Browse some recent OA2 Reviews.
Rich Pellegrin - Solitude: Solo Improvisations
by Cedric Hendrix, CirdecSongs
A pianist with a deft sense of touch and a good feel for melody, Rich Pellegrin goes it alone with this album of improvisations recorded over the summer of 2019. The pieces are relatively short (rarely lasting more than two minutes), but sometimes it doesn't take long to convey the message. Pellegrin is not as raw or abstract as Keith Jarrett, finding his voice inside comfortable chords and direct single-note melodies. Pellegrin is able to make... read more
Gail Pettis - Here in the Moment
by George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Gail Pettis was a practicing orthodontist who just started her singing career in ?02. I bet she had great music in the waiting room! Here, on her second release, she teams up with a pair of trios (Darin Clendenin-Randy Halberstadt/p, Clipper Anderson-Jeff Johnson/b, Mark Ivester/dr) for some impressively original treatments of jazz standards. She's got a mocha latte voice that's brewed just right on the dreamy and spacious ?I Thought About You?... read more
Francesco Crosara - Circular Motion
by Jan van Leersum, RootsTime.BE (Belgium)
Francesco Crosara (Milan, 1960) is a pianist/composer and music educator, he was born in Milan and now lives in Seattle (USA). His role models are Chick Corea, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock. As far as I can tell, he released seven albums, including 1999's "Colors" with the renowned Chicago tenor saxophonist Von Freeman. His music moves between jazz improvisation, a touch of romance thanks to his classical training together with Latin influences.... read more
Ben Markley Quartet - Slow Play
by Dave Rogers, WTJU
Pianist Ben Markley offers eight original compositions and his quartet extraordinaire, including Joel Frahm (tenor sax, soprano sax on one song), Marty Kenney (bass) and Jim White (drums) with guest Andy Wheelock adding congas on two songs. The songs swing and jump for all they're worth for beginning to end as the piano and sax intertwine and react to each other. The group is tight and when Frahm turns things loose, the music is swinging with... read more
Gustavo Cortinas - Esse
by Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader
I know Chicago has a very deep jazz scene, but I'm often reminded how strong it is by a record like Esse (OA2), the second from drummer and composer Gustavo Cortiñas. Though the Mexico native moved to the area a decade ago to further his education, attending Loyola and Northwestern, I'd never heard of him until a couple of months ago (same goes for some of the players who contribute to the new album). Now I've certainly been put on notice,... read more
Ben Paterson - Breathing Space
by Dick Crockett, Bop 'n Dick's 10 Picks
A young trio from Chicago jams to the jazz classics. Ben Paterson has that classic style with his own style, imbued with Chicago jazz lore. Reflections of Oscar Peterson as in ?Whisper Not ,? Other ethers from this group, musings of Junior Mance and Wynton Kelly.
The rest of the trio John Deitemyer, drums and Jake Vinsel, bass are proactive and fiesty on ?Alice In Wonderland.? Listen to this, then to the roots and understand this is where the... read more
Rich Pellegrin - Passage: Solo Improvisations II
by Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
4-Stars In the summer of 2019, pianist Rich Pellegrin retreated to Whidbey Island, Washington, near Seattle. On the island, in the fellowship hall of the Langley United Methodist Church, lies an Everett Concert Grand Piano, from 1915. It is an aging and perhaps imperfect instrument, but one with a certain character which compelled Pellegrin to set up a recording situation and lay down some of his most intimate, inward music. The piano,... read more
Lolly Allen - Coming Home
by Georges Tonla Briquet, JazzHalo (Belgium)
It was Horace Silver who at the time penned 'The Hippest Cat In Hollywood' (here the opening track). Vibraphonist Lolly Allen fulfills that role with verve without tilting to camp or kitsch. "Straight jazz" coupled with Mancini traits, Brasiliana and West Coast cool performed by a stylish cast. Music that sounds like from the era when Alan Ladd and Rita Hayworth gave color to the black and white film world. The ideal starting point is a first... read more
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