Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Michael Kocour - East of the Sun
by Mark Gilbert, Jazz Journal (UK)
"There is nothing groundbreaking here. I'm trying to be as honest and fresh as I can within the tradition". That might sound like a recipe for blandness, and true, there's nothing offensive in this solo piano recital. Kocour is a master of the tuneful and enchanting interpretation of the jazz standard. But the set isn't quite as innocuous as his description suggests.
It begins, with "East of the Sun" and "I've Got a Right", in regular enough... read more
Ben Markley - Basic Economy
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Pianist Ben Markley forms a hip post-bop band with Evan Gregor/b, Dru Heller/dr and featured guest Greg Osby/as on 6 self-penned pieces and one thrown in by the alto saxist. Of the latter, "Ice-Line" is a dark modal piece that has the saxist crying out to the heavens, while a similar attitude is palpable on the ¾ charger "Mind Fire." Markley gets Monkish on the funky title track and bops with the best during "Half Dozen" and calms the waters on... read more
Juli Wood - Synkka Metsa
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
When the subject of Finnish jazz is mentioned, the names Iro Haarla (piano), Vernie Pohjola (trumpet), Juhani Aaltonenen (saxophone) and Heikki Sarmanto could get tossed about as four from Finland who are producing superb recordings on TUM Records. The "Finnish sound" tends toward a reflective and often melancholy minor key mode, with smoldering freedom that at times flashes into roaring flame.
Chicago's Juli Wood - who plays multiple... read more
William Flynn - Seaside
by Claus Friede, Kultur Port (Germany)
In January 2017, in the middle of his fourth year at Wichita State University, jazz guitarist William Flynn drove a thousand miles from the plains of Kansas to the idyllic beaches of Florida's Gulf Coast.
He had applied for an Escape to Create artist residency. Funded and organized by residents and volunteers of the city of Seaside FL, the Cross-Cultural Genre Grant has been around since 1993—12 years after the fledgling community... read more
Tucker Antell - Grime Scene
by Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'Halo (Belgium)
The debut of this tenor saxophonist from Boston immediately turns on the necessary lights. Do not fear a fashionable connection with other trendy dances such as dubstep, jungle or garage what could be the title reference (grime). The two-minute Joshua Redman-esque sax solo by Tucker, which then turns into catchy soul jazz with Hammond B3 (Jake Sherman in Jimmy Smith-style) and guitar (Carl Eisman as nephew of Grant Green) shows what it's all... read more
Alex Goodman - Border Crossing
by Ted Quinlan, The Whole Note
Composition and improvisation flow freely into each other on guitarist Alex Goodman's Border Crossing. For his latest recording Goodman has assembled what can best be described as a jazz chamber group. His writing is ambitious and complex, making full use of the wide range of colours available from this outstanding ensemble. Andrew Downing, who doubles on bass and cello, and vocalist Felicity Williams contribute to the group's ability to cross... read more
Jay Lawrence - Thermal Strut
by Ken Dryden, All About Jazz
Drummer Jay Lawrence has played with a range of pop artists and jazz musicians, though his name is probably not that well known. On Thermal Strut he is joined by seasoned bassist Lynn Seaton and the promising young pianist Tamir Hendelman (the latter who contributed many of the arrangements for this session). Lawrence clearly is a capable drummer but it is the playing of Hendelman, who has served with both the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the... read more
Greg Duncan Quintet - Unveiled
by Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Bandleader Greg Duncan spent some time touring with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and in ways it shows here on his debut recording. While he's working in a quintet for Unveiled, and on modern compositions, there's a definite classic big-band sound. The players here -- Duncan on trumpet, Dan Nicholson on sax, and Marcin Fahmy, Jon Deitemeyer, and Jeff Greene as the rhythm section -- all play their parts in a cohesive manner, never straying too far... read more
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