Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Kronomorfic - Entangled
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Big band space jazz. See how you can subgenre anything you want? Great sounds for contemplating either your navel or the universe, these are sounds that put the tea in the tea... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Down
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
In an All About Jazz review of pianist/bandleader Richard Pellegrin's Episodes IV-V (OA2 Records, 2015), the author states that Pellegrin's style lies "somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between jazz and 21st century classical music." That also holds true with Down, the third quintet offering from the Assistant Professor at Florida State University.
And if the music leans in the direction of jazz, it's of the accessible avant-garde... read more
Daria - Strawberry Fields Forever
by Michael Doherty, Michael's Music Log
Strawberry Fields Forever, is her tribute to The Beatles. There are a lot of Beatles tribute albums out there, as you know, in basically every musical genre you can think of. What Daria does on this album is focus mostly on the band's later years, with songs from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ("When I'm Sixty-Four," "Fixing A Hole"), Abbey Road ("Come Together") and The White Album ("Blackbird," "Julia," "Helter Skelter"). Apparently... read more
Errol Rackipov - Distant Dreams
by Abe Beeson, KNKX - Seattle
Another new release from an international star on this week's show comes from a vibraphone player from Eastern Europe, "I'm from Bulgaria, I guess a lot of the influence...you can hear a lot of influence in these tunes." That's Errol Rackipov talking about the music he wrote and plays with his band, which pushes his early musical influences into modern jazz territory.
His new album Distant Dreams, again from Seattle's Origin Records, features... read more
Charlie Apicella & Iron City meet The Griots Speak - Call to Action / Call to Prayer
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The composer and drummer Charlie Apicella brings along The Griot Speak and Iron City for these spiritual and cosmic tracks that illustrate a very worldly vision of jazz.
"Call to Action: An Invocation of Those Who Came Before" starts the listen with William Parker's mesmerizing bass and Juma Sultan's playful percussion for the soothing opener, and "Call to Action: With One's Elders" follows with a busier approach of flute via Daniel Carter... 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
Kronomorfic - Entangled
by Brent Black, Bop-N-Jazz
Forward thinking, cutting edge yet wildly accessible ... an impressionistic journey that cuts through tradition ... a journey to a new land of rhythm and groove ... an organic deconstruction of lyrical time and space ... at times... read more
Jihee Heo - Flow
by George W Harris, Jazz Weekly
Pianist Jihee Heo shows herstrong bop chops on this mostly trio album with bassist Alexander Claffy and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Her hands are confident on the bold chords of "I Can See Only One Step Ahead" while she bears down on the nifty "New Yorker Set". She richly broods on Ellington's "In A Sentimental Mood" and is elegant on "Aquellos Ojos Verdes". Alto saxist Vincent Herring jumps in for a couple of tunes, digging in on the sprinter "The... read more
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