denise Sullivan, Downbeat

Rosana Eckert finds the Texan singer back in the studio after a nine year hiatus from recording (though she never left performance). Her fourth recorded venture, this set is a partial collaboration with Peter Eldridge (with some tunes co-composed with Eckert's husband, Gary Eckert), but it's mostly a showcase for Eckert's compositional work (she is primarily known as a vocalist). Trading piano accompaniment for guitar and bringing a warm vibe to... read more

Alex Goodman - Border Crossing
by Morton Shlabotnik, Shepherd Express

With Border Crossing, it's easy to hear why Alex Goodman earned First Prize at the 2014 Montreux Jazz Festival Guitar Competition. The Canadian guitarist (now living in the world's jazz capital, New York City) weaves intricate, finely threaded patterns while allowing plenty of space for his small ensemble of acoustic players to shine. The wordless vocalizing of Felicity Williams adds a pleasant near-1960s vibe to the music, showing that words... read more

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