Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Mark Buselli - Untold Stories
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
For several years now, "jazz" has become an increasingly misused term. If you look it up in a dictionary, or Google it, you'll note that every definition includes words like improvisation, syncopation, rhythm, beat and other terms that describe an American art form dating back to the early 20th century. There are, many genres of jazz: Dixieland, straight-ahead, bop, modern and fusion, to name but a few, and they all have one thing in common:... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Solitude: Solo Improvisations
by Grant Grays, Earshot Jazz
Solitude has been a central theme of the human condition for the past fifteen months. With the planet under lockdown to temper the spread of COVID-19 we have all spent time alone in abundance. While loneliness has been an unavoidable feature of this moment, we have also been afforded the opportunity to explore the feature of aloneness. Aloneness does not connote the negative aspects of solo existence, but rather describes the joys of... read more
Dan Trudell - Fishin' Again: A Tribute to Clyde Stubblefield & Dr. Lonnie Smith
by Dan Bilawsky, The New York City Jazz Record
Chicago-based organist Dan Trudell isn't simply a fan of both the late funk drummer extraordinaire Clyde Stubblefield (who would have turned 80 this month) and organ guru Dr. Lonnie Smith: he led a band with the storied sticksmith and learned from the soulful mystic of the keys, developing friendships with these late great artists. He pays tribute here with grooves, grease and all of the glories that defined these musicians' sounds.
Working... read more
Carrie Wicks - Maybe
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Vocalist Carrie Wicks is three albums into her recording career with the release of Maybe, a collection heavy on smartly composed and sung originals. Wicks has previously released I'll Get Around to It (OA2 Records, 2010) and Barely There (OA2 Records, 2012). She enjoyed the same rhythm section so much on both recordings, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer Byron Vannoy that she uses them with no... read more
Chris Parker - Full Circle
by George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon
So many musical styles have been pulled into the genre we've come to call "jazz." Even if Latin rhythms, funky beats, or bizarre instrumentation are involved, you can still hear when the musical undercurrent is jazz and, in fact, what would jazz be without it? In its 100-year history, jazz has come full circle.
Parker's new record fuses classic hard-bop with Calypso, tango, blues, and funk, creating an eclectic, engaging sound. Parker is most... read more
Afro Bop Alliance - Revelation
by Raul da Gama, Latin Jazz Network
The relatively small, yet deeply rewarding output of the Afro Bop Alliance Big Band is skillfully wrought, thoroughly idiomatic, inventive and communicative on every level and it is not surprising that each album finds favour with audiences and students of big band music. Moreover the music's variety of mood, conception and sheer exuberance is a moving feast for the inner ear. Revelation, like all its predecessors, is ravishing kaleidoscope of... read more
Craig Yaremko - CYO3
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
This is not your �Jimmy Smith� styled organ outing; think more �Larry Young� in terms of harmonics and rhythms. Leader Craig Yarenko performs on the soprano, alto and tenor saxes as well as soprano and alto flute along with Matt King/org and Jonathon Peretz/dr on this mix of originals and jazz standards. The trio takes well known material such as �Jitterbug Waltz� or �Little Sunflower� and adds extra textures or changes in tempo to keep you on... read more
Mark Quint - The Principle of Uncertainty
by Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
The sophomore album from Mark Quint, a jazz vocalist that's made the rounds from LA to Chicago and back and recently settled into the Seattle scene. The compositions are a split effort between Quint and Brazilian transplant Marco de Carvalho, so there's a good mix of traditional vocal jazz and soft Brazilian influences. In particular the samba is present in a number of the pieces, perhaps most notably This is the Way and Samba Groove (for a... read more
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