Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Chamber 3 - Grassroots
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A dandy homage to 60s jazz as made by the cats that weren't selling out to pop and Beatles covers as a way to protect their turf. With the progressive edge in tact, the latest from this Seattle/German cross currant is right in the pocket for sitting back in your chair with a brandy and nodding your head appreciatorily without even knowing you are doing it. Tasty stuff that hits the right spot... read more
Hans Luchs - Time Never Pauses
by C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
Chicago-based guitarist Hans Luchs draws more from the recent than far past. More John Abercrombie and John Scofield than Wes Montgomery or Grant Green. His debut recording Time Never Pauses is a collection of eight original compositions and two transformed standards reveals the continued refining of modern jazz composition well past the head-solo section-head style of hard bop and the liquid freedom of post bop into pure composition.
"Der... read more
Charlie Apicella & Iron City meet The Griots Speak - Destiny Calling
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Two bands for the price of one are served here, as the Iron City team of Brad Whiteley/org and Austin Walker/dr join forces with The Gritos Speak band of Daniel Carter/sax-fl-cl-p-tp, Charlie Apicella/perc-g, William Parker/b-misc and Juma Sultan/perc. The result is a combination of soul grooves and sounds that serve as a foundation for exotic harmonies and flavors.
Carter's clarinet is melancholic with Walker on "As The Sun Rises" while his... read more
Peter Lin | AAPI Jazz Collective - Identity
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
An Expansive Musical Journey: Peter Lin's Identity Bridges Continents and Traditions.
From the very first notes of Emperor's Stride, the opening track of Identity, it becomes immediately clear that this is one of the most captivating albums to cross our path in recent memory. With the adventurous spirit reminiscent of Vietnamese-French guitarist Nguyên Lê, trombonist and composer Peter Lin embarks on a rich, genre-defying... read more
Daniel Jamieson's Danjam Orchestra - Sudden Appearance
by Jeffrey Morgan, Jeffrey Morgan's Media Blackout
From Clint Eastwood's Sudden Impact to JCVD's Sudden Death, it's long been a proven scientific fact that anything with the word "Sudden" in its title is bound to be a bona fide hit - and this album is guaranteed to be no exception to that beholdin - rule even though this ain't no moving picture by a long shot. But it is a soundtrack of sorts in that your brain will be conjuring up an endless array of cinematic images nonetheless, thanks to the... read more
Joan Hickey - Between The Lines
by Jerome Wilson, Cadence (Oct-Dec 2007)
On Between The Lines pianist Joan Hickey delivers a CD that is more Jazz-centered with emphasis on Blues accents and the free floating pulse established long ago by the '60's Miles Davis Quintet. "With A Song In My Heart" and "The Man I Love" get strong, exuberant interpretations that feature saxophonist John Wojciechowski going wild, playing a hard, burrowing tenor on "Song" and a strong melodious soprano on "Man."
Hickey proves herself a... read more
Charlie Porter - Immigration Nation
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
If you had great grand parents who came here not knowing how to speak English but able to push a cart through alleys 12 hours a day while they figured how to support their families and prosper, you don't have to be a guilty, white, liberal to feel for what immigrant families are going through today. This set, cut into 'leaving home' and 'new beginnings' sections underscores the immigrant experience sonically with a diverse crew that... 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
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